17's

[Insane Buick]

I'm looking to put some 17's on my 72 skylark. Does anyone else have this size wheels on theirs? what kind of rims look good on these cars. I thought of the cragar s/s wheels but i wanted something unique. Thanks for the sugestions.

Daniel

[staged67gspwr]

I have 17`s on my `67 GS,17x91/2 rears and 17x 8 in front,i have the Budnik Fontana wheels with 245 45 17 front and 275 40 17 rears,backspacing is 6" rear and 5" fronts,if you need anymore info let me know,i hope this helps.

Thank you
George
`67 GS400(464ci)4-Speed soon to be 5-Speed

[Insane Buick]

Have any pics of them on your car? Hows the ride with them on? and the handling of them? Thanks

Daniel

[staged67gspwr]

I will post pics soon,the handling is awesome and the ride is pretty good just alittle stiff.

Thank you
George
`67 GS400(464ci)4-Speed soon to be 5-Speed

[Insane Buick]

to buy the same set-up for my car, 17x8's up front and 17x9.5's in the rear. same tire set-up as you as well. I was wondering how much of a lowering job i could do without and wheel rubbing...i was thinking about the 2in drop spindles up front and 2in drop springs out back, or do you think i should go with 1.5in drop in the back. need to know some of this stuff so i can order it all and get it in around the same time. Thanks

Daniel

[staged67gspwr]

to tell you the truth what i have is more than good i think without pulling spindles off,i have the Hotchkis lowered springs front and rear and it looks nice.


Thanks
George

[Nitro71455]

I have 17's on my 71GS 455. I've had them on it for 4 years now and love them. I'm running 17x8's and 17x9.5's also. I too have only the hotchis springs. I did cut 1/2 of a coil off the front so it sat better tho.

There's one picture of it at http://streetheatcarclub.com/gs.htm

Rich

[Insane Buick]

Love that profile. Really clean looking machine! I'm hoping to order mine in about two weeks with the lowering springs.

Daniel

[brblx]

i would try and go for nice wheels like that, but i have drum brakes all around and don't see a disc conversion in the near future....just wouldn't look good imo.

i'm probably going to just use some subdued or black painted 15's to go with my minimalist kind of approach. (gonna remove my top and paint the bumpers body color when i redo the car, too)

[gsxnut]

I bought 17X8 Torque Thrust II American Racing wheels for my 70 GSX. The offset was 4.75" in front and back. The tires do not rub. I bought Global West parts so it will drop it an inch. I also bought 245/45/17 tires to go on the wheels. This will give you the same rolling diameter as the orginal wheels so you speedo is not messed up.

Now that I have them on the car I would like to put 9.5" rears on. Can someone tell me what offset there 9.5" rims are and how fat of a tire they have put on it?

Thanks,

Mark

[Nitro71455]

Mark.......

My 17 X 9.5's have an offset of 6" back spacing. to be perfectly centered, you would need 5.75. 6 inches shoves them to the inside a bit but they don't rub at all.

I curently have 275 / 40 / 17's on there (nitto drag's) and there about 10.4 wide. You could easily put an 11 inch tire on the wheels and have them not rub at all with 5.75 inches of back spacing on a 9.5 inch whell.

[staged67gspwr]

My rear rims are also 9 1/2" with 6"backspace on my `67 with 275 45 17`s.


Thanks
George

[Insane Buick]

On budnik's web page that it list the prices for the wheels, is that for each wheel or for a pair? thanks

Daniel

[staged67gspwr]

Daniel,thats the price for each wheel.


Thanks
George

[Nitro71455]

that's exactly right............. thats why you don't see them on everything that rolls. :grin:

Rich

[Insane Buick]

thats what i thought...just was hoping i was wrong...well it looks like i might go for the american racing wheels instead so i don't go broke just trying to put wheels and tires on my car :)

anyother alternative wheel than the torque thrust 2??? i want something not many have but that won't make me go broke. Thanks

Daniel

[Nitro71455]

Check out Weld Racing. They have some nice wheels. There a little more but you won't see them on everything.

[brblx]

i don't think weld offers much in the 17" variety since they're mainly drag/drag style wheels.

any 17's are gonna cost some dough. torque thrust II's and cragar SS's are probably both gonna be about 200 bucks a pop, at the least. the only other option i can think of is wheel vintiques, they offer some nice repop wheels in large sizes. i'd check them out, there are some ford wheels that are in the same style as buick ralleys (chrome 5-spoke w/ black centers).

[Nitro71455]

The wheels I have on mine are WELD billet wheels. I've had them for 4 years now and I have never seen them on another car ( in person only in mags). Check out their site. They have more to offer than the draglights and ect.

