mcanning

Hi wondering if anyone can help, I want to put some larger wheels hopefully 17 or 18" on my 59 , anyone had any experience with this and can give me any advise on what will fit, offsets , tyre size & stud pattern etc, with out modifying my car. I am in Australia so apologies in advance for a delay in any response , we are a bit behind down under
Thanks
Mark

mike427

I'm getting ready to tackle the same problem with my '59. The previous owner used stock '82 corvette slotted wheels. The wheels are 15 X 8 and while they fit OK they should really be inboard another inch or so to be completely covered by the fender. I don't car for the look of the wheels so I'm looking at 17 inch wheels to clear any future disc bakes and to shorten the sidewall for a little better handling. I'll be watching the replys to see how others have fared. No need to reinvent the wheel. (sorry, no pun intended). Mike O'Brien.

wmf62

i have steel 15 x 8 corvette rally wheels (not sure what year, but probably mid 70's as i put them on in 1977) on my 62, and they could stand to be offset another inch or so inward as the outsides of the tires will hit the inner lip of the rear wheel well. i have to use air shocks to raise the car a bit to keep this from happening. no problems with the front..
Bill

mike427

Bill, what tire size are you using? My current tires have a fairly low sidewall so rubbing isn't a problem, but they stick out about 3/4 inch outside the rear fender. Like yours my front tires fit just right. The suspension is completely stock. If I had a two inch offset from whatever it is I now have I could probably get a 9 inch wheel under the rear fenders. I'll bet there's several folks here who have already been down this road.

timbo79

The only problem on the rear is the spring could be an issue for backspacing. (Tire too far back) If I recall, c3's had a zero backspace with an 8' wheel (I have a set on mine). I, too, am looking at wheels for my 59.
I would like to get the car about 2" lower, and add 17's. Also want to add some discs,but maybe just up front.

Just doing some measurements on the fly, I think a 17x8 would fit with a 4.75 backspace. Low profile tires should be ok then.

Front would be (with drums) 17x8 as well (discs) with 0 backspace. With discs, I think then it would have to be 4.75 as well.

You could then get the rear tires to be perhaps.5-.75" taller, giving a better stance (I did this on the 79, works well)

Please take measurements on your car first. This way the wheels are in the wells, not stickling out.

Let us know what you do. I am still debating whether to get lower springs from Eaton, get 53/54 spindles, or just say the heck with it and go with a Jim Meyer front end. Rear is easy, as you can either 1) use a lowering block, 2) get a mono spring off the shelf with a 2" drop, or 3) dearch original.

I also want to add a rear sway bar. Mine does not have one.

Good Luck

61iwon

I just put new wheels & tires on my '61.

Fronts are 17 x 7" tires 245/55/17 Think this is right, might be 245/45 Have to look when I get home.

Rear are 17 x 8" tires 245/75/17

I had to put a spacer on the rear to keep from hitting the springs.

Wheels are Torque Thrust II and standard off the shelf backspace (4"?)

Handles great. Tires stick out past the fender about 3/4 inch.

Looks great, haven't got any new pictures yet, will work on that.

Dave

wmf62

Mike
my tires are 215x75x15... i just crawled under and measured the clearance between the sidewall and the spring on the rear side of the tire (shame on me, i didn't measure the front side clearance; but it's been raining..). the clearance is approx 1-1/4 inches.
Bill

mcanning

Hi Dave Thanks a lot for your advise , if you get a photo my email is mcanning@centurionshutters.com.au, would appreciate you sending, Torque thrust11 is exactly what i want to use, thanks again
Mark

wm

I put 18 X 7s on my '61. 4" backspace.

Ride is a little stiffer, but otherwise drives great. I also lower the car. No rubbing. 7" wheels are actually 8" across from outside to outside. 7" from bead to bead.

mike427

Great looking ride! What size are the tires?

kenmo

Looks awesome...How did you lower your car...???

wm

The tires are 215/40 ZR18. Purchased from newstalgia.com. They were great to work with. I didn't want any rubbing so had to be careful not to get too wide. These fit perfect.

I have a Jim Meyer front end with the coil over shocks. Front is about 2" lower than stock. I lowered the rear 1.5 inches with blocks that I had custom built at a local spring shop.

61iwon

Here's a picture of my '61 with TT2's. If i can get it to work. I will email you, don't know how to do pictures here.

Dave

dale3in98

I have 16 X 7 TT II's with a 4 inch backspace on my 59. I am running 245/50/16 tires. Biggest issue, as others have stated, is the rear spring. With my combo above, I can get my fingers between the tire and spring and haven't witnessed any signs of rubbing after several thousand miles.

mcanning

Your car looks fantastic, what wheels are they?

mike427

Thanks Dale. Those are the exact wheels my wife wants for our 59. You've saved us lots of time and effort.This forun never disappoints.

wm

My wheels are bonspeed luguna. They built them after I sent them the offsets. Also I had the custom valve stems put in. They go on the inside of the wheel and you have to screw an adapter in them to put air in.

timbo79

So, I have discs front and rear.. This extends the "hub" 1/4 inch. SO if I gather correctly, a 17x7 fits stock with 4" backspacing therefore 17x7 on this set up would require another 1/4 inch backspacing to keep the same geometry??