[highrisk]

I have searched the forum and the internet for pictures of 65 GTOs (or 64s) with 17" rims until my fingers hurt so I thought I would give up and just ask. I have found some but not with the details I need to give a good comparison.

Right now my plans are to put Cragar Eliminator 500 chrome rims on the car with 15x7 up front and 215/70 (or 215/65) tires and 15x8 in the rear with 245/60 tires. Part of me wants to upgrade to 17" rims to have a better selection of tires but I really don't like the really low profile tire look on these cars.

So I was thinking of the same Cragar rims in a 17x7 front and 17x8 rear with either a 215/55 or a 225/55 in the front and a 245/50 in the rear. The 215/55/17 is 26.3" tall, the 225/55/17 is 26.8" tall, and the 245/50/17 is 26.7" tall.

So if you have pictures of a 65 (or 64) sporting 17" rims with tires close to this size I would really appreciate seeing them.

Thanks,
Dale

[Nicks67GTO]

I just did 18's on my 67' and I did a 265/50/18 in the rear and a 245/45/18 in the front. Taller tires for sure. It does not have the rubber band look at all. I also dont care for that look. If you want a few shots I just put them up in my build thred. Link is in my signature.

[Nicks67GTO]

Ask and ye shall recieve..... Heres a few from Goodguys Desmoines. The last one is a 65 Olds from Popular Hotrodding I thought I would throw in there. It can be done tastefully. I can tell you from making the leap that the difference in handling is huge. If you have questions feel free to PM me.

The little box at the end is a video of the Blue 64 GTO running auto X

The red 64 lemans is 17" year ones
The Blue 64 GTO is on 17" Vintage wheel works V40s'
The black 65 Tempest is on 18's of some sort but its the Schwartz performance Tempest
The White 65 GTO I couldnt tell you
The Red 65 Olds is PHR's project olds and its on 18" Rocket racing wheels
















65 Olds for good measure

[highrisk]

Nick,
Thanks for all the pictures. The red 64 is the exact look I am hoping for. It looks very tasteful. I haven't had a chance to look at your thread but as soon as I get a chance I will. Thank you for responding with pictures.
Dale

[The Champ]

I haven't done it yet, but am seriously looking at some 17x7" Wheel Vintiques plain steel rims from Summit. They have 4.625" BS and will my poverty caps will fit on them. About $200.00 per rim with free shipping. Just need to paint.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wv...4458/overview/



Looking at 225/50/17's on the front and 255/50/17's on the rear. Just trying to decide whether to order Nitto 450 Diamond Back Redlines (about $1200 with shipping) or regular blackwall's (about $650) and painting redlines on the rims.

I think this would retain the mostly stock look of my car.

[67GTONUT]

Originally Posted by The Champ

I haven't done it yet, but am seriously looking at some 17x7" Wheel Vintiques plain steel rims from Summit. They have 4.625" BS and will my poverty caps will fit on them. About $200.00 per rim with free shipping. Just need to paint.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wv...4458/overview/



Looking at 225/50/17's on the front and 255/50/17's on the rear. Just trying to decide whether to order Nitto 450 Diamond Back Redlines (about $1200 with shipping) or regular blackwall's (about $650) and painting redlines on the rims.

I think this would retain the mostly stock look of my car.

Oh..... liking that idea....

[highrisk]

I finally got a chance to look at your car. I like it a lot. I think I am going to stick to the 17". If my car ends up looking like the red 64 in your pictures I would be more than happy. I have pretty much made up my mind on the tires but the actual wheels are the problem. I won't be able to make the final decision until the car gets back from body work and paint so I can measure again. When I did the measurements before it was for 15" wheels and tires. Since then the lack of good 15" tires has pushed me to the 17". I just wish someone would do a white lettered 17". The rims that I really would like to do are the Cragar Eliminator 500C. The 17x7 for the front have a 4.25" backspace which I think will be fine. The problem is the 17x8 for the rear are only 4.5" backspace and with a wider 69 rearend and disc brake conversion I am afraid the 17" 245/50/17 might not fit. When I did the measurements for the 15" it was for the same rims, same backspace, and a 245/60/15 and they had plenty of room. But my concern is the 17" tires are a little wider. I will just have to wait and see when the car gets back. I am going to continue looking at different wheel choices. I just don't want to spend $300 to $400 per wheel.

