[wave1957]

Well, my title pretty much says it!
I am talking wheels around 17X8, with pretty low profile tires, probably 50 or 55 profile.
I have done a search online but found a variety of very different opinions which end up not helping at all!
Thanks!

[eloc431962]

Your honestly going to have to do some test fitting or find someone that has a set pretty close to what you want on a 70 Impala. JMO
is your car lowered or anything ?



Cole

[wave1957]

No all stock suspension with polyurethane bushings.

[matts37chev]

it depends on what kind of look you are after
what are you trying to do?
are you just asking about how the tire will look on the wheel ?
or are you trying to find out how it will look on the car?(how it looks in the fender opening)
because the back spacing/offset of the wheel will change how the tire looks on the car

[OneMoreTime]

There are charts that show what size tire can be mounted on what rim width for best performance..

http://customwheelsmarket.com/rimwheelwidth1.html

Here is one

Sam

[wave1957]

Originally Posted by matts37chev

it depends on what kind of look you are after
what are you trying to do?
are you just asking about how the tire will look on the wheel ?
or are you trying to find out how it will look on the car?(how it looks in the fender opening)
because the back spacing/offset of the wheel will change how the tire looks on the car

I would like to know what will give me the best performance.

[OneMoreTime]

Rule of thumb for best performance is to match the wheel width to the tread width of the tire..So if your tire has an 8 inch tread use an 8 inch wheel. Of course there is tire compounding to consider as if one is doing autocross one wants some stickies for that but those stickies may not be a good choice for the street as they do not wear well..

Sam

[wave1957]

Hmmm, that seems to give very narrow tires, doesn't it? It would mean 205 tires on 8" wheels...

[Landshark928]

The taller the rim and lower the profile, the more the rim should match the tread. With a 17" and a large profile like a 50 or 55, you can go much wider. You should be able to run a 235/45 or a 245/50 with out any issues on a 17x8" rim. Assuming the vehicle allows it.

[poncho62]

The rule we used back in the day was to have the tire no more than an inch wider or narrower than the wheel....Not sure what applies with todays ultra low profile tires, but with the short sidewall, I wouldnt go more than an inch wider, thats for sure

[eloc431962]

X2 with Poncho.



Cole

[curtis73]

If these are going on a 70 Impala, you have plenty of room to play with. Here is my 73 running 15x8s with 255/70-15. At full lock turning there was some tiny rubbing on the sway bar from the tread, but you couldn't hear it, nor was it wearing the tire.

By the way, those 15x8s are stock truck rallys

[matts37chev]

Originally Posted by wave1957

Hmmm, that seems to give very narrow tires, doesn't it? It would mean 205 tires on 8" wheels...

205 is the center section width, not the tread width
you will need to look at each tires' specs. chart to find out the tread width.

and that is a good rule of thumb (have the tread and wheel width, the same)
the next question is height

when you say "best performance" what type of driving are you talking about?
autocross and drag racing are going to be different

[OneMoreTime]

The trick is to get a full contact patch of the tire one is using..To give an idea my 31x10.50 tires are on 8 inch wheels and work fine..My 235 tires work fine on a 7 inch wheel and a 205 may be best on a 6 inch wheel. A 275 r60 15 may take a 10inch wheel for best contact patch, of course one needs to get the inflation pressure correct as well.

Sam

[wave1957]

Originally Posted by matts37chev

when you say "best performance" what type of driving are you talking about?
autocross and drag racing are going to be different

Yes, sorry I guess this was a bit vague: by performance, I mean fast, spirited street driving (with the occasional 1/4 mile). Mainly, a fun and fast good weather daily driver.