Is it possible to fit 15" rims on an 85? Front or rear? A friend has some killer looking "2 blade" weld wheels 15"X12"(7"BS) and 15"X10"(6"BS) with 295/50/15 and 255/50/15 tires, I was wondering if anyone has fit 15" wheels? What do most of the drag race guys run on the front(skinnies) and rears? TIA. :cheers:

 

I think they'd look too small, but that's just my opinion.

 

Yeah, I think they might look too small too man. But try em on for size. Maybe you'll like them. The offset on them might make them jut out though, and the tire height might be a little short.

 

I think he wants to do this, not for looks but for better rearend ratio. It is like going up in gears at the rear end...

 

I think they'll fit depending on the offset, but you may have to grind a little material off the caliper to clear it.

 

The only way to change the ratio is to change the diameter of the tire, not the wheel.

I have 15 x 3.5 and 15 x 10 Weld Pro Stars that I will be putting on my '93.

For the rear, you will need a small spacer and grind the fins off the caliper and if you are racing, you will need longer wheel studs.

For the front(in my case) nothing is needed.

Go to the drag racing section and you will see many of the hardcore C4 racers running with 15" wheels.

 

No...No...and...no....do the right thing...get the right wheels/rims...

just my thoughts.... :confused: :confused: :confused:

 

Actually the tire size is 255-50-16(stock on my vette) = 26.09" dia. 255-50-15=27.1" dia. and the 295-50-15 is 26.75" dia. the 15" dia. is actually a little taller! :crazy: The reason I'm thinking of going to these, 1 they look killer :cool: , and he owes me some $, and I think the wheels would be good payment! :D :cheers:

 

i put 15" rim in rear for drag racing and they simply bolt-on!

PowredbyLT1
84 ,L83 to Lt1 conversion. 93 Lt1 motor . 3 angles Valve job and port. Heddmans Hedders. Gm performence intake. Rochester Carburator 800 cfm.Holley fuel regulator. Ajustable thermostatique fan switch. Hypertech 160deg thermostat . 2" Crowl Induction hood scoop with 4" air filter , muffler eliminator, A/C delete
Transmission:700r4.stall 2500.Trans go shift kit.
Gear:3.07
Tires:Yokohama Avid V4 255/50/16
Suspension:Z51 performence handling with Bilsten shock absorber

370hp and 408lb torque flywheel
13.366@105.6MHP 1.953 60’
Adrenaline Street Racingwww.asr.ca.tc

 

The '83 has 15" wheels.

 

I would never go to smaller wheels, but then again, I went Bigger! 18's on rear and 17's on front.

 

?

 

Let me see if I can find some pics....

 

Here ya go:

 

Is that the '83 Vette? I don't remember seeing that one.

 

That's it, the only one left, white with blue interior, I still want it.

 

255-50-16 is actually 27.6" tall, 255-50-15 is 26.6", and 295-50-15 is actually 28.4", so the 15s with wider tires are only slightly taller than the stock 16s, while the 15s on stock size 255-50 tires are about an inch shorter...based on the following:

The following is an example to help to decode a tire size like 255/50R15
255 = tire width in millimeters, measured from sidewall to sidewall
50 = sidewall ratio, the ratio of sidewall height to tire width, in %
15 = wheel rim diameter in inches

so, with 255/50R15, the height of the sidewall is 50% of the width, which would be 127.5mm, 127.5 mm is 11.6 inches (inches = mm/22), add the rim, 15 inches, you get 26.6 inches total height.

With 255/50R16, the height of the sidewall is 50% of the width, which would also be 127.5mm, or 11.6 inches, add the 16 inch rim, you get 27.6 inches total height.

And, 295/50R16, the height of the sidewall is 50% of 295, or 147.5mm, which equates to 13.4 inches, add the 15 inch rim, you get 28.4 inches total height.

I thought the math you originally had might be in error when you had the same size width/sidewall on 2 different size rims, and the smaller rim had a taller height, which isn't possible
:)

As far as whether they would fit, I have 285/40ZR18 on mine, which is 28.36 inches tall, on the back at least that would be real close to your 28.4 inches...


[Modified by 86Coupe, 10:32 PM 9/20/2002]

 

I didn't do the math, I simply was going by the BFG tire catalog. I listed the specs they give for actual tire size on thier recomended rim width. Thanks for the info, I'm going to ask him if I can just try them to see how they fit and look before I seal the deal! :cheers: