Wheels and tires for Chevelle

[George0924]

Hi im going to be building a 71-72 Chevelle in the early stages if planning. The first thing thought about was paint and i have a good idea about the colors. Now i turn to the other thing that catches my eye about cars the wheels. I am wanting opinions b4 i hire someone to start with a rendering.

I want to put 22's in the back and 20's in the front im not opposed to
bumping out the wheel wellz. Do u think 22's in the back is going overboard or will make the car unbalanced?

I am also wondering if any of u have seen any Billet Specialties or Boyd Coddington wheels in person. Im leaning towards these but i love chrome and im not sure what these will look like up close. I had some polished rims on my Camaro but they just looked like dirty chrome rims lto me....

http://www.billetspecialties.com/itemdetail.asp?cid=16&scid=21&pid=584

or
http://www.billetwheel.com/cgi/wheels.cgi?cmd=show_image&path=Custom_Shop&img=2&tn=1


I like the off set big wheel look alot im just scared about what it is going to take to put the big wheels on it. I don't want the car to look like a monster truck i want them 22's to be all up in the fender sorta speak.

Any input please feel free

[Derek69SS]

Do u think 22's in the back is going overboard or will make the car unbalanced?Well, since you asked... Yes, I think it will look cartoonish and out of proportion.

The rear won't be a problem to make them fit, but on front, you're limited to about a 25" tall tire if you want it to sit low without rubbing. You could make it work by running very low-profile tires, but then you have the poor ride, and issues with bending wheels on potholes.

Unless you live in the ghetto, more people will be impressed with a nice 17/18 combo than to look at the big wheels and think "this guy spent extra for worse performance"

Just my opinion of course... do it how YOU want it, you're the one who gets to drive it and enjoy it if you do it the way you want, or live with it if you're not happy. :)

[ProdigyCustoms]

Well, since this board is heavily focused on function, your probably not at the right place to get support for putting 22s on it. Truth be know, most here think 20s are to big, even though there are some pretty wide 20s with low profiles avaiable. 22s usually come in Escalade / navagator sizes and are none to wide, and usually very tall. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people love the monster wheel look, I see it at shows more and more, but you just may not find those fans here. So don't feel blown off the board if any strong opinions come out.

[jonny51]

Im not a big fan of 22's but Slownova's chevelle looked pretty good with 19's and 22's.

http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL539/2669873/5329820/111240762.jpg

[GeorgeO924]

^Yea see i love that look. I know alot of people are into functionality i agree with that outlook for the most part. Im not looking to do much racing other than maybe a line up at a stop light action. Prolly only going to put a 500hp or so 454 or 502 in it. My dad loves the original look im more inspired watching the things that guys like Foose are doing. I thank eveyone for there input please feel free to keep responding.

Ps I am starting to think that u guys are right about the 20's in the front though maybe 19's or 18's are gunna be the way to go.

Edit after reading about Slownova's car i didn't know so many people where opposed to Big Rims saying he got booted from a board for showing picz and explaining what he wanted to do is kinda lame. I don't know if i was the rims or if it was maybe the fact it was a numbers matching car or w/e. I don't intend to buy a Matching numbers car myself but still lame to bag on a guys dream or project car.

[jonny51]

George who cares what other people think.Build what you want not what some guy in Kanses want's you to build.Most of all have fun and enjoy it.

[kennyd]

i also agree with the 22 and 19s on the green chevelle look good .

[markss28]

I say the best for looks and function will be going with some 19s in the front and 20s out back. YOu cvant go wrong here because you can still put a bit thicker tire in the back fro that big block torque.

Bill Howell has this same set up on his GTO but 12" wide in the back I think.
check it out.

http://www.lateral-g.net/members/howell/

[GeorgeO924]

is 12 wide enough or no?

[jonny51]

is 12 wide enough or no?


Should be,you can run a 335.

[GeorgeO924]

Cool i have never had anything bigger than 8.5 but i had 2 1994 Camaros and a 1993 Cobra. Im new at the bigger body stuff got alot of research suspension wise to do lol.

[Derek69SS]

I'm pretty sure a 315 on an 11" wheel is about as wide as you can go on a '68-72. My '69 has a hair under 13" total width in the rear wheel-well, and the 315/30/17s I will be running are 12.25" - 12.5" wide depending on manufacturer..

[jonny51]

I'm pretty sure a 315 on an 11" wheel is about as wide as you can go on a '68-72. My '69 has a hair under 13" total width in the rear wheel-well, and the 315/30/17s I will be running are 12.25" - 12.5" wide depending on manufacturer..

Derek you would know better than me.I was just thinking what tire would work on a 12" wheel.I wasn't considering that it is a chevelle.

[Hdesign]

George,
I like the direction you're going with this. I personally think 22"s are a bit much for Chevelles. To me, they look more at home on a larger car like an Impala. Once you get over 20" on an A-Body, they start to look like those little DUB toys or "Donk" style cars popular in rap videos.

