Need help with wheel/tire sizes for my project.

[Small Block LSX]

I am picking up my 1987 Monte Carlo SS on June 26th. I can't wait for this car to be in my garage! Just got my garage spot all cleaned and setup for the build.

My question is regarding the correct wheel and tire size for the Monte Carlo. I'd prefer to have a staggered stance. Is it possible for 18s in front and 19s in the rear? What is the widest I can go without having the rims/tires sticking out past the body? Eventually, I will most likely go with a Moser M9 rear end and a mini tub. Is it better to wait the year and get the wheels at the same time?

Any help would be greatly appreciated from you guys!

[JayR]

With a car your size, you can actually get 19s in the front and rear and it looks really good and proportionate but your rear wheelwells are pretty tight and if I recall, 255 or so is about all it will take if sitting down low.

Check out this one my buddy built that I designed a long time ago.
http://www.superchevy.com/features/chevellemontecarlo/sucp_0406_1986_chevy_monte_carlo_ss/index.html

[DriverzInc]

Jason is correct, those cars stock will not take very much wheel and tire in the rear, however, if you plan on a custom 9" and a mini tub, I would suggest ordering wheels in the width and backspace desired, within reason for the car, and build your rear end, and your tubs to fit. 18/19 staggers are cool, so are 19/19s and 19/20s, but that is all matter of opinion. Just remember the name of the game when it comes to wheel diameter, is OVERALL diameter, with tire.
Happy to help, if need to call, we're here.

[Small Block LSX]

Thanks for the feedback. I was at the Minnesota Back to the 50s car show this weekend.

I ended up stopping by the MHT wheel booth and the guy was telling me I could get 18 or 19s in front and do a 20" rear wheel. I think he said it was a 5.5" backspacing to fit a 10" wide rim and I'd have to use the three piece Foose Legend SE wheel. He said they've done it many times.

What I am being told on the forums are totally different than in person. What sucks is that if they order these wheels and they are custom backspacing I can't get a refund.

I did find a cheaper set of wheels they I may use. I really like the Boss 338 wheel which has a near identical look to the Foose wheels. It would also be ~$3,000 cheaper which I could put towards my suspension and brakes.

If this were a different car I may consider a more expensive wheel... but in the end it's still an 80s Monte Carlo. :(

[Small Block LSX]

With a car your size, you can actually get 19s in the front and rear and it looks really good and proportionate but your rear wheelwells are pretty tight and if I recall, 255 or so is about all it will take if sitting down low.

Check out this one my buddy built that I designed a long time ago.
http://www.superchevy.com/features/chevellemontecarlo/sucp_0406_1986_chevy_monte_carlo_ss/index.html

Oh my God that car is sick. This is exactly what I am going for and that article hits close to home! All of the Gbody cars around here tend to be hoopties with hydrolics and gold daytons.

I want the Pro Touring style stance. I understand he achieved that with his air ride suspension. I want to use a either Hotchkis or Spohn suspension components - or something similar that Savitske recommends.

What size wheels does he have? I didn't see it listed anywhere. Looks amazing!

EDIT: Just scrolled down and saw that those are 19x8" wheels.

[ProdigyCustoms]

We put 335s on 12s and 295s on 10.5s on Micheal's Monte! Nothing a frame notch and a set of flares would not take car of!

Needless to say we have a little hands on experience with these cars. A frame notch is super easy to do and gains a solid inch in a long days time.

Especially if your going with 20s your going to want to get those tires as wide as possible to avoid them looking like wagon wheels.

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[cornfed]

If this were a different car I may consider a more expensive wheel... but in the end it's still an 80s Monte Carlo. :(

Ouch man. That hurts.

Everybody has different budgets to work with, so 'expensive' is subjective. Wheel style makes or breaks the car. Buy the style that suits your taste and meets your budget. If you must have 'expensive' wheels to attain your goals, spend less in other areas.

In the end, the car will be a product of your vision and skills. That's all that matters- not the year/make/model.

