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I've searched, read, re-read, and festered over this topic for a while. I'm just not getting the wheel tire thing I guess...
My 76 has some American Racing 5 spoke rims (15x8, 5x4.75 bolt pattern), with Cooper Cobra Radial G/T tires, P225/70R15. I'd like to take these off, and get some Cragar SS wheels with new rubber. While I'm completely happy with the setup that is on the car, I'm just trying to figure out what to purchase. Presently all 4 tires/rims are identical, but they sort of look small on in the wheel wells. Should I do the safe thing and order the exact same size rims from Cragar, and the exact same size tires (I will probably do the same size, just wondered if a slightly larger tire would look better). I've looked thru a bunch of threads but can't seem to find the magic thread that brings this all to make sense - can I get some slightly larger tires for these rims, should I get slightly larger rims and different size tires? I helped with another car show, there were 2 '76 'vettes there, both had even smaller rims/tires. I thought just going to car shows I'd finally see what I was looking for, but as of yet have not, so I thought I'd ask the forum. The worst thing that could happen is I order the same size, which isn't a bad thing at all, hoping to hear more options from the forum.
A 70 aspect tire on a 15” wheel should give you about 27” of tire height, the stock size for a 1976. Changing this height would cause your speedometer to read differently.
The main reason the wheels would look small in the wheel well is because of how high the car sits. Lowering the car 2-3 inches makes them look much bigger.
I’ve seen people put Cragars on C3s before, but I’ve heard of a lot of fitment issues due to the C3s disc brakes.
If you want the chrome 5 spoke look torque thrust 2 wheels are a popular choice. They can be had in 17” or 18” as well, which gives you a lot more tire choices.
You’ll be looking at a 55 aspect tire with 17”s or 45 with 18”s to keep your 27” tire height.
You say you’ve read through a lot of threads, but if you haven’t read the “Share your c3 upgraded wheel and tire combos” it’s well worth the read. A lot of beautiful cars in that thread.
Last edited by Piersonpie; Mar 24, 2024 at 07:04 PM.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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Originally Posted by C3_DH
I helped with another car show, there were 2 '76 'vettes there, both had even smaller rims/tires.
A wheel smaller than a 15x8? Except for '68 that came with a 7" wide wheel, all C3's came with a 15x8" wheels.
I like the looks of 255/60's when it comes to filling wheel wells....
@SEVNT6 They look great on yours, no doubt about it.
@Piersonpie I'm reading your thread right now, thank you!
I wasn't aware of Cragar wheels having issues with a C3, I do NOT want to introduce any issues, and after reading the article and after looking hard at both my car and @SEVNT6 's, I guess I'll just keep what I have on the car. This was one of those "I'm not sure what I want, but I want something different" but those usually mean keeping things just the way they are... for now!
Pay no mind to the booger welds, but you can see where the cable/bracket used to be versus where it is now. You will need to unhook it to bring it on the inside of the trailing arm.
The cable will rub the sidewall of the 275 tire if installed without relocating the bracket.
Ha! I got under my car this afternoon (before I posted earlier), and I wanted to see where you relocated the brackets. I bought a welder just before I retired, you have no worries about me judging your welds, lol. I just wanted to see if you put them where I would after looking under my car, and that is about where I was going to relocate if I put anything different on my car.
Thanks for posting, it really helps!
Help with tires/rims
