Trans Am Race Engineering Superlite 17x8 - now available with a useful backspace?

[MRGTX]

Currently, these wheels come in a sizes that aren't particularly useful for us A-Body folks with stock suspension architecture if you want anything wider than 7"...However, according to their Facebook page, they can be custom-ordered with up to a 5.5" backspace...so that changes things!

For a lot of us who just can't get enough of that 1970 Trans Am Minilite wheel style, this is damn good news.

Currently, only the 4.5" backspace version of the 17x8 seems to be available through USA dealers...has anyone inquired about how much more it would cost us to have a 5.5" backspace set shipped from Australia? My guess is that it's going to hurt the wallet since they're already $299 each.

I have a small but expensive list of mods in line before I go wheel shopping again but I thought some of you guys might appreciate this.

Tony Angelo (from Hot Rod mag, etc) seems to be a big fan of these wheels and he has used them on his two Mopars. He's running the 15x7s on his Demon and for whatever reason, they don't look quite as good as the 8" wide version...which means that we Abody folks will need 17" version. That's admittedly my opinion...but judge for yourself.

The 17s look really sharp, IMO...Tony Angelo also ran these on his 2017 SEMA 'Cuda drift car. I'm not sure on the specs but the wheels that he's running seem to have too little backspace...though that works with the flared fenders and the aesthetic that Tony was going for with this SEMA car.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass along the word.

Trans Am Race Engineering
Trans Am Race Engineering Wheels Now Available at Summit Racing


And yeah, ET Mags offers a similar style wheel...and their 17x9.5s with a 6.5" backspace may be a good bet for the rear on Dusters/Demons/Sports but the 17x8s have a max backspacing of 5" which will limit front tire selection in particular...they also tend to be quite a bit more expensive...
ET Wheels by Team III Wheels

 

[autoxcuda]

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

 

[Wicked31]

My Demon before I switched to more of a pro street look. Vintage wheel works does custom back spacing.

 

[diymirage]

Personally, I feel these wheels look best on British cars

 

[mvh]

Steve: That size fits in the front of the Barracuda? With the wheel well trim? What is the diameter of that tire?

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.

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

View attachment 1715202841

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View attachment 1715202843

 

[autoxcuda]

Steve: That size fits in the front of the Barracuda? With the wheel well trim? What is the diameter of that tire?

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.

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

 

[MRGTX]

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
...

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.

My Demon before I switched to more of a pro street look. Vintage wheel works does custom back spacing.
...

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...

...
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.

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!

 

[diymirage]

that javelin does look good

 

[autoxcuda]

you're running on your Barracuda...

Thanks!

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?

You don’t want to know

I don’t think they can legally drink, but I’m pretty sure they can vote.

 

[72bluNblu]

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.

The issue with 17's is that the outer tie rod ends don't fit inside the outer lip of the rim. So, unlike 18's with 73+ suspension, there's a backspace limit because of the outer tie rod clearance instead of just the clearance to the frame rail. That clearance depends on the shape of the inside of the rim. For example, the Bullit style mustang wheels that are a common choice in 17" usually have issues with tie rod clearance starting around 5.6-5.7" of backspace. But the 17x9" Cobra R's can usually manage up to 6" of backspace. So the style of the rim is the deciding factor, and you may not know what you can get away with until you actually have the rims in hand.

For 275's up front, you really need 6" of backspace on a 17x9, unless you're willing to do some fender work with rolling the lip and pushing/flaring the fender out a little with the roll. My 18x9's effectively have 6.1" of backspace using 73+ disks as a reference for track width. I was able to run them initially without rolling or pushing anything, but as my car has gotten lower I have rolled the fender lips and pushed the fenders a bit with the roller when I did it. And it does depend a little on bodystyle, the Dart and Duster fenders have about the same clearance to the outer lip of the fender, Barracuda's like autoxcuda's car have a little bit more.

For reference, the 15x9's with 4 3/8" of backspace that autoxcuda runs with his 245/50/15's stick out a full 1" outside of where my 275/35/18's are. I'd have to fully flare my fenders to pull that off. Now, those 245/50/15's are only 24.7" tall, compared to the 275's on my car at 25.6", which is a big part of it. The other part is those fenders have been pushed out pretty significantly, that's not something you can run without doing some bodywork, even on a Barracuda.

 

[mopardude318]

I think it looks good when metal guys open up the fender a little and make a mild flare. IF done very subtle I think it could go un-noticed.

 

[mopardude318]

72bluNblu, quick easy question...If I have a 17x8 wheel with 5.75" backspace, and I add a 3/8" spacer am I increasing or decreasing the backspace? I forget how it works. That would make a 17x8 wheel with an effective BS of 6.125 or 5.375 ?

 

[JoeSBP]

Hmmmm, a wide body Valiant..