Thanks,
Dale

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

I just did 18's on my 67' and I did a 265/50/18 in the rear and a 245/45/18 in the front. Taller tires for sure. It does not have the rubber band look at all. I also dont care for that look. If you want a few shots I just put them up in my build thred. Link is in my signature.

[highrisk]

I have actually looked at those wheels as well. Mainly when I was thinking going 15" but I might have to look at them again.
Dale

Originally Posted by The Champ

I haven't done it yet, but am seriously looking at some 17x7" Wheel Vintiques plain steel rims from Summit. They have 4.625" BS and will my poverty caps will fit on them. About $200.00 per rim with free shipping. Just need to paint.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wv...4458/overview/



Looking at 225/50/17's on the front and 255/50/17's on the rear. Just trying to decide whether to order Nitto 450 Diamond Back Redlines (about $1200 with shipping) or regular blackwall's (about $650) and painting redlines on the rims.

I think this would retain the mostly stock look of my car.

[rohrt]

I really wanted some kind of steel rim that I could still use my spinners on but no such animal exists

[highrisk]

I think what would work for me is a 17x7 with 4.25 backspace for the front and 17x8 with 4.75 to 5 backspace for the rear. The problem is finding someone that makes the wheels in the backspacing you want. Vision makes a really nice rim called the Legend 142, Summit sells them as the Legend S, but it only comes in a 17x7 with either a 4 or 4.25 BS. Then they have their Legend 141, Summit sells it as the Legend, but it only comes in a 17x8 with a 4.5 or 5.25 BS. Why can't they offer both rims in 17x7 and 17x8??? I have run into this problem with other brands as well.

Here is the Legend 142:
http://www.visionwheel.com/wheel/113...l-142-legend-5
Here is the Legend 141:
http://www.visionwheel.com/wheel/113...l-141-legend-5
Here is the Cragar that I would really like to do:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cr...3445/overview/

Oh well, the search is half the fun and it gives me something to do while I wait on the car to come back.
Dale

[twov8sandat4]

Originally Posted by highrisk

I just wish someone would do a white lettered 17".
Thanks,
Dale

FYI

http://transamcountry.com/community/...?topic=59102.0

http://www.tredwearletters.com/

[highrisk]

That is a pretty neat idea. I like the looks of the Nitro tire he did. I have actually used the letter paint pen on my Harley and it worked very well. I don't think it would last on a daily driver but it did well on a tire that never saw rain or snow.
Dale

Originally Posted by twov8sandat4

FYI

http://transamcountry.com/community/...?topic=59102.0

http://www.tredwearletters.com/

[The Champ]

Dale

Like you, I have the later rear (69 12 bolt with drum brakes) in my '64 GTO. I currently run 255/60/15's on the rear on 15x7's with 4.25" BS. I can't run anything wider than that safely.

On the front, I have 235/60/15's on the same rims. After my disc brake conversion - the clearance is really tight.

That's what attracted me to the 17x7's with 4.625" BS - Picking up .375" of BS will make everything clear better than what I have now.

I had looked at those Cragar Eliminators too - both in 15 and 17 - but like you determined that they wouldn't work for the tires I wanted to run.

I noticed in one of your posts that you have rear discs - did that widen your track about .25" per side like adding discs to the front of my car did?

If I was looking to go to alloy rims - this is the best fit I've found by Billet Specialties:

or

17x7's have 4.5" BS and 17x8's have both 5 and 5.25" BS.

You might not like them - but I like them a lot. These may be going on my wife's Camaro.