The Chevelle/A-Body clients I've had in the past had a lot of luck with 18"s Front/19"s Rear. If you want a little rake, I've rendered cars with a taller sidewall.

As for rim choice: I prefer the Soft Lip/Fat Lip smooth hoop style to the stepped hoops. It has a more modern look. Boyds, Foose and Billet Specialties have a great selection of wheels. Have you also looked at www.introwheels.com ? I've been spec.'ing them a lot lately for my clients.

Gimme a shout if you want a rendering done! I can play with colors, graphics and wheels 'til you find the right combo. Check out the Artwork page for portfolio samples from all the talented artists on this forum.

Good Luck! :thumbsup:

[nitrorocket]

First, DO NOT put wheels on the car that will rub at all. I see so many people do this just for looks. That is just stupid!
Make sure you can crank the wheels, hang a turn, or go over a speed bump.

As long as they do not rub, go any size you want. Wheels are a personnal choice. :D

[GeorgeO924]

6I don't think rubbing will be a problem there are always gunna be ways to tub out and adjust to make things work i think. I havn;t contacted Slownova but i might have to ask him a few questions.

Hdesign i agree with u Intro wheels do have some very nice options i am considering as u can see on slownova's chevelle above they are very nice. I like them also beacuse they make 19's i have yet to call Billet or Boyd to see if they can do that for me without spending more than 5k on wheels. I don't really know prices on 1 off wheels but im sure it it quite a bit more than pre fab. Also i have contacted someone about starting the rendering process previous to starting this thread. I must say i was very impressed with your work aswell very talented! Im sure u hear that everyday though thanks for the imput. :D

[USAZR1]

I'm pretty sure a 315 on an 11" wheel is about as wide as you can go on a '68-72. My '69 has a hair under 13" total width in the rear wheel-well, and the 315/35/17s I will be running are 12.25" - 12.5" wide depending on manufacturer..

Yep,unless you plan to tub the car. Anything over 30" diameter is really starting to push it,also.
I also think a 19/20 or 18/19 combo would look great. I'd love a pair of 19x14's and 355/25/19 Pirellis on the rear of my car.

[slownova]

i find it amazing i missed this post. thanks for supporting my car guys haha. as far as rubbing, it doesn't rub the slightest. i think thats stupid to. i acctually built my car to drive, hint the reason i did 19s. 19in tires are unreal how much they cost. i could of done 20s in the front but with the bags lowered all the way down it would of rubbed. its close it both the front and rear, but it doesn't rub at all and ive driven the car at least 600 miles. i have about 4k invested in my intro rims and dunlop tires. as far as the tq and the skinny tire, i have a 496 with aftermarket everything and a 4 speed, i know all about it. i haven't had the slightest problem with my rims/tires yet. and thier right, build the car for you not everyone else. i think everyone was mad that a 21 year old kid was doing it and not chip foose or someone else, who knows. if you have any questions PM me, i'll gladly answer. i have a few other pics if your interested in seeing them. oh and the skinny sidewalls don't seem to effect my ride much being is im on air-ride. acctually it rides better then my 07 esclade. :thumbsup:

http://www.1320video.com/img/slownova/DSC04669.sized.jpg

http://www.1320video.com/img/slownova/DSC04952.sized.jpg

[GeorgeO924]

i find it amazing i missed this post. thanks for supporting my car guys haha. as far as rubbing, it doesn't rub the slightest. i think thats stupid to. i acctually built my car to drive, hint the reason i did 19s. 19in tires are unreal how much they cost. i could of done 20s in the front but with the bags lowered all the way down it would of rubbed. its close it both the front and rear, but it doesn't rub at all and ive driven the car at least 600 miles. i have about 4k invested in my intro rims and dunlop tires. as far as the tq and the skinny tire, i have a 496 with aftermarket everything and a 4 speed, i know all about it. i haven't had the slightest problem with my rims/tires yet. and thier right, build the car for you not everyone else. i think everyone was mad that a 21 year old kid was doing it and not chip foose or someone else, who knows. if you have any questions PM me, i'll gladly answer. i have a few other pics if your interested in seeing them. oh and the skinny sidewalls don't seem to effect my ride much being is im on air-ride. acctually it rides better then my 07 esclade. :thumbsup:

http://www.1320video.com/img/slownova/DSC04669.sized.jpg

http://www.1320video.com/img/slownova/DSC04952.sized.jpg


Hey man yea i love the car it really inspired me to build one of my own. The first Chevelle i saw was Chris Horton's and it lead me to search the internet for someone who has done what i was thinking with the big rims and tv's ect. I saw ur ride by accident prolly just doing searches for Chevelles with 22's. I must say it was exactly what i wanted. So now im in the process of building a 70 with the same concepts 22's and 19's 2tv's ,air ride and all that good stuff. I hope maybe to pick ur brain in the future cuz u even have the same engine i was thinking of getting it's crazy......