 

[72bluNblu]

72bluNblu, quick easy question...If I have a 17x8 wheel with 5.75" backspace, and I add a 3/8" spacer am I increasing or decreasing the backspace? I forget how it works. That would make a 17x8 wheel with an effective BS of 6.125 or 5.375 ?

You're decreasing the backspace by adding a spacer. So, if you start with 5.75" and add a 3/8" spacer you'd end up at 5.375".

That's why I prefer to err on the side of having a little too much backspace. You can add a spacer to move the wheels off the frame/springs/suspension. But if you don't have enough backspace, all you can do is modify bodywork or buy new wheels.

 

[autoxcuda]

For reference, the 15x9's with 4 3/8" of backspace that autoxcuda runs with his 245/50/15's stick out a full 1" outside of where my 275/35/18's are. I'd have to fully flare my fenders to pull that off. Now, those 245/50/15's are only 24.7" tall, compared to the 275's on my car at 25.6", which is a big part of it. The other part is those fenders have been pushed out pretty significantly, that's not something you can run without doing some bodywork, even on a Barracuda.

Yes there are multiple different things done to add fender clearance. And it’s really tight. It just barely clears.

The short tire is probably half the battle.

I think the using different approaches for clearance gives it the subtle look.

1) bend top of lip flat

2) baseball bat roll the lip out. That helps push the fender out some too

3) extend the top fender brace out 3/4”-1” to help push thing out and stay out

4) fold (or cut) bottom front fender. Key is to start high to reduce the angle. That tricks you eye into not noticing it.

1), 2), then 3) need to happen in that order.

This was a little too aggressive. It’s like 3” at bottom. Really only needed to be 2”.

This is 17x8 with 5.5” backspacing 275/40/17

 

[MuuMuu101]

I like those, but I wish they made them in an 18". Way more tire sizes.

 

[72bluNblu]

I like those, but I wish they made them in an 18". Way more tire sizes.

They do make them in 18"

ET Wheels by Team III Wheels

 

[MuuMuu101]

They do make them in 18"

ET Wheels by Team III Wheels

Yikes! $2k+/set?

 

[72bluNblu]

Yikes! $2k+/set?

edit:

Actually I noticed you can still get the off the shelf wheels for $375. If you can make an 18x10 work with a 6.25" to 7.5" backspace you can get the ETIII's for $375 each.

And actually I think that might work for some folks, on my car I could pull off an 18x10 in the front with about a 6.6" backspace, and my 18x10's in the back currently have a 7" backspace with the '70 B body 8 3/4.

For a Demon/Duster/Dart Sport it would be doable, on a Dart in the back an 18x10 would be pushing your luck with the stock tubs, even with a 1/2" offset. Still need a wider rear axle though.

 

[mopardude318]

Man I dunno. Right now I have my eye on a set of these Weld RT-S79. In my case I can run either an 18x10 with a 3.7" backspace or an 18x11 with a 4.2" backspace on the rear. For the front I could use the 18x9 with 6.2 inches of backspace...

$740 bucks a pop though. :O

Weld Racing RT-S S79 Forged Aluminum Black Anodized Wheels 79MB8100A37A

 

[72bluNblu]

Man I dunno. Right now I have my eye on a set of these Weld RT-S79. In my case I can run either an 18x10 with a 3.7" backspace or an 18x11 with a 4.2" backspace on the rear. For the front I could use the 18x9 with 6.2 inches of backspace...

$740 bucks a pop though. :O

Weld Racing RT-S S79 Forged Aluminum Black Anodized Wheels 79MB8100A37A

Good grief!!!

And I though I had expensive taste in wheels.

 

[mopardude318]

I think AndyF has a set of Fikse wheels on one of his cars. ..man, Now Those are some expensive wheels!

 

[MRGTX]

They do make them in 18"

ET Wheels by Team III Wheels

There are a lot of takes on the Minilite style wheel...while I really like the interpretation by Team III, they look a bit off, IMO. They lack some smoothness and some flow from spoke to hub which looks to be deliberate. The price isn't that far off from what Trans Am Race Engineering is charging for their 17s and if you can get custom offsets, they're probably a better choice for most folks.

 

[MRGTX]

Trans Am Race Engineering just posted this up on their Facebook page. 17x8 front, 17x9 rear. *drool*

 

[MRGTX]

I'm contemplating an upgrade again.

Based on @72bluNblu 's comments (from back in July) it seems like the fitment of 17x8s in regards to the tie rods depends a lot on the particular wheel design...and so far, it's unconfirmed as to any issues with these wheels. Has anyone tried these wheels yet?

In general, how often would a 5.5" backspace 17x8 have problems? I have some difficulty envisioning how it would hit...but I may try out one of my 17" WRX wheels (same bolt pattern) just to see where the problems are.