Rims & wheels for 65 vette

[bonll]

I wanted to put some aftermarket rims & wheels on my vette (5 spoke American Racing, TTO's series 309, vintage look). I was told that they will not fit.

Anyway, does anyone know of similar vintage 5 spokes that will? Also what is the widest tire I should go without rubbing or adverse handling, 8"?

I saw a picture of member "Paul79" 67" coupe which had the look I wanted.
Paul if you read this can you tell me the Brand of rim & the tire sizes. They look great.

Thanks for any help.

New member, Bonll

 

[WayneC]

I'm not speaking from my own experience, but from past posts that I made note of. The limiting factor is contact between the front tires and the fenders on turns into sloped driveways.

Some have reported successfully running 215/65 or 225/60 tires on 7 inch rims. Reports are mixed on 215/70, some say it's OK, some say they had rubbing problems. Although, rim width may have an effect, too.

Stock tires were 7.75-15 on a 6 inch rim; closest match in today's tires is probably 205/75-15, and 215/70-15 is nearly the same revs per mile.

You can make some comparisons of tire dimensions and revs/mile (affects speedometer) on this website:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/tools/tirecalc.html

But strangely, those dimensions don't seem to verify the user reports above, and I've seen other references that show different revs/mile than this calculator.

Be forewarned that wide tires don't fit in the spare tire carrier, you need a narrower spare.

 

[paul67]

The wheels are American Racing (AR) Torq Thrust IIs (Model CL-205) custom made to mimick 1967 ralley specs: 15 x 6" with 3 3/8" backspacing and +1/8" offset. The tires are Pirelli Supertouring P4000 215-ZR70/15, equivalent to 7.75-15. I refer you to the Spring 2003 issue of NCRS's "The Corvette Restorer" for an excellent article by Duke Williams on modern day, high performance tires for C2 and C3 Corvettes.

This pic illustrates the curve in the inner surface of the spokes needed for caliper clearance. A straight spoke wheel will not clear the calipers.

This is an original AR Torq Thrust D wheel from the 1960s. Note the "notch" in the spokes for caliper clearance. These wheels are hard to find and very expensive.

 

[bonll]

Thanks

Thanks, guys for all the info.

I am going to order the "(AR) Torq Thrust IIs (Model CL-205) custom made to mimick 1967 ralley specs: 15 x 6" with 3 3/8" backspacing and +1/8" offset".
As per Paul79's info.

The cost is $220.00 each with a 8 week lead time since these are custom.

Can't wait they sure look sweet.

 

[paul67]

I ordered mine about this time last year and they arrived in nine weeks. The price was the same. They come with AR centre caps that I have but I ordered the optional AR Carlisle spinners as can be seen. They are not for everyone of course. From the factory the centres/spokes are powder-coated grey. I chose to paint them black. The wheels/tires balanced up very nicely with a minimum amount of weight on the inner edges of the rims. Needless to say I was delighted with the look and performance during the 2004 driving season.

I am sure you will be pleased as well.