Help 245-45-17 on 68

[Railing68]

I finally got my Nitto 0-1s mounted last weekend and put them on the car for a test fit. They rub tough, #$%&^$#!

I only bought two because I had a feeling this might happen, which is good. However, I hoped to run 245-45 all the way around for rotation purposes.

Looks like 225 45 17 for the front is my only alternative. What I am wondering is how several others have got 245-50-16 and 245-45 17 to fit on 1967 and 68 Camaros.

BS is 4.5, on these wheels, Would increased BS really make any difference? I also realize that the ride height is low but, others like Carl C. and Chicayne have run these sizes prior w/o issue.

I know Carl C. had ride ht adjustment, other than that am I missing something, Increased camber, plan on adding another -1.0*?

Thanks for any insight, SS.

[Steve1968LS2]

I imagine they increased the backspacing.. also the NT01 has a more "square" footprint compared to other tires of the same rated size (so it's footprint is wider than another 245 sized tire)

I have 245s (pilot sports) on the front my my '68 and they rub a tiny bit.. it's really hard to not have them rub and run the stock inner fenders with the stock subframe, well if you want any sort of turning radius.

Nice tires though.. I have some NT01's on order.. wish they made them in 335's though

[Railing68]

Thanks for the reply, looking at the footprint they are kind of flat, they look about as wide as my 255-50-16.

Although the rims Carl C. and Chicayne used to use were v45s 16 which I too have for the street are 4.5 BS. I am thinking that the increased neg camber might help things some. I might re-fit them after I have the front end re-aligned. Total bummer though, any other input is appreciated. Thanks, SS.

[4MuscleMachines]

I really like the look of those wheels. I was thinking of buying a set for the track but only found 17" in truck wheel type which are heavier than the car wheels. I could not find those in car style over 16". Are they heavy?

[Damn True]

Carl is now running a 17x9.5 though I'm not sure of the BS. Need to find out though because I plan on a similar setup on the front of my car.

[Todds69]

The Nitto website stats that the tires your running are 26.2" high and the 555's they have are 25.67" resulting in a .53" difference. This half inch could be the rubbing issue you have compared to typical street performance tires.

[Railing68]

Originally based on the aspect ratio, the diameter should of come out to be approx- 0.8" bigger than my 225 50 16. Apparently not the case, the steel wheels are 17 x 8 with a 2200lb load rating.

They are very heavy though, the are a second set of wheels just for auto-x etc. Hopefully the increased weight doesn't out weigh the benefit of the softer R compound tires. They were cheap and will work for now.

The 17 x 9.5 V45s are a 5.5" BS. I didn't have another grand to drop on wheels, hence the steel. the 26.2 was the weight of the tire according to nitto's site, the wheels exceed that by another 10lbs. Thanks, SS

[harshman]

i'm running the r555 same size with a 7" wheel and no problems with rubbing except when i gover a bump in the road (way too low). BTW, rotational inertia on a heavy steel wheel is huge. swapping to an aluminum asap will net huge benefits.

[Railing68]

How about some pics of your front end with profile and front view. What was the BS of the 7" wheel? 7" wheel seems small for a 245, does it create sidewall bulge? SS

[CarlC]

Camber won't help much, but caster will. How much caster does the car have, and what is the total height of the tire, measured from the ground to the top of the tire. Taking a degree or two of caster out may fix it.

The tire corner shape makes a differance as well. My old 255/50/16's in theroy were only 3/4" wider than the current 275's, but the actual tread-on-the-ground increase was much more.

My RF very slightly rubs in the same spot with 6* caster. LH side barely clears. 275/40/17 555RII on 17x9.5x5.5 VWW.

[Railing68]

Caster is 6.1 Lft, 6.6 Rt the UCAs are GW so the caster is built in. Camber was -0.6*. According to the alignment sheet from a while back.

The tire measures out approx 25.125, advertised is 25.6

LH side seems better on my car as well, I figured it was just mine!

I need to have it re-aligned, I just clearanced the towers of the subframe, due to the fact that as the UCA moves inward for neg camber increase the arm tapers down as gets really close at the front, this is with the Guldstrand MOD.

I was planning on running -1.0 * camber for the street, and -1.5* for auto-x?

How will taking 2* of caster out for a total of 4* change straight-line stability?

Is this an issue if it is built into the arm?

Suggestions on specs?

Thanks for the help, SS.

[CarlC]

-1* for general street use should be fine. The car lines -2* on open track days.

Try taking a shim or two off the rear upper mount and see if it clears. Keep track of how many are currently in place so you can go back if necessary. The car should still be very stable.

You may want to look at getting your own camber/caster gauge and toe plates. Initial alignment + ride-height change alignment + track day alignment + resetting to street alignment = way more to pay someone than to have your own equipment.

A lot of caster + big tire = no room.

[harshman]

i'll be getting 8" up front down the road but these work for now.

BTW, i am now a somewhat competent electrician and UV protection is required when entering my garage.

[Railing68]

Thanks for the pics ( nice shop by the way, I could use some more room and light).

Well if you talk to several people you get several answers, meaning I called GW based on the 6*caster being built into their arms, He stated that I need a 5" BS wheel and not to remove any of the caster since the UCA performance would be affected, also that caster will not make a difference in the tire fittment? I believe that Carl C. is correct in the caster issue and owning my own aligment tools.

Well after examining the rear cross shaft location, I am aware that the cross shaft is not flush to the frame; due to the G-MOD, the frame tapers inward where the new locations are. Also this means that I probably have more caster than 6* and the arms weren't 100% secure, Not GOOD! I am clearancing the lower frame to make it fit flush.

I read several posts (from Team Camaro) where the shims needed to be trimmed but not the frame (at least nothing was stated about the lower portion).

Would the added BS make a substantial difference in conjunction with a reduction in caster?

It has become painfully obvious that as a couple of variables change, so does the fittment from car to car. SS

[Damn True]

i'll be getting 8" up front down the road but these work for now.

BTW, i am now a somewhat competent electrician and UV protection is required when entering my garage.

Is that a VCT tile floor? How's it holding up?

[harshman]

yup. i need to do a new wax job as the Home Depot wax is junk but other than that it does very well.

[Damn True]

Did you put a subfloor under it or is it right down on the concrete?

I guess you don't have a problem with water under the slab in Prescott.

[harshman]

glue to concrete. quick and easy

[Damn True]

Nice.
I have an old garage that I will be doing. I may need to do some fill where the floor has cracked and is not quite level (not my more than 3/16 though). Any ideas on what I might use to smooth the difference?
I was actually thinking of using bondo.

[harshman]

HD sells a floor repair right cloce to the vct