275 50 17

[hooligan69]

Has anyone got a pic of 275 50 17's on the rear of a 69 firebird/camaro???
thinking of getting a pair but would have to get them in the states as they dont exist in the uk.. would Summit be the best or some where else???

[andrewb70]

That's a 28" tall tire. It'll look kind of silly on a 69 Camaro.

Andrew

[ccmc]

275/40-17 rear and 245/45-17. Both are 26 inches.

I'm on my phone, so the picture didn't upload. Just a second.

[andrewb70]

Ditto NT450 in 275/50-17 is 27.83" tall.

A 40 series will be shorter than a 45 series tire, always...by definition...they can't both be exactly 26".

Andrew

[OldTimer]

Here's a good reference for tire sizes.

https://tiresize.com/chart/

And this '69 Camaro chart is helpful too, even though it's limited to 17".



A 28" OD tire is about the biggest you could run on a '69 but there might be some rub issues depending on springs. One of my friends once ran Mickey Thompsons that I'm pretty sure were 28" but they were 15".

[hooligan69]

l have 17x8 wheels so 275 40 17 maybe too wide ? i think the 50 would compensate that ...have 255 45 17 at the mo and 235 40 17 on the fronts....

[ccmc]

Ditto NT450 in 275/50-17 is 27.83" tall.

A 40 series will be shorter than a 45 series tire, always...by definition...they can't both be exactly 26".

Andrew

They are approximately 25.7 they are 40% of the width so a 40 series 275 width tire can be the same as a 45 series 245 width tire. That's why I'm running this set up.

Rick

[OldTimer]

They are approximately 25.7 they are 40% of the width so a 40 series 275 width tire can be the same as a 45 series 245 width tire. That's why I'm running this set up.

Rick

Rick... Do you have room to run something a little taller in the rear without rubbing? What's the wheel specs BTW? Wondering about whether the 275/50R17 Nittos would fit?

[ccmc]

They are approximately 25.7 they are 40% of the width so a 40 series 275 width tire can be the same as a 45 series 245 width tire. That's why I'm running this set up.

Rick

Rick... Do you have room to run something a little taller in the rear without rubbing? What's the wheel specs BTW? Wondering about whether the 275/50R17 Nittos would fit?

When I bought the car it had 28" tall tires on it. Before I installed the lowering springs. They only rubbed on a bad dip or bump in the road. I think you could do it. I'm running the billet specialties Street lites 8" up front and 9-1/2 in the rear.

[OldTimer]

When I bought the car it had 28" tall tires on it. Before I installed the lowering springs. They only rubbed on a bad dip or bump in the road. I think you could do it. I'm running the billet specialties Street lites 8" up front and 9-1/2 in the rear.

What backspacing on those wheels. I like the look... also like aluminum which can be repaired. Chrome is nice but it also takes some maintenance (minor) and obviously can't be repaired. Aluminum can be polished and ZOOP sealed couple times a season if that. Looks better in my opinion.

[ccmc]

When I bought the car it had 28" tall tires on it. Before I installed the lowering springs. They only rubbed on a bad dip or bump in the road. I think you could do it. I'm running the billet specialties Street lites 8" up front and 9-1/2 in the rear.

What backspacing on those wheels. I like the look... also like aluminum which can be repaired. Chrome is nice but it also takes some maintenance (minor) and obviously can't be repaired. Aluminum can be polished and ZOOP sealed couple times a season if that. Looks better in my opinion.

I'm running 5" backspace up front and the tire just kisses the frame on the back inside for full lock to lock turns. In back I'm running 5-1/2" of back spacing and the inside upper tire just touches the inside wheel house above the frame on a deep driveway or if I have the trunk loaded up and hit a bump.

[Jodak]

What wheels are these!? I’m looking for this look on my 69. Until i get 18s at least.

[Y-TRY]

You’re doing the right thing asking for pictures. The math may work great but it won’t nail down the “look”.

A shorter tire, IMO, will “look” wider than a tall tire of the same width. So the proportions are important too.

Same with front-to-back. If they’re the same height then the narrower front could feel taller than the wide rear. You’ll know it when you see it, even if the math made sense.

Stance isn’t quantifiable sometimes. Keep looking at pictures, find the look you like, and copy it. Formulas be damned!

I have a ‘68 Camaro that looked good to me with 285/40 and 245/45/17s.

[Y-TRY]

Ditto NT450 in 275/50-17 is 27.83" tall.

A 40 series will be shorter than a 45 series tire, always...by definition...they can't both be exactly 26".

Andrew

Just strictly running the formula those 245/45 are 25.68” and the 275/40s are 25.66”. Too close to tell but the fronts are taller in this case and 1/3” short of 26”.

Theoretically you can achieve 26” all around while still using 40 and 45 aspect ratios. Andrew was probably assuming equal widths when he said 40 is always shorter than 45 so no combination of them could ever result in both being the same height. To the contrary, a 285.75/40/17 and 254/45/17 would both be exactly 26” tall.

A 285/40 would be closest at 25.98”. 285 is the width at which 40s become taller than 245/45s. This is probably the sweet spot for balance and what will fit in the stock wheel wells. The slightest change in width would throw it all out of whack though.