Will this fit? Looked through big wheel/tire thread but didn't find answer. :-)

[Grec]

The fronts I'm confident on:

17x8, 4" backspace, 235/45/17

But the rears... I'm concerned about the backspace...:

17x9, 5" backspace, 265/40/17

I know the standard is 4.5" backspace. Anyone running 5" without spacers or relocating spring hangers?

Thanks.

[73Chally]

With that backspace on the rear, I think there's a good chance you will rub on the leak springs.  I am running 255/60-17 with I believe 4.5" backspace, and I have about a half inch clearance.  Your tire is an inch wider (1/2" on each side), so with the extra half inch BS, it's going to be close.  Get a 2" relocation kit and you should be good to go.

[Grec]

Ack!

I think I'm gonna have to measure my car. I went through every damn post regarding backspacing and found more than one member running 5" backspace with no spring mods or spacers, but also general agreement that there's a lot of variance in these cars.

Gotta love 70's quality control. :-)

[drewcrane]

It is gonna be close I went with 17 x8 with a 275/45 17 on all 4, I have measured mine and there is about 3/4 of an inch left on the inside ,

I could do a 9 inch wheel but the best back spacing would be 4 1/2 leaving about 1/2 inch from the tire and leafspring,

Do some careful measuring , and you can use spacers but I dont care for them they work but it would be better to get the correct wheels , what kind of wheels do you have?

[Grec]

OK... so I measured my clearance:

With the stock 14" rallye wheel with a 225/60/14, I have a little over 1 1/4" of space between the edge of the tire and the leaf spring.

If I'm understanding backspacing correct, it's an absolute number. ie, regardless of the width of the rim, 5" of backspace is 5".

So... assuming that the new tire does not stick out further from the edge of the rim than the current one, which it wont, I should be safe moving in 1/2" of backspace, from 4.5" stock to 5", no?

[cudazappa]

I run a 17x9 with 5" backspace with my competition 275/40 tires.  No rubbing in the rear, but it is very close.

Yes, backspace is an absolute number.

[Grec]

Cool. Thanks.

[nqkjw]

This is 15x8.5 rims with 4 7/8" backspace.Tyres are 275/60/15.
It's tight but had no issues.
Do the math.I reckon you'll be alright

[73Chally]

Just an FYI, that is a really short rear tire, at only 25.4 inches.  What gear are you running?  Anything higher than, say, a 3.23 and you'll be screaming on the highway.  A typical rear tire is 27" tall (ie. 255/60-15).  If you have a stock suspension at standard ride height, those are going to look small inside the rear fenders.  To each his own, but I like to fill up the wheel wells as much as possible.

[Grec]

I am running 3.23s... but will prob be moving up to 3.55s at some point.

The current tires I have on there are just a tad under 26" and they fill pretty well. My car sits pretty low in the back... top fender lip just cuts off the top of the tires when looking from the side... so hopefully it'll look OK.

15s were too tall sidewall and too few tire choices. 18s don't show enough rubber on the sides to look right, IMHO, so I went with 17s, which again are kind of limited at sidewall height for the really good tires.

At any rate, she will finally hook up better and have sharper handling. :-)

[73Chally]

I felt there was a pretty good selection when it came to sidewall heights for 17" tires.  Like I said before, I have a set of 255/60-17 on the rear, which are 29" tall.  With a 3.91 I am right around 3000 RPM at 70 mph.  This size tire is actually classified as a light truck/SUV, if that helps with the search.  I bought these used for $35 each, and they are about due for replacement.  My next set I am looking at 255/55-17, which will be about a half inch shorter.  I can only find 2 in this size at Tire Rack, but I figure it will be the last set I buy for this car, so price is not much of a concern.

As far as the rear end sitting low, that's pretty common for the stock leaf springs.  If you ever feel like raising it up a bit, you can get a set of springs through Espo, etc, that will raise it up a good inch or two.

The main reason I am kind of going on about this is because the first set of 17" tires I bought were 235/45-17 front and 255/45-17 rear, and I was not happy with how small they looked.  I was dumb and allowed the tire shop guy to talk me into these because it was the largest size their computer said would fit.  After after doing my research after buying them, I realized I pissed away $600, but still went with the larger tires.  My fronts are 235/55-17.

The first picture is the first set of smaller tires, and the second pic is the current setup.  It might not be quite as obvious in the pictures, but it was definitely a huge visual impact when I changed them.

[HP2]

It might not be quite as obvious in the pictures, but it was definitely a huge visual impact when I changed them.

Agreed and I think any number of people neglect to consider this when choosing tire sizes. Proportion is a lot bigger influence of making things look good than a lot of people think.

[Grec]

I took the size into consideration but decided to go for less flex in the sidewalls and better performing tires this time around. They just don't make super grippy tires with huge sidewalls, that I'm aware of.

If I get the tires and hate how they look, I'll go bigger next time. I don't expect the rears to last that long anyway. ;-)

I do see the difference in yours, 73. But don't think the smaller ones look all that bad... If I get a gain in handling sharpness, I think I can live with it.

[Grec]

By the way, your car looks great. Aside from your smooth roof, we have the same FE5 73 Challenger. :-)

[Katfish]

IMy next set I am looking at 255/55-17, which will be about a half inch shorter.  I can only find 2 in this size at Tire Rack, but I figure it will be the last set I buy for this car, so price is not much of a concern.

Check Discount Tire, I bought 255/55/17's for my Mustang, only $125.