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1966 Corvette Wheels on 1969

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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 09:13 AM
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Default 1966 Corvette Wheels on 1969

My recently acquired C3 has it's factory wheels/caps and Goodyear Speedway Bias-Ply tires.
The combo looks sweet, but I drive the car a lot and the Bias-Plys are driving me nuts.
A buddy of mine has some vintage mag wheels with BG Goodrich 215s that he will let me have for a reasonable price.
He had them on his 1966 C2.
That being said, my question is will these directly fit my 1969?
As always, thanks in advance.
Tony
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 09:14 AM
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Assuming they are stock offset, they should bolt on.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 09:24 AM
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Hi Tony,
It sounds like you're enjoying your car!
Has it turned out to be what you hoped?

The original wheels on your car have a 4" offset. So that's what you'll be checking for on the wheels you're considering.
The 215/70 tire size is the modern tire equivalent to the F70 tires that were standard on 68-72 cars.

Regards,
Alan
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 09:36 AM
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Cool, I'll have him measure the offset.
Width is not an issue??

@Alan 71:
I am indeed. I try to drive it 2-3X per week.
It's absolutely all that I hoped for. I feel very lucky to have found it.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 09:39 AM
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Make sure if the tires have been sitting around for a while they are not to old. Anything 6 years old or older should be discarded. Tires do degrade with time and they can come apart. Not good. So what looks like a bargain may be wheels only.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 09:56 AM
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@Gordonm:
I believe the date code says 2013 and he purchased them in 2014, so I think I'm ok for a little while anyway.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 10:20 AM
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Originally Posted by vespaholic
@Gordonm:
I believe the date code says 2013 and he purchased them in 2014, so I think I'm ok for a little while anyway.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 03:33 PM
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OK Guys, here are the exact specs on the wheels:

15" X 6" with a 3" Backspacing

So from what I gather, that makes these wheels 2" thinner than my factory wheels with a backspace that's 1" less.

Thoughts!
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 03:37 PM
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why would you down grade the performance potential of your wheels?
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 03:39 PM
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@MelWff Please explain
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 04:42 PM
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the standard rally wheel on a 69 is 8" wide why would you go down to a 6" wheel?
In addition the 215 is about the narrowest tire you would use.

Last edited by MelWff; Nov 21, 2017 at 04:43 PM.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 06:04 PM
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Originally Posted by MelWff
the standard rally wheel on a 69 is 8" wide why would you go down to a 6" wheel?
In addition the 215 is about the narrowest tire you would use.



An 8" wheel, with a 225/70/15 tire would be MUCH better............. Keep in mind, if you decide to go with an aftermarket wheel other than what our friend wants to sell you, C-3 Corvettes have brake calipers that have a VERY "wide" cross section, and require wheels that have sufficient clearance on the "inside" of the wheel's center section.



"Alan 71", not to be overly critical, but too many people confuse offset and backspacing. A Corvette Rally Wheel has 4" of backspacing, not 4" of offset......
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 06:10 PM
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The 215 is closest to the factory height tire; F70 15
It's only 0.02" smaller than the factory height tire in height.
Regardless, this does not sound like they will work.
I think I'll just drive the $h1t out of the car, wear out the bias plys, then replace with redline radials.
Thanks for the replies.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by vespaholic
The 215 is closest to the factory height tire; F70 15
It's only 0.02" smaller than the factory height tire in height.
Regardless, this does not sound like they will work.
I think I'll just drive the $h1t out of the car, wear out the bias plys, then replace with redline radials.
Thanks for the replies.
I guess an appropriate question would be, "What year is your C-3"?
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 07:36 PM
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C2 corvettes had 6" wide wheels, 68 C3 had the 7" wheel. 69 corvettes had an 8" wheel.

Most people are running 225 70 - 15 tires on the 69 and up C3. (also 235 - 60 -15)

It's a matter of choice, but I would go with the 225's.
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by vespaholic
My recently acquired C3 has it's factory wheels/caps and Goodyear Speedway Bias-Ply tires.
The combo looks sweet, but I drive the car a lot and the Bias-Plys are driving me nuts.
Why not just save your money and buy a set of "redline radials" as you suggested so you can enjoy driving your Corvette?
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Old Nov 21, 2017 | 10:54 PM
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Read my post from 6:10PM.
That's the plan!
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