Hey guys! Put a set of billet wheels on my 69 Camaro rag top. I have drum brakes and am going to switch to disks in the front. This set up will allow that. I went with 17"x8" with 4.5" backspacing all the way around. I put 245/40/17 on the front and 255/45/17 on the rear. Looks damn good if I might say! As far as all the backspace hoopla, which I also got caught up in. If you were using wider tires of course you would need to adjust with more backspacing. I like the wheel to be as far to the outside of the car as possible without sticking out the wheel well. This set up is just that. I am lowering the car 2" up front and 1 1/2" in the back. I have measured and re-measured, everything should clear. Hope this helps, everyone seems to post what should work and not many posts after the job is complete. I will update you after I lower it.

P.S.-always measure your own car first. Remove the wheel and use a straight edge on the drum/disk mounting surface and measure the distance between the mounting surface and the inside of the outer fender. You can figure it a couple of ways. If you are using a specific width 6"/7"/8" etc. subtract the measurement from the wheel width, that will give you the proper backspacing. Of course you have to take into account for the sidewall of your tire protruding out from the rim depending on the tire width. You have about 11 3/4" width to work with in the rear wheel well. Keep in mind you need a little room between the wheel/tire and fender. This subject has been beaten to death but people will be rimming up thier rides forever. Good luck!

How about some pictures of that awesome ride!

I will post some pics in the next couple of weeks. I'm in the hunt for a good digital.

Which wheels are you using? Is it the new Wheel Vintiques Billet Ralley?

Does the larger diameter tire in the rear cause the rear to sit up noticeably higher than the front? With the car at stock height do you have any rubbing at all? I'd like to go with a similar setup on my 68. I have 275's in the rear now, and they stick out of the wheel wells a lot. Thanks!

[This message has been edited by ramcda (edited 03-12-2002).]