hello guys, i'm new to the forum and to the c3 vette world. I'm in love with these 1968-1972 babies and i want to buy one. I have only one simple question for you. I saw this 1971 with standard tires and rims ( 225/70R15 and 15x8) but they look wider than any other original c3 i have seen so far. The tires seems wider than the body of the car as you can see in couple of the pics of the rear of the car the on this link https://www.streetsideclassics.com/v...rolet-corvette and i love that look. Is it a matter of car trim, suspension or something structural? i really need that look on my car.
thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge and experience with me.
Cristian

 

Those are not the stock rims for sure. They may not have the correct backspace so it pushes the tire out further. You should be able to get a 255 60 15 on a 15X8 with a 4 inch backspace on the car without issues.

 

thanks a lot Gordonm, so the trick is to use a backspace and/or bigger tires depending on my liking? i read online it's better not to go too far from the original 225 70 15 in general. Can i use 255 60 15 for the front wheels too or they should be smaller?
thanks
C

 

Welcome christian...

I have 255/70-15's on front and rear with no issues.

BTW - the early C3's body behind the rear tire was not flared, they changed it to prevent rock chips.

 

I was able to run 255 60 15 on the stock 4 inch backspace on my Dads 69. When I got the 72 they would not fit. They rubbed on extreme hard turns while corning quite hard. I ran 245 60 15s all around for a while. I now run a 255 45 17 on the front and a 275 40 18 on the rear. The front rims are 17X8 with a 4 inch backspace. The rears are 18X10 with a 5.5 backspace. I have no rubbing. Most C3s will be able to run a 255 60 15 all around.

 

That Corvette, as pictured, has a set of 15x8.5" wide, "slot mags", which were a common change "back in the day". Generally, those wheels had a 3.75" backspacing.

 

Thanks a lot! beautiful !

 

thanks a lot, got any pics?

 

sorry just saw your beautiful red beast, looks super cool with those rims!

 

I ran 15 x 8 American Racing wheels on my 1969 with 255s on the rear and 235's on the front; no rubbing issues at all. I have since sold the car and have the rims listed for sale in the Wheels and Tires section.

 

thanks a lot, now I have the name of the rims I want! are you sure the ones in the pics are not 15x8?
mostly important, any idea of those tires size? I want to replicate that exactly! I assume front and rear are the same size, that s how it looks like from those pics.
thanks in advance
C

 

If you're referring to my post; those rims are all 15" x 8" with zero backspacing. The tires were BF Goodrich Radial TAs; 255/60-15 in the rear and 235/60-15 in the front. I am not sure where you're located but, if you're anywhere near NJ you could save yourself some money by buying my old rims, shown in the picture.

 

Which rims are you referring to?

 

Crager Slotted mags- very popular in the day- The mag was short for Magnesium- as that was in vogue back then-

 

thanks a lot leasfoot4, now I have the name of the rims I want! are you sure the ones in the pics are not 15x8?
mostly important, any idea of those tires size? I want to replicate that exactly! I assume front and rear are the same size, that s how it looks like from those pics.
thanks in advance
C

 

those on the car on my link, the 1971 green one. i want to have those excat rims and tires on my vette

 

thanks a lot! are they 15x8 as default? if so i just need to see which tires and how much backspace i want

 

thanks a lot for the offer but i'm looking for something else
C

 

Here's the deal.....back in "those days", I had a side business, selling performance wheels and tires. I think that I was pretty knowledgeable on what was available back then. When it came to the "slot mags", they were patterned after the real, light weight, magnesium wheels that the top fuel dragsters used to use. However, the street wheels were made from aluminum, as it's far more practical for street use.

Pretty much every aftermarket wheel manufacturer/retailer had a similar wheel. American Racing, Ansen, Appliance, Cragar, Keystone, US Mags, and I believe Western Wheels, ALL offered a version of this wheel. Sometimes I'm inclined to think that there was only ONE foundry pouring the "blanks" for the wheels, with the individual companies doing the final machining. One of the major differences between brands, was how smooth the finish of the wheels were. US Mags wheels tended to have a "rough cut" finish while Appliance wheels were mirror-like, fine jewelry polished. Pricing varied, accordingly.

With respect to Corvette applications, the wheels were available in 15x7, 15x8.5, 15x10, and possibly 15x12 sizes. Most of the wheels came with a basic 3.75" backspacing, with the additional width added to the outside (street side) of the wheels. Brake caliper clearance on a C-3 Corvette, with it's WIDE calipers, needs to be checked. As a side note, my theory regarding backspacing, was an effort to reduce the manufacturing cost, and the inventory cost, by making the wheels fit as many cars as possible. MoPars, (Road Runners, Super Bees, etc.) back then, had clearance issues between the backside of the wheels and the outer edge of the leaf springs. 3.75" was about the most BS that the MoPars could tolerate, so that became the "standard" BS for MANY aftermarket wheels.

 

wow, you are the indeed the right person to help with this! thanks again. Looking at the pics of my link (1971 green vette), can you guess tire, rime and back space siz, front and rear? i know i m asking too much but your guess i'm sure will be close enough!