'76 T/A 17" Wheel Combo/Fitment questions

[Henesian]

Hey, so, I have a 76 T/A with a 400, that currently has 255/60/15s on 7" snowflakes. In the future, it's going to get the 12.2" Wilwoods and either 11.7" discs in back or the 4 piston version of the 12.2" Wilwoods.
I want to build this car into a semi pro-touring car: handling to modern standards on an old chassis, but not so insane and maniacal I can't drive it on the street. I've already ground the fender lip about a 1/4" and rolled it so it points up, I also have the rear seat belt hump still intact, and the stock 10 bolt axle.

I keep hearing that a good combo is
17x8 rims with 4.5" backspacing on 255/45s in the front
17x9.5 rims with 5.5" backspacing on 285/40s in the back

I was thinking about the MB Old School rims that are 17x9.5 for 275/40/17s all around.
Are those too big for the front? What kind of backspacing would I need?



I'm posting a thread because I've read through 18 pages of the Wheels and Tire forum, and have not found the answers I'm looking for, but little clues here and there.

[aronhk_md]

Good to see you here.........check out Year One's 17" snowflakes (just for an idea...dont really like them and some have reported issues with them).....they are 9.5 and designed to fit all 4 corners on 70-81's. Dont remember the backspacing right off the bat, but you can improve on their backspacing by being specific to front and rear. Give Justin at Driverzinc a call........he has the lowdown on best backspacing for stock type configs, as well as modified.

Oh, and I'd consider going 18" if I were you....gives you more brake options in the long run, and better resale value too if you change later.

[Henesian]

Good to see you here.........check out Year One's 17" snowflakes (just for an idea...dont really like them and some have reported issues with them).....they are 9.5 and designed to fit all 4 corners on 70-81's. Dont remember the backspacing right off the bat, but you can improve on their backspacing by being specific to front and rear. Give Justin at Driverzinc a call........he has the lowdown on best backspacing for stock type configs, as well as modified.

Oh, and I'd consider going 18" if I were you....gives you more brake options in the long run, and better resale value too if you change later.I will just to get an idea. I'm not really a fan of the snowflakes. They look cool and retro, but they're a huge bitch to clean brake dust out of, they're so intricate you have to go in with a super teeny brush. I was looking at the MB Old Schools on DiscountTire, since they're around 145 a piece for 17x9.5s with 0 offset or 6mm offset, and I like the way they look with the silver lip and the gunmetal spokes, since the car is either going to be gunmetal or black in the future(already is black, just needs a new paint job).
If I went with 18s, I'd go with the Boss 338s, since they're around the same price. I'm down with the ability to be able to run 14" brakes, but don't they look a little bit too big on an F-body?

[a73formula]

i would go wider on the back depending on what you want to do with the seat belt hump. 10" wide in the rear in always safe but the firebirds can fit 11's and 315's without any problems just make sure your basck spacing is right on. Mine on the 73 was 6"bs on the 17x11's.

[aronhk_md]

I like the Boss 338's, but they really have very limited backspacing options and arent going to let you make the most of tire size like the Summit/Vision Legend 5 wheels.......which have multiple backspace options and are same price range. If you can afford a bit more on wheels the Foose Legend or Nitrous Legend seem to be available on ebay for around $1000 a set, so Justin can probably do the same or better.

Just check in this section all the firebird/TA/2nd gen threads to see what different people have fit. Check out NOT A TA's car....its really nice and he's running 17x11's at all 4 corners stock suspension. Or like I said....call Justin.

I personally didnt like 18's initially, but they have grown on me. Especially since the goal of my car is to make vette/porsche/BMW owners sh*t their pants. To that end it has to be faster, corner harder, and brake harder than they do...or at least match in the last two categories and blow them away speed wise. Plus I've grown to like the look. Not into the 19's or 20's though.

[formula]

I will just to get an idea. I'm not really a fan of the snowflakes. They look cool and retro, but they're a huge bitch to clean brake dust out of, they're so intricate you have to go in with a super teeny brush.

Just as a side note--that armorall wheel protectant spray is a GODSEND on any remotely intricate wheel. I use it on any wheels I care about keeping clean just because every set of wheels ends up with that one spot that is impossible to clean. Snowflakes just have a hundred of those spots.

NOTATA doesn't have have 11s on the front, does he?!?!?! There's no way. Not on a stock sub.

Anyway, back when I had 17s, I went with 17x9.5 on all four corners with 5.5" backspacing and it would have fit were it not for my air ride. as long as you're not going low enough to put a tire onto a fender it'll be fine. If you're really worried about it, see if you can get 5" and you'll have a half inch of room for spacers to get it perfect.

[aronhk_md]

If I'm not mistaken NOT A TA does run 17x11's all around with 6.75" backspacing. The problem on the front is that turning too hard will rub the swaybar, and he has indicated that his does this. But I believe with his new wheels he will be running 285's or 295's all the way around, so maybe he will be using a 10" wheel?

[Henesian]

NotATa's firebird looks so terrific. I was looking at the Summit Legend 5 Gunmetal Wheels, and I really like those too, the only problem is that they only come in 7", 8" or 9". If they came in 10s, I would probably go 8" in front and 10" in back. I don't really have a good enough motor to run that wide of a tire in the back.

[DriverzInc]

The 8" front and 9.5 or 10" rear is a proven fit, that for a driver will not rub and work very well. In some cases, we've pushed the limits with 9's up front and 11s out back, but in these cases, you run the chance of rubbing when turning lock to lock, or when cornering hard or going in and out of steep driveways, but some guys don't mind that.

For wheels, if you really want to stuff as much as you can up front and out back, you should go custom, because then we can nail the backspace down to the .125". If you go conservative with the width, like 8s and 9s or 9.5s, then some of the off the shelf stuff is an inexpensive way to go.

Our goal is to help our customers achieve the look they want, while trying to stay within their means. If custom wheels are a possibility, then we can talk more about those, or if off the shelf wheels fit within the guidelines of your budget, we can help you find the best fitting set of wheels to accommodate you.

The one thing we do best is work with you, and advise you the customer on what are the best possibilities given our desire and budget, and we're not here to talk you into something you can't afford if that is not what is best for you.

Call us if you need any help at all.