does anyone have pics, or personal experience of using 17's on a 67 gs. im torn between going with 17 inch american racing 200s's (modern daisies), or finding a set of 15 in rallyes. is there a big improvement in ride harshness or handling. 67 with gsca "street" springs, ias shocks, poly bushings, sway bars front and rear. im just looking for opinions to help me decide.
yeah, im familiar with georges car. those are the gs pics i send to everyone when they say buicks arent cool.
Hey thanks guys for the compliment,i appreciate it,i can help ask me whatever you want. Thanks:TU: and buick`s are the coolest cars around.
george, im sure a car in your condition never sees rain or snow but ill ask anyway. how does a low profile/minimum tread tire handle in the wet weather? and is there a lot more harshness in the ride vs. the red gs you had. ive got a few more questions, any issues with the wide front wheels hitting the fenders when making tight turns? do you have an upgraded steering box, if so which one and how do you like it? i dont plan on going to tubular control arms front and rear, or 4 wheel disk brakes in the near future but i like the g-machine look. would 17s look silly with drums? i dont wanna look like a ricer.
I can answer some of those questions, since they would apply to me with a 69 with 17's. Not sure about the wet weather, but the answer should be "better", since you have more tire in contact with the pavement. Lower profile = less sidewall = harsher ride. Also, be sure to have your car re-aligned if you put 17's on it. Have a shop with experience do it, the specs will need to be adjusted. I don't think they look silly with drums, but make sure you clean and repaint your drums first, and use high heat paint, less prone to flaking off.
ok,i never drove in the rain so i dont know how it would handle in the water but in dry weather it handles like an updated car,the ride is actually really nice and firm not stiff,the red GS used to ride like a caddy very soft,as for the tires in the front they do not rub at all even when the wheel is cut all the way,the backspacing on the front wheels is 5" on a 17x8 wheel,the steering box i got from this place called power steering services,its a quick ratio box,they rebuilt original steering boxes for your year so you dont have the problem like when using a Iroc steering box and you cannot cut the wheel all the way like you are suppost to,that is also really nice and tight no more slop like the original box used to be.the 17`s look really cool i think and if you cannot afford to do the discs its no big deal you can do them in the future when you can afford it,they wont look that bad with the drums,just paint them black,if you want anymore info let me know. Thanks
thanks for the info guys. ive got new drums in the rear so theyr gray, but maybe black would hide them better. the fronts are aluminium, soi dont think i should paint them? clear maybe? maybe this is a good time to invest in some winter rubber as well.
67 with 17s Man those rides look sweet:TU: George what is the back spacing on your rears? And exactly what size are all 4 tires. Also was wanting to know if either of you guys w/17 lowered the front of your cars? and if so how? springs or drop-spindeles? Are their any concideration or concerns that need to be addressed? Lastly what bushings did you all use?
Jake,my rear wheels are 17x9 1/2" with a 6" backspace,rear tire size is 275 40 17 and the fronts are 245 45 17,i lowered both the front and rear with Hotchkis drop springs front and rear no drop spindle set up here,my front end bushings are rubber not poly. Thanks
Georges '67 was the example I used to put tires on my 71. He had the size and look I was going for. I used the exact same size rims and tires and have no problems. The car does ride considerable rougher, but the handling is much improved. I also rebuilt the front end using Hotchkis 1" lower springs and all stock rubber bushings. I also added Edelbrock IAS shocks. The pic on the left is not with the new rims and tires.
