Buying my rims - want to make sure

I know lots of guys run 8's in the front and claim they don't have any problems, but I wouldn't. My '68 has 225/50-15's on Shelby 15x7 ten spokes and there is not enough room for an extra inch of rim, period. My car is pretty low, but the inner rim is less than 1/4" from the upper control arm and the outer rim and tire is less than 1/2" from the fender and that's when it's straight! My tires do not rub, but I'm positive that if I had 8's they would hit, even with the same size tire. I know you'll probably get a bunch of replies telling how simple it is to get 8's under the front if you just (fill in the extremely easy home fix here) but I see no reason to do it just for an extra inch of aluminum.

The 17" wheels will give you the clearance OVER the control arms to accomadate the extra width. The extra width comes from additional backspace. Look for 4.5-4.75 bs. 4.75 bs tucks the tires in best but some control arm/wheel combos might make that a little tight. Check the fit before you mount the tires on the wheels.

For the rear, 5.5-6.0 bs works for most. The 5.5s put the tire closer to the fender lip (which you can roll) and the 6.0s puts it closer to the inner fender. First point of contact on the inner fender is near the front. You can hammer/cut/weld there to get extra clearance if needed. In either case, it helps if you have good bushings and shackles to minimize lateral deflection.

I am using 6.0 bs but rolled my outer fenders and clearanced the inner fenders. They would have fit without the clearancing but I didn't want them that close. My combination of Strange axles (thicker flange) and Wilwood discs (slightly thicker hat) increased the track about 1/8" on each side. With my inner fender clearancing, I could easily fit a 6 3/8 bs wheel. In fact I was thinking of widening my wheels to 10.0 (6.5 bs) an running a 285/40 tire.

I am a looking into those same size wheels for my 69...where is the best place to buy them??? I have seen prices from 289 up for the 17x9.5 with 6" BS..For a little more than that I have seen custom offset rims sold..Foose and others..

I've bought six sets of TT II's. Newstalgia has best prices/service and are a forum sponsor

Thx for the advice..going to order a set of the Boyd Coddington Sultan polished wheels from Newstalgia..thx again..:SNSign:

You are welcome

Great selection, prices and service. Plus they are good guys. An easy choice, for me anyway.

Thanks for taking time to thank!