Back Spacing Question???

[jay'srs/ss]

My buddy is about to order all new suspension and rims for his 69 Camaro.

He's going with all DSE Suspension incl A Arms, 2" Drop Springs in front & 3" Drop Leafs in the rear. It's got stock front disc/rear drum brakes.

He wants to run these Billet Specialties Mag-G rims in 17x8 in front and 17x10 in the rear.

54180

I told him the norm is 4.75" BS in front and between 5"-5.5" in the rear. But with the 3" drop and a 10" rim I'm not sure if it'll fit with out rubbing. They don't make the rims in a 9.5" or even 9", it's either 8" or 10". He wants to run a 275 in the rear, and a 235-245 in the front.

So what do you guys think? Is a 17x10" rim gonna be too big?

[521stroker57]

I have 235s on a set of 17x8s so you shouldn't need anything bigger than a 8 inch wide for the front, also my dad has 17x8s with a 245 and works great. Neither is on a camaro though

[JustinB]

You are going to run a 5.0" BS up front on the 17x8 with a 245/45/17 and 5.75" BS in the rear on the 17x10 with a 275/4017. I would lose the drop spindles and run a drop spring. The 10" with a 275 is a tight fit but it can be done on the 69.

[MrQuick]

With the 10" rim (11" wide) he'll have to run a 6" back space to make it happen maybe a 5.750 but he'd have to roll the quarter lip.
Stock rear suspension its going to be real close. Read as it might not work.

[MyFriendScott]

There's really nothing wrong with running a 275 on an 8" rim. There's only 30mm difference in width between a 245 and 275 tire. Simply put, that equates to 15mm wider on each side of the 8" rim than the 245. 15mm! Visually, you can see a slight difference in the angle of the sidewall between a mounted 245 and 275 on the same 8" wide rim, but very few drivers are able to notice any handling or ride differences between a 275 on an 8" rim versus a 10" rim, especially on a street car. If you can, then your seat-o-the-pants meter is much more sensitive than mine.

Since there's usually a cost increase per rim between the 8" and 10" variant, I say save the money and go with the 8" width all around and put the extra money toward better tires or other upgrade.

[JustinB]

Nonsense. The price increase going from 8 to a 10 is not much. Not to mention, I could not find a single tire manufacture that had a recommended rim size other that 9-10" on a 275/40/17 or 18. Spend the extra couple bucks and do it right. If you want to run a 8" wide rear wheel, run a 255.

[MrQuick]

i agree it may fit but its not right. Just go with the 10s and do what you have to do to get the right fit. If you want the look you have to do the work.

[jay'srs/ss]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

I think he's gonna look around for a different wheel, similar look, that he can get in a 9 or 9.5" width.