1978 Big Ten, Big Block

[bohmankid]

Originally Posted by Big Rat

Hey buddy. Man I didn't check the page for a couple days and you get all busy on me! I was wondering if you were going to have the spindle/rim issue. I had the same issue. I ended up grinding the control arm a titch and all was good. As for your tire question you have a lot of variations you could run with the 17x8 rim along with a lot of variables to take into consideration. The amount of sidewall you have is going to govern how much over or under width you can have with the tire width.

Okay, now I'm going to get all biblical on you... On a 15x8 you can basically run a 4 inch variance, of course depending on your sidewall. On my truck I will be running 15x8's, until I can get my custom wheels. My tires are 225/60/15 up front (8.86 inches wide with a diameter of 25.63 inches) and a 295/50/15 in the rear (11.61 inches wide with a diameter 26.61 inches). Now on a 17 your sidewall is going to be reduced allowing for less "safe" stretch by the tire. Okay so here is an example of a staggered setup that is probably safe for you to run. 225/60/17 front(8.86 inches wide, 27.63 diameter), 275/50/17 rear(10.83 inches wide, 27.83 diameter), comparatively to your 255/60/15(10.04 inches wide, 27.05 diameter) on your 15x8, you are very close to the same dimensions. Understizzle?!

I understizzle, Rat! Thank you for bestowing upon me your knowledge and power.