Anybody running 17" Cobra Bullit rims on a Duster

DirtySwiffer said
hey if anyone could help me out on some info about the wheels and backspacing... and offset. im trying to figure this out and its all confusing me. 17x7 fronts on a 75 duster 0 offset and 4"backspace. where do you measure the backspace?the face of the hub in toward the spindle? the rears are 17x9 with 0 offset and 5"backspacing. i have the option of +12 offset on the 17x9 but that whell has a 5.47" backspace. how do you measure the offset to see where the wheels will end up? im not sure what exactly the offset even means. =offset sets the wheel out toward the fender more? or in toward the leafspring? any help would be great, thanks.

First off, what front suspension, rear axle, and brakes are you running as that can determine what your offset or backspacing is? Secondly, usually a 0 offset on A-bodies won't yield very wide tires. Most 17 x 7 wheels on the front with 0 offset that I've seen usually run a 215/45/17 or possibly a 225/45/17. The rear is a different story depending on the rear end or the car (as some A-bodies have different wheel wells) will determine as what tire you could run or if that 17 x 9 wheel will fit. I know I had to get the backspacing on my 18 x 9" wheel and 255/40/18 tires near perfect in my '68 Dart in order to get it centered in the wheel well and even then, some trimming will be required. Most people I know running a stock A-body rear will be able to run a 245/45/17 tire, since you have a '75 Duster, you may be able to stuff a little bit more under there.

My preferred method of choosing wheels is borrowing a wheel with a tire on it, throwing it on the car, and measuring to see what adjustments need to be made.

You can use this website to help you out: http://rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

As far as backspacing goes, it measures from mounting surface of the wheel to the lip of the rim.