17 help!!

beanerz said
Hello I know its a beating drum. But rebuilding a 71 Duster Twister. I've seen some pics of 17x7s front and 17x8s rear. Was looking at some Nitto wheels or Rallys. Car is all stock suspension wise. Converted to disc up front off a 73. 4.5 in bolt pattern. 8 3/4 rear end. Was also wondering about 8s up front also. So I need ALOT of intel from you guys. What is the max width and bs on the front and rear I can go tire sizes ect. Pics and specs GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Is your 8 3/4 an original A-body 8 3/4, and is it still the factory small bolt pattern (5x4)? If it isn't, how did you switch it? BBP axles change the track width compared to SBP axles, the axle flange offsets are different.

With a 17" rim the widest you can usually go up front is a 255/45/17. That will need to be on a 17x8" rim and your backspace needs to be at least 5.25" and no more than about 5.6" with the 73+ disk brakes. Less than 5.25" will make fender clearance iffy, more than 5.6" will create outer tie rod end interference. A 245/45/17 is a bit safer because it isn't as tall, that should still be on a 17x8" but the backspace can be 5" to 5.6". Fender clearance is also ride height dependent, those numbers assume you car will be at stock height or lower. A higher ride height buys some more room, but also makes your car look like a 4x4, which most people don't want. Especially since it will hurt handling with your nice new 17" rims and modern tires.

In the back on a Duster you should be able to fit 275's with the stock spring locations if you can get the backspace right. As I already said though, that backspace will be different depending on how you went to the 5x4.5" bolt pattern. If you redrilled the SBP axles you need less backspace than if you bought true BBP axles and are running BBP brake drums (not re-drilled SBP stuff).