If you what somthing different, you will have to go with weld, budnik, kmc, oz or one of the other brands that makes whells 17 to 24 inches in size.

[staged67gspwr]

Weld does have a variety of 17`s but they do not list them,you have to call them.


thanks

George

[Insane Buick]

thanks for all the info guys. i'll probably go with the torque thrust 2's being that they're about $800 cheaper than budnik :eek2:

Daniel

[staged67gspwr]

Good choice,my friend has them on his `66 SS Chevelle,he got them in 17" also.

Thanks
George:TU:

[gsxnut]

Check out my picture. It is my 70 GSX with 17" Torque Thurst II's. It also has 245/45/17 tires. I like them but they were not cheap either. I have not checked the price of some of the other wheels but I felt I spent enough on these.

Mark

[Nitro71455]

Sharp looking car Mark!!!!!!! :beer

[gsxnut]

Thanks. Now I just need to finish the suspension upgrades to go with the wheels and tires.

Mark
:TU:

[DugsSin]

Great thread guys what these larger combos do for the handling and looks of our cars is well worth the money.
George would you know how similar your 67 would be to my 65 as putting that kind of rubber on the road would be top of my list. I've heard the largest I could go with are 245's all around. Just wondering.
Hope you are bring that Bad 67 to Duanes party I'll need a drool bucket.:Dou:

[staged67gspwr]

Doug,i am pretty sure it should be the same on the `65`s,with the right backspacing you should be able to fit the same size as me but we need to double check that the 67`s and the 65`s have the same opening and room in there,as for the party i am planning on being there.

Thanks
George

[DugsSin]

Looking forward to meeting you (and everyone else) and running some video of your car. I'll bring a tape and see what can be figured out before the:beer takes over.
I also want to pick your brain reguarding your brakes as my Flintstone system (Manual- 4 wheel drum) can be :eek2: !
Later, Doug

[duane225]

I haven't seen old american iron yet that doesnt' look hot on torque thrust 2s. That's what i have on my AMX. It's definitely more of a sporty look than for a cruiser IMO.

[Leo & Melinda]

Try eagle wheels they have some great rims that are cheap. you can buy direct from them or buy from discount tire.

[gstewart]

guys:
maybe i am old fashioned, but i much prefer the chrome rallyes that came on the a-bodies (14 or 15") . 2 weeks ago at the woodward cruise, i saw a number of a-bodies (not buick) with 17 & 18" chrome wheels and very low aspect tires . even saw a 84 grand prix wih gold rims (only in detroit) . many in my group commented on how terrrible that vehicle appeared ! in & around detroit or windsor , the ride must be god awful because we do have rough roads .
however, each to his own . i did see a dark blue navigator with 22 " chromed spoke rims & they did look great for that vehicle .
what is the aspect ratio of the tires u guys are using ? what are u paying for these rims ?
just me opinion
gerry
72 gs 350

[Insane Buick]

well as soon as a get my stuff together the local tire and wheel shop gave me the price of just over $1700 for 17x8 and 17x9.5 torque thrust 2 and kumoho tires all the way around. That sounds like a lot but that money wouldn't even pay for just budnik rims alone. I'm building an almost pure street car and i want the best handling and style that i can get, i can get much better handling with 17's then i can with my stock 14's.
my 2 cent.

Daniel

[gsxnut]

As you can see from my picture I chose to go with something none stock. I have 17 x 8 Torque Thurst II all the way around. The wheels are $250.00 each and I put Bridgstone Pole Position SO3 on it that are 245/45/17's which maintains the stock rolling adius. The tires are $180 each for a total of $1800 or so. I got it because I am also installing a Global West suspension and Metco Rear control arms. I am building a G-Machine and I need the 17's to clear the 12.8" rotors on the front.

I love the stock look but to accomplish what I wanted to I had to go bigger. That is my 2 cents.

Mark Macoubrie

[staged67gspwr]

Me too.



Thanks
George:TU:

[Nitro71455]

I've had 17's on mine for 5 years now and I LOVE them!!!!

[staged67gspwr]

Rich are you running stock a-arms?


George

[Nitro71455]

Hey George,

Yes I am running stock A-arms. I'm also running hotciks springs on all 4 corners.

[sbbuick]

I am running 285/40/17" on 17x9.5" 5.5" B/S on all 4 corners.

Car has F body spindles. No rubbing!!

Centerline wheels offer good B/S options and are light for a good price. From what I recall, I paid $170.00 each for them!

[gelcoat]

Edelbrock has a new line of wheels out with model #'s 409, 454, etc. I'm running a set of 454's on another car, and I like them. I'm not sure what sizes are available, but they're priced right, and almost "retro".