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Wheel Buying For NOOBS (Are These Right?!?)


CicliDevotion

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Forgive me if I need a little hand-holding, fellas...this is my first time buying wheels for ANY vehicle that I didn't have to pedal or push...

I want basic chrome steelies for my '84 2WD 720, riding at stock height.

I just want to gather all of the info I'll need to avoid buying the wrong thing.

So here are some sizing questions.

I'm looking at these (ignore the pic, peep the specs):

 

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/usw-97-5760p

 

6 X 5.5

 

The closest to stock, with a bit more meat, seems to be 14 X 7 or 15 X 7...

Aside from aesthetic, any advantages of one over the other? For instance, will I be drastically limited with tire selection by going with 15" as opposed to the stock 14"?

 

Do I need to be particularly concerned with center bore?  Or will a pretty "basic" chrome steelie like this probably fit my 720?

 

Lastly, what offset and backspacing should I be looking for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Only the rim diameter changes. You buy a smaller tire so that it matches the 14" tire for diameter and nothing changes. For example the 720 tire is 195/75R14 so it's 25.5" diameter and about 7" wide. A195/70R15 is 25.7" tall and 7" wide.... no speedometer change.

 

If your speedometer is out then someone replaced the tires in the past with the wrong size. In 35 years this is very likely.

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Like Daniel mentioned, sometimes 14s can actually cost more for tires because they aren't stocked much any more. Do some tire research and see if that helps you make your decision. Personally, I say 15s look better.

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You have a stock rim now??? Take it off and set a straight edge across the back side and measure down to the wheel mounting surface. (WMS) If your rim is 6" wide and you measure down 3" then the offset is zero. A 7" rim (zero offset) will sit 1/2" further in toward the truck and 1/2" outwards. (if there is room)

 

If (for example) you have no room to move inwards (suspension or frame in the way) then the 7" replacement rim must have a 1/2" negative offset to move all of the extra width to the outside. If instead the body is in the way (fender) and if you have room a 1/2" positive off set will move the extra width to the inside so it fits inside the fender.

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Check out willtheyfit.com. It will allow you to put in your factory rim and tire specs, and also new rim and tire specs and it draws a diagram overlaying them both. You can change new rim specs until you get it sitting where you want in comparison to the old specs, then find the rim that is closest to those measurements. It will also tell you things like overall diameter change, speedometer error percentage, wheel arch gap change, poke change etc. It's one of my favorite fitment tools

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Hey Cecli,

 

I happened to be browsing eBay and stumbled on the following rims, they are 15x7s and are actual NOS models from 1982! Check em out!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Western-Wheels-Rims-in-Boxes-Chevy-6-Lug-15x7-Chevy-Pickup-55-57-Chevy-/141543123084?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Wheels&hash=item20f4a0a88c&vxp=mtr

 

 

~Peter

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