...with 215-70R/15 tires and not rub on the fenders?
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Oops, to be More Specific
These classic AR Torq Thrust Ds. -
Re: 1967 15 x 7 Wheels-Will They Fit...
don't think so. I had some 15 x 7's with 225-70-15s on my 67 temporarily while doing the resto as I didn't want to get my 15 x 6's and redlines all funky. They were a pretty tight fit. A friend had the 215-70's with repro bolt-ons and they wiped out both fender lips during a sharp turn. After the years and years of work I put in on my car I wouldn't take a chance myself.
Just my humble opinion.
BLComment
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Re: 1967 15 x 7 Wheels-Will They Fit...
Not a humble opinion at all. Thank you. I have explored the conversion to the American Racing wheels this week ad naseum. There are so many conflicting opinions as to whether they will rub on calipers, touch fenders, etc. They do look very nice/aggressive but the more I reflect on the situation, the better my original ralleys look (see pic). And they don't rub on a darn thing. And in a simple way they have a certain beauty that is in keeping with a modest 1967 327/300 with Powerglide. Sucking in my mod whims, and breathing out, I do not believe the conversion would be worth the over $1,200 (including tires) it would cost me. And the potential for aggravation/damage.
I like to come here once in awhile to bring myself back to earth in terms of tech specs and originality. And to what GM engineered right at the outset. Thanks for listening....Comment
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Re: 1967 15 x 7 Wheels-Will They Fit...
I don't see how you could improve on what you already have! Those 67 ralley's look great.Comment
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Re: 1967 15 x 7 Wheels-Will They Fit...
No! The '68 7x15 wheels had to have offset of -0.28" to clear the rear spring,
and this pushes the tire centerline outboard. There will not be enough clearance for a tire that is close in revs/mile to OE, and 205/50s would look pretty lame.
215/70s will work okay on the '67 6" wheels which have +0.060" offset, and if
you go with an aftermarket wheel it should have near the same offset or you could be in trouble.
DukeComment
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Precisely what happens w/ wrong offsets
Duke,
Since you are a good authority on matters like this and if you don't mind my asking - perhaps you could illustrate for myself and others precisely what happens to the bearings and such when you use wheels/tires w/ inappropriate offsets?
Afterall who hasnt' seen those little cars on occasion w/ the tiny wheels sticking painfully out beyond the fender by 6 to 8" or better and wondered how the car would far down the line? (I think that fad is finally starting to die off somewhat in my area - gee I wonder why?)
thanks,Comment
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Re: Precisely what happens w/ wrong offsets
Changing the offset moves the tire load centerline inboard or outboard, which changes the loading on the bearings. In general, as offset moves in the negative direction (wheel moves outboard) you increase the load on the outer wheel bearing, which on the front is fairly small. There should not be a major bearing loading issue running '68 7" wheels on a midyear - the '68s had the same bearing setup, but front bearing sizes were increased in '69 when the eight inch wheels required offset to go from -0.28" to -0.50". Also, the C2 wheel bearings are generously sized because they were also used on the contemporaneous B-body, which is a heavier car.
The real issue with wheel size on C2s is that as width goes up, offset has to be increased in the negative direction to clear the ends of the rear leaf spring, and as offset goes negative a reasonably sized tire will hit the wheel well lips. You can run '68 7" wheels with a 225/70R-15 tire on a C2, but you will have to remove the wheel lips and the flange on the front fender bonding strips. Unless it's already been done, I would not recommend doing this.
Excess variation from OE wheel offset also changes the "scrub radius" which is the distance from the center of the tire contact patch to the steering axis at the point where it intersects the ground and this parameter interacts with other parameters in the steering system to give the desired steering feel.
Every guy I have ever seen driving a car with excess negative offset and little tiny tires was clearly a mouth breather and probably couldn't even spell "chassis engineering". I have no doubt that many of those guys ended at the side of the road or crashed when one of those little tiny tire failed from severe overloading.
BTW I believe that most states have laws that make it illegal to install a tire that has less load capacity that the OE tire, and I know CA has a law that requires the wheels to be completely covered by fenders, so most of those guys out here with wheels sticking out beyond the edges of the fender lines got fix it tickets for both the wheels sticking out and probably for insufficient load capacity tires.
DukeComment
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Re: Oops, to be More Specific
Torq-Thrust D's won't clear your calipers.Comment
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Re: Oops, to be More Specific
This has turned into quite a debate elsewhere as to what is an original D and a modern D. And when the deign was changed by American Racing. The 1960s versions apparently do fit but the modern version does not. It can get confusing.Comment
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Re: 1967 15 x 7 Wheels-Will They Fit...
And they will be carefully stored if I try something different!Comment
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Re: Precisely what happens w/ wrong offsets
Thank you for that explanation! I have almost come to a conclusion on a wheel/tire combo based on the info provided here. The wheels will be 6" and the tires will be 205/75 or 215/70. I am not a tiny tire person .Comment
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Some more info you may use
as many tire people list with backspacing.
Size Code Backspacing
15x6 DC 3-1/8
15x7 FW 3-7/8 too far
15x7 AG 3-5/16
15x8 AZ 3-9/16
15x8.5 3-3/4 '76- alum wheel
The 15x7 FW is not a Corvette wheel, but rather the old Monte Carlo rally wheel. It rubs the spring so it is past the limit of how far in you can go.Comment
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