[Small Block LSX]

Sorry my commen may have sounded harsh in regards to it being "just" a Monte Carlo. I spent $9000 on it which means I certainly love it! I'd just hate to spend $4k on wheels. I found a decent $1500 set that would allow me to achieve my goals faster. I'd rather have a great suspension and cheaper wheels and tires than a land yaught with large wheels that handles like a cruiseliner. This is why I'm on the forum!

I'm not an expert at anything really. I do know the LSX platform very well. Believe it or not this is my first carb'd car. I do know brakes and suspension and engines. I'd need help with body work, chassis, rear ends, transmissions, etc.

As far as notching the frame I'd most likely
have to pay someone. Probably do this at the same as my cage. I'd have to call and get some quotes. It'll come together. It would be a lot faster if daycare wasn't $1500/month!

One main reason for this build is that my son just turned 4 and I want him around the atmosphere. Maybe he could be the next Shelby or Foose? I want his early memories around the car. Afterall, it will be his someday. My daughter, on the other hand, is only 7 weeks old so she's only good and eating, sleeping, and pooping.

[Small Block LSX]

Typos gallore,... Hard to write on my phone! :-)

Do you happen to have pictures of the frame notch?

[Ash]

Have you looked at BMW wheels in 5x120. Huge selection of staggered sizes at a pretty low price. E-bay the bolt pattern, and you'll be amazed. The topic on compatibility and safety of running a "close enough" bolt pattern has been beat to death in the forums, so I won't add to it too much. Is 0.025" that big of a difference? All depends on who you ask. But I know Jeff (GBodyGMachine) is running them on his G-Body. Conical lug nuts are needed though to line everything up.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I have some pictures somewhere but they are not filed in the folder on that car like they should be. If I find them I will post them

[Small Block LSX]

Sweet. That would be sweet if you could find them!

Let's say I can't do the work myself. Do you have any idea what it would cost for a shop to do the work?

Also, are those GNX flares? Just paint and stick on? What's the process should I need a set?

[mc84_zz4]

You can fit 17x8" wide wheels on the front 4.5" backspace with 245/40/17, and 17x9.5" 5" backspace in the rear with 275/40/17, but you need to be carefull with the backspacing.
You will probably need to roll the rear fender lips to avoid tire cuts if the car is lowered much.
You may need a 5/16" spacer on one side if the axle is not centered well.
You "may" be able to squeeze some 285s on there, depending on the tire brand, as not all tires are created equal.
The Nitto 285 required a 4.75" bs on the rear, as the tire has more sidewall bulge, and is an extremely tight fit, I would not recommend it for everybody, Nitto 275 on the rear have an easier fit. The BFG KDW2 have more of a rounded shoulder, making an easier fitment in some cases.
I loved the KDW2s, but I swapped them out since I did not like how the KDW2 275 look stretched on a 9.5" wheel and the 245/45/17 appeared narrower than my previous tires and had a smaller contact patch.
Here's a pic of mine with Nitto 555 in 255/45/17 & 285/40/17. Additional lowering coming this summer...
There is a comparison pic of the BFG KDW2 275/40/17 versus the Nitto 555 285/40/17s.
HTH

[ProdigyCustoms]

Sweet. That would be sweet if you could find them!

Let's say I can't do the work myself. Do you have any idea what it would cost for a shop to do the work?

Also, are those GNX flares? Just paint and stick on? What's the process should I need a set?

GNX was the inspiration, but those are not GNX flares, we actually tried to base them off a set of GNX flares but they were so far off we ended up making these from scratch.

We would do the frame notch for 12 hours in our shop.

[Steven_9008]

hey what back spacing are you running on the front with the 255's. Also I have 295/40r18s on the rear now ive got to figure out what the backspacing of the current wheels are as I want to change them soon, the cars frame is notched on the rear to fit those. Im looking at wanting 255/40r18 on the front just not sure how well it will work.