[highrisk]

I have looked at the Billet wheels. I really like the Street Lite and the Legends Mags. My biggest concern is that they are polished and don't come in chrome. I had a set of polished aluminum wheels on my 02 R/T daily driver and I hated them. They never really shined like I wanted them to. Plus the fact that Billet polished wheels are actually more expensive than other name brands in chrome.
I also like the Foose Legend wheels and the American racing VN805 BLVD rims. But so far I can only find the 17x8 in 4.5BS. Same old story.
Here is what they look like.
Just when I thought I had this all figured out I changed my mind and decide to do 17" for better tire selection both now and definitely in the future.
I am pretty sure the disc brakes did add a 1/4" to the rear. Since this is a 69 Buick GS400 rear end I really don't have hard numbers to go with but I would imagine they are the same as the Pontiacs. I have it all written down somewhere in the thousands of little pieces of paper I have with information on them
I hope all is well with you
Dale

Originally Posted by The Champ

Dale

Like you, I have the later rear (69 12 bolt with drum brakes) in my '64 GTO. I currently run 255/60/15's on the rear on 15x7's with 4.25" BS. I can't run anything wider than that safely.

On the front, I have 235/60/15's on the same rims. After my disc brake conversion - the clearance is really tight.

That's what attracted me to the 17x7's with 4.625" BS - Picking up .375" of BS will make everything clear better than what I have now.

I had looked at those Cragar Eliminators too - both in 15 and 17 - but like you determined that they wouldn't work for the tires I wanted to run.

I noticed in one of your posts that you have rear discs - did that widen your track about .25" per side like adding discs to the front of my car did?

If I was looking to go to alloy rims - this is the best fit I've found by Billet Specialties:

or

17x7's have 4.5" BS and 17x8's have both 5 and 5.25" BS.

You might not like them - but I like them a lot. These may be going on my wife's Camaro.

[Nicks67GTO]

If you want some shiny 5 spokes I would do the billet specialty Mag or Dagger.

http://www.newstalgiawheel.com/shop/...-cast-polished

They are $317 a pop for 17's shipped from Newstalgia Wheel and Billet Specialty will back space them any way you want to the 1/8". Call newstalgia and ask them what they think the backspacing should be. That will get you in the ball park as long as you have your front brake package picked out.

I went with Billet specialties for several reasons....

-American cast, American welded, American machined, American made. Unlike anything thats cheaper than them. Even Vintage wheel works is foreign made now and they are more expensive?!

-I wanted my back spacking spot on as a huge priority over reduced cost. Billet specialties will do these wheels in 1/8" increment back spacings.

The worst scenario for you would be to buy a wheel you "think" is going to fit only to have nasty rub issues. If you have any interest in renting my wheelrite tool im going to start renting it out. You buy your tires and mount them on the tool. Watch the 10 minute video on how to use it properly. Move the tires in and out checking for proper backspacing. Use the marks on the tool to make yoru order. Im very happy I bought it but it is $400 bucks, so im going to start renting it to members in good standing to try to recoup some cost and let people use it at a fraction of the cost. If you're interested pm me.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by highrisk

I have looked at the Billet wheels. I really like the Street Lite and the Legends Mags. My biggest concern is that they are polished and don't come in chrome. I had a set of polished aluminum wheels on my 02 R/T daily driver and I hated them. They never really shined like I wanted them to. Plus the fact that Billet polished wheels are actually more expensive than other name brands in chrome.

I can understand that for a daily driver trying to keep a polished aluminum rim shining could be a problem. But for your limited use GTO - not so much.

Chrome has it's own problems. Once it starts to go - there is no easy fix. With a polished aluminum - you just have to break out the Flitz...

For either my GTO or my wife's Camaro - I was looking at the black spoked versions with the polished hoop. Getting the hoop to a mirror finish is easy with the right products.

My wife's Camaro has virtually all the chrome/stainless powdercoated satin black - so the black spoked version would compliment her car very well.



The existing Centerlines are very easy to polish - except for all those darn rivets...

My GTO is white with black steelies and poverty caps - so the black Street Lites are what I like for that car too - if I should decide to stray from the stock appearance.

[ddella22]

My 65 Tempest, has 17" classic REV wheels (same as american racing torque thrust), not positive on back spacing, 225s in the front and 245s in the rear, stock springs and everything

never thought I would like them, but now I cant imagine the car without them

[highrisk]

Thanks for the site. I like that you can choose the backspacing that you want. I had also checked into the direct fit Cragar SS wheels because they will customize a wheel for your backspace needs but I am wanting to get away from the Cragar SS wheels. I also noticed that Billet also has a rim called Rival in their Legend series. I like the looks of both the Mag and the Rival. It is good that I am getting a larger selection of available wheels to choose from.

