[Keith Vrabec]

I want ot put a set of Keystone Raider mags on my wagon, but offest is a little tight. Just want to know what is minimal allowable clearance. Original steel rims had 1.5 inches, mags leave only 0.5 inch, measuring from tire to inside of rear fenderwell. Last thing I want to do is screw up the quarters with a tire rub.

[Keith Vrabec]

I want ot put a set of Keystone Raider mags on my wagon, but offest is a little tight. Just want to know what is minimal allowable clearance. Original steel rims had 1.5 inches, mags leave only 0.5 inch, measuring from tire to inside of rear fenderwell. Last thing I want to do is screw up the quarters with a tire rub.

[bonneville Joe]

The more backspace the better. I run 15x7 Cragar S/S's on my cars with a 4 1/8" backspace and its close with the skirts on. Whatever you run try to find the most backspace possible. There is way more room going inwards than out. If you only have .5 of an inch you are gonna be stuck with a 205 treadsize which is what I have. Stay away from any H rated tires. They use a thicker sidewall and will rub. I use 205/60/15. Car sits a little lower and messes the speedometer up by about 5 miles an hour.

Give me a thumbs up, tell me "Nice Car!", but for god's sake, don't call it an Impala.

[ponchopio]

I'm by no means an expert, but an article in Rod & Custom recently quoted .25" outside and .25" inside as the absolute minimum clearance needed. Needless to say, you'll also want to test the lock-to-lock turn clearance too! It sounds like you're right at the threshold Keith.

[Keith Vrabec]

The fronts offer a lot of clearance, no problem there. Seems if the experts think .25 is minimal, it's worth a try. The car really looks right with them on, I have a set of redlines for the rims, which are a tall thin tire, as it should be. I do have to blast and paint the rims, and polish the outer rim, but is seems like it will work.

Thanks for the advice.

KV