Trans Am Race Engineering Superlite 17x8 - now available with a useful backspace?
What tire size do you want up front?
I think 5.5 is good. But that’s needed with 275/40/17 tires. And those tires want 9” wide rims.
Why not run 9” wide.
I like deep look too. Mine are 15x9 with 4 3/8” backspacing and 245/50/15
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I've always drooled over the wheels that you're running on your Barracuda...but even if others could follow your lead on the package that you put together, the days of 15" performance tires are behind us. How old are those Comp T/As anyway?
So 17x8 seems to be a common size and a fairly well-known quantity. They would work well for 245s and would be ok with 255s too making them suitable for a pretty well balanced package.
Yeah, 17x9 might be better but it's even harder to find wheels that accommodate the even more stringent backspace requirements. Meanwhile it's much more likely to find a 17x8/5.5" backspace which would work on both ends....and with stock-width axles, you can run a small spacer on the rear and even out the stance a bit if necessary.
If I have that wrong, corrections would be welcome there.
IIRC, a 9" wide wheel would likely need a 6" backspace or more and even then, 275s would be a risk so it may not be worth it. I believe
@72bluNblu has 275s on 18x9s on the front of his Demon...so it obviously can be done some people have a good eye for this stuff and can figure out how to make stuff work without very expensive trial and error. :D
My Demon before I switched to more of a pro street look. Vintage wheel works does custom back spacing.
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Those looked sharp! what were the dimensions? What did you do with them?
I personally prefer the painted finish on the Trans Am Race Engineering wheels but I imagine plenty of folks would prefer the two-piece look that Vintage Wheel Works is offering.
Personally, I feel these wheels look best on British cars
I totally get this and I would agree with you but something about the look of the early 70s Trans Am cars has always been in the back of my mind...
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I was trying to figure out if 245/60-14 would fit, but I convinced myself the answer was "no", at least for the backspacing I had.
Before doing anything drastic, check out your tire options. If you're good with BFG Radial T/A squeal-easy tires, then it might be worth the effort. :D
What backspacing are you running?
My front lower corner is bent back to make 2”x4” triangle. Also the lips are rolled. And the top supports are pushed out 3/4”. And whole lip has a slight baseball bat roll job on it.
When I got the car it had stock small bolt rallyes (14x6?) with 235/60/14 tires front and rear. Stock fenders with all wheel lip moldings
Yeah...I still don't know how you did this without the car looking hacked up. I'm not too keen on even trying that on mine!