I like the idea of renting your tire tool. It will be a while before I get my car back but I will probably contact you once I get it so I can get the best measurements. I had actually made a mockup of the different backspaces out of cardboard when I was going to use 15" wheels which worked well. But after the car left I changed my mind on rim size so now I get to do it all over again.

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

If you want some shiny 5 spokes I would do the billet specialty Mag or Dagger.

http://www.newstalgiawheel.com/shop/...-cast-polished

They are $317 a pop for 17's shipped from Newstalgia Wheel and Billet Specialty will back space them any way you want to the 1/8". Call newstalgia and ask them what they think the backspacing should be. That will get you in the ball park as long as you have your front brake package picked out.

I went with Billet specialties for several reasons....

-American cast, American welded, American machined, American made. Unlike anything thats cheaper than them. Even Vintage wheel works is foreign made now and they are more expensive?!

-I wanted my back spacking spot on as a huge priority over reduced cost. Billet specialties will do these wheels in 1/8" increment back spacings.

The worst scenario for you would be to buy a wheel you "think" is going to fit only to have nasty rub issues. If you have any interest in renting my wheelrite tool im going to start renting it out. You buy your tires and mount them on the tool. Watch the 10 minute video on how to use it properly. Move the tires in and out checking for proper backspacing. Use the marks on the tool to make yoru order. Im very happy I bought it but it is $400 bucks, so im going to start renting it to members in good standing to try to recoup some cost and let people use it at a fraction of the cost. If you're interested pm me.

[highrisk]

That is a good point. I had a set of Cragar SS rims on my 66 that were made in 64 and when the chrome started flaking off the centers the wheels looked like crap. When the car was destroyed in a house fire in 2007 the wheels were in really bad shape and I was actually going to replace them that winter. But they had been failing since the early 90s and the only reason they lasted as long as they did is that I took the car out of daily driving duties in 85 and restored it. It would be a lot cheaper investment to get a polished wheel versus a chromed wheel. They also have a new process out that I have never heard of before and I am checking into it called PVD. I have also kicked around the idea of getting the gun metal gray inserts with the polished rim because I am painting the car a kind of bright candy apple red looking color and I thought the gray inserts might really set off the paint. Many, many choices out there, The trick is picking the best choice the first time and not having to do it again. The picture below is about the color I was considering for the car. The actual color I am using is a new color from Cadillac call Red Obsession.

Dale

Originally Posted by The Champ

I can understand that for a daily driver trying to keep a polished aluminum rim shining could be a problem. But for your limited use GTO - not so much.

Chrome has it's own problems. Once it starts to go - there is no easy fix. With a polished aluminum - you just have to break out the Flitz...

For either my GTO or my wife's Camaro - I was looking at the black spoked versions with the polished hoop. Getting the hoop to a mirror finish is easy with the right products.

My wife's Camaro has virtually all the chrome/stainless powdercoated satin black - so the black spoked version would compliment her car very well.

The existing Centerlines are very easy to polish - except for all those darn rivets...

My GTO is white with black steelies and poverty caps - so the black Street Lites are what I like for that car too - if I should decide to stray from the stock appearance.

[highrisk]

Thank you for the pictures. I am considering the 225/55/17 for the front and 245/50/17 for the rear so the tires have a decent sidewall and the tires are the same size in appearance from the side and they fill the wheelwell. I also have stock springs so your stance should be close to mine. Your pictures are great because they give me a good idea of what it will look like. I never heard of the Rev wheel brand so I looked them up. They have a 5"BS for their 17x8 and they offer chrome, polished and gray center. Thanks for the recommendation.
Dale

Originally Posted by ddella22

My 65 Tempest, has 17" classic REV wheels (same as american racing torque thrust), not positive on back spacing, 225s in the front and 245s in the rear, stock springs and everything

never thought I would like them, but now I cant imagine the car without them