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Widest and Biggest Size Tire Combos on an 81 Vette?

H

HighlyFanatic

Guest
whats the widest size tire i can throw in the front and in the back of an 81 vette. will it be able to house 17" rims or even 18" rims?? heres my two options (ideal, realistic) critique them.


on bad a$$ wheels similar to these, in white though
5zigen_copse_hysil_large.jpg

Realistically:
245x40x17 for 17x8" fronts (maybe the 8's are to panzy)
275x40x17 for 17x9" rears

Ideally:

18x8" fronts
18x10" rears


heres some MEAN rubber

Goodyear
goodyear_f1gsd2_lg.jpg


Toyo (not sure if i want the japanese brand on an american vehicle??)
toyo_proxes_T1_S_large.jpg


Michelin
michelin-psprt-large.jpg
 
katanas

katanak5_small.jpg


too bad they'r only 17x7

katana_consept5.jpg


chrome and polished lip

GiovannaAttack.jpg


m5.jpg

you can these in almost any size

ssr_gt3_ci3_l.jpg

well hello there!!!
 
b117olxe.jpg


i think this would look good too (hamanns are usually put on beamers)
 
BI445.jpg


tossup between HRE's 5 spoke and 6 spoke!!! dammit, i like the 6 spokes

SHWcorva545.jpg


SHWcorva546.jpg
 
Check out some previous posts from 69myway. He has some 18" rims on his ride, which is totally sweet.
 
i dont really know if i like the torque thrusts
 
Heh Wait till you price the HRE Wheels...put it this way you'd need to seperatly insure the rims from the vehicle!

For the 5 Spoke in a 9.5x17" size with my offset the total came to around 9000$ Canadian!

But ya 69myWay has the 18" rims on his car (Very nice!)

Psst! I stole a picture for my archives here it is!
 
BigRed said:
Heh Wait till you price the HRE Wheels...put it this way you'd need to seperatly insure the rims from the vehicle!

For the 5 Spoke in a 9.5x17" size with my offset the total came to around 9000$ Canadian!

But ya 69myWay has the 18" rims on his car (Very nice!)

Psst! I stole a picture for my archives here it is!

:hiya:

hey i live in Edmonton too, what part of the city you from
 
I've got 20" TT IIs all around front wheels are 8" wide with 255/35 Pirelli PZEROs and rear wheels are 10" wide with 285/30 Pirellis on them. I consider this as the max set up with stock body and offset TAs.
20inch1.jpg

20inch2.jpg

101-0124_img.jpg
 
I dunno what gives when I try to put pics here people say that they can't see them. They work for me just fine. Anyways I do this like did the last time this happened.
PICS?
 
Picking the "right" wheel and tire is a difficult decision. I have seen so many super nice cars that have all the right elements to be super cars, but they often fall short on the wheels. I don't know if they don't keep current on the latest trends, or if they have spent all the budget on paint, interior, engine, or if they are just not well informed.

In my opinion (and please don't take it personal) if you don't step up to at least 17" when you go for a custom rim, you are already making the wrong move. For reasons unknown to me, Vette people are very reluctant to install custom wheels. Just take a look around. The truck crowd thinks nothing of installing a set of 19" super wheels that cost more than the truck is worth to get that perfect look. The ricers are often running better wheel and tire technology than the majority of the vette folks.

People see two things when they look at a car in traffic. The paint and the wheels/tires. These two things make or break a car and MUST be in perfect harmony to pull it off. You can have a hot rim, but if it is not wide enough, or does not fill out the wheel well right, you might as well have the stockers on it.

So, look around, and don't be afraid to put a second mortgage on the house to get the exact right wheel. In the end, only you have to be pleased with them. However take it from experience, having people from all walks of life compliment you on the wheel choice feels great and reinforces your decsion to spend the big bucks.

As you know, I got mine from www.hvydeez.com you can speak to Lynn or Dave. Lynn was in last months Vette magazine with her yellow 66 vert. The other good news is that enough people like Jay and myself have been experimenting with these now enough to give you good advice on back spacing and tire sizes. The rest is up to you.

Good luck!
 
One thing I want to add is that the "PERFECT" wheel and tire combo for your car is the one that you choose. If other people like it as well, all the better. If nobody likes it but you, that is all that matters.
 

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