Arghhh, wheel and tire help
 

Dang it, I just cannot make up my mind on tire size. I would really like 18x10's rear and 17xx8 up front but I'm afraid that it will look like not enough tire. What do you think ?

If the tires look too small, the car isn't low enough. ;)

I think you're right. 17s all around is the ticket.

If 17's are the ticket, what size tires would you use ?

That I don't know grump...just seems like all the pics I see with 18" + wheels, there is NO tire around them, just all wheel.

Are you looking for a 30" tall tire out back? 29"? 28"? 27"? I'm sure you know, the taller the tire, the more "meaty" they'll look.

Still thinking about a staggered wheel size? 10" in rear...8" up front?

I suggest playing with these calculators, they will at least point you towards what sizes/brands you should be looking for.

http://www.rimsntires.com/rt_specs.jsp

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html


Wish I could be more help. I think this is Derek's specialty, maybe he'll add some input.

I am sure I want a wider rim out back. Ideally a 27-28" tire out back would be nice. Anything smaller and I have to cut the springs to lower it more. May do that anyway. Thanks

Dave

This is a '71 with 17 x 9.5" (5.5" BS) and 17 x 11" (6.25" BS) Cragars.

The tires are 275/40/17 and 315/35/17, and the car is sitting on a stock suspension setup.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/da...wheels_024.jpg

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/da...wheels_021.jpg

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/da...medium/913.jpg

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/da...medium/923.jpg



A 315/35/17 tire has dimensions of 12.5" x 25.7" and a 275/40/17 has dimensions of 9.5" x 25.7".

That means the fronts and rears on this car are matched for the same tire height.

These look a little short to me personally, not enough meat. If you went to a taller aspect ratio, say maybe a 315/45 out back, overall diameter would be 28.2" tire for the rear, and a 315/40 would give you a 26.9" height, and both of those will add a little meat to the sidewall.

This is a good ballpark area to start from, huh?

I like the stance of the car as it sits right now. I don't want to cut any springs at all.

Nancy

Don't encourage Grumpy..

We somewhat disagree, on how low the car should sit. :D