Got them back today! Heres a few pics till i get them mounted tonight.

 

Nice! What kind of rubber are you going to run?

 

very nice, that will definitely be very unique

 

What did that run you and where did you get it done?

 

Thanks guys...IM using street tires on them BFG G-force Sports. I just bought a set of BFG drag radials. I was going to use them but decided to stick with street tires on these. And get a second set of rims to mount the drag radials on. And just swap them out at the track.

To have them done was 150.00 a wheel plus about 130.00 shipping. So i have about 430.00 in them.

The place i had them done was http://www.weldcraftwheels.com James was great to deal with.

Heres a few more pics after i had the tires mounted.

 

Very sexy! But man, that price kinda hurts.. I guess it beats getting 4 new wheels though eh? $130 shipping? Geez! That seems high, I shipped my wheels to a guy in Georgia for $50/wheel.... EDIT: [ I am simply commenting on the price of shipping here, I traded wheels with a guy in Georgia, and I paid $50 a wheel for shipping. I have not had my wheels widened. ]

Most importantly - what size tire is on that? 275? /50? I didn't think they made a lot of fat tires for the 16" size?

 

looks like a typical 245/50 tire on the back, maybe 255? Doesn't seem any wider to me from behind.

 

Thanks...130...thats total there and back for two rims. And they inlcuded a double wall box. Weldcraft did a great job on boxing them. Very happy with them as far as workmanship and customer service.

There 255/50/16s....but i wish they were something like a 285/45/16.

 

Yea, I didn't think it looked all that fat. You can stretch a 255 on the stock 15x8 (since it comes with 245 stock), so isn't that kinda a waste? I mean, 285 sure makes sense...
Oh well, once the 255's wear out eh?

 

It must be the pic because a 255-50-16 looks alot bigger than that on a c-4 vette wheel or is it just me?I was thinking about doing that to my gta wheels

 

Mike, looks great. Definitely different. I just wished my wheels polished up as nice as yours. I'll get some pics hopefully next week up for ya. I went with a 275/50 MT drag radial. Looks mean and wider than I thought it might be.

 

Thanks... IM real happy with the look of them. I gained 3/4" section width with a 9.5 rim over a 255 tire on an 8" rim. Bfg tires arent the widest tires size for size. The futuras i had were wider. But didnt stick as well.

Mothers billet polish costs more then most but it does shine better. Looking forward to seeing your pics. Glad your happy with yours as well.

 

Did you have to clearance anything to fit the wider rims? It looks like all the extra width was added to the inside of the rim. With a wider tire that will look awesome!

 

Yes it all goes to the inside. which keeps them tucked in nicely. I did have to grind the driver side bumpstop a little. My rear is off center a little because the passenger side cleared. There is 1 1/4" of clearance really. Once the car is on the ground. Its just as you raise the car the rear drops. When the bumpstop would pass the tire it would rub. So i ground it down some and painted it. Anyone who has tried to run wider rubber on these cars knows the area im talking about.

The trick is to use a front set for the widening. The front IROCs have a 4 1/4" offset as opposed to the rears which have a 4 7/8. After adding 1 1/2" this gives a 5 3/4 offset which fits perfect for a 9.5" rim. IM using the rears on the front now.

I like the look of the 255/50/16 it looks low and wide with the 9.5" rim. The sizes are limited though. But IM looking into it still. There is a 265/50/16 and a 295/50/16. A 265/45/16, 275/45/16, and a few larger sizes in slicks. I would like to have a 285/45/16. This would keep the tire at roughly 26" the same as the 255/50/16 just wider. But no one makes it. Yet.

IM leaning towards the 265/50/16 or the 295/50/16. still trying to make up my mind which one to try. I might buy one of each and just see how they look.

 

Awesome!
Looks bad *** man.
I am waiting for my irocs to return from the shop also!
I am getting them stretched from 18x8 to 18x11.

Pics will come shortly.
Tommy

 

Thanks...IM noticing a improvement in handling with the larger rims out back as well!

18x11s...That will look sick on your vert! Who did you get to do them? Looking forward to the pics!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your rims on your car. Get some pics up as soon as you can Mike....!

 

Very nice!!!

 

looks sharp! i've been wanting to do that with my slp zr1s for some time now. they're only 17x8, would like to stretch that to 10 and then throw a 285 on the back.

would look mean on a sport coupe.

iroc looks very nice! evil looking stance.

 

looks pretty sweet, doesnt look as wide as I was hoping, but still looks good, offf topic, but what kind of muffler you have on there?

 

I've run 255s and 295s on the stock 16x8s before. Car felt fine, even the handling. I want 295s for my GTA right now, since I have 245s now, but my rear tires are so new, I can't justify getting new tires...just because.

 

Thanks everyone!...The Muffler is a Spintech, its a 3.5" mufflex catback exhaust. I love the sound of it. One of these days i will get a sound clip.

 

sweet get a sound clip it looks like it makes some serious noise, and I like the look of it too

 

Mike,
Do your widened rims make the 255 look wider than they would look on an 8" rim?

Personally, I like the look of same size tire on front and back.

so... could I do your widening trick using 4 front rims? I have an 86 TA with 15" rims, but am looking at 16x8". I'd like the widest possible tire, without too much modification to avoid scraping on bumps.

what do you think?

 

With 16" rims, your choices are limited to (larger than the stock 245s, for the street)...255s or 295s.

Both of which, will fit a stock 16x8. I've run both on my 3rd gens before. If you want other widths, go 17", 18", 19",etc.

 

what brand makes a 285 45 16 tire?

 

I'm actaully running 275's on stock 15x8 rims.

 

You can search by size on Tirerack. I think nobody makes that size, but you can check.

 

Tire rack doesnt carry a 285 in a 16" but others had made reference to it which is why i asked but (Stephen) you said you used 295's was that a 16" tire?if so was it street legal or race only

 

Street...I ran the BFGs on my 92 & 90RS, both on the stock16x8 rims. When my 245s go (or I getextra $) I'll get them for my GTA. Not exactly a "high performance" thread pattern, but I liked them. I know a guy locally running them right now on his GTA.

 

Sorry i havent replied been on vacation.

Yeah a 9.5 rim looks much wider then a 8" rim even using the same tire size. The pics dont do it justice. It looks really good in person guys. Its still a 9.5" rim. I Dont regret doing it for a minute. And having a 255 keeps it tucked in with no scaping. So even though no one makes a 285/45/16 tire. im still happy with the way it looks. An 8" rim is to skinny for a rear rim on a muscle car imo.
----------
Do you have any pics of them on a 9.5" or wider rim. Ive been told there really tall.

 

Thanks...ive never posted a sound clip before... but will try.

 

What about the front ones? I'd like to have 9 1/2" fronts also. I know the firehawk wheels I have are 17 x 9 1/2"...........then you could rotate the tires!

 

Sorry i missed your post...Thats a good question! The stock front rims with my brake setup. I think i could go with 16x9s with out having to use a spacer.

Just swapped out the rear tires for these! I love how the car pulls from a dig now. Before first gear was useless off the line.

 

very nice! i want to do this with my GTA crosslace rims. I'm wondering how much it affected the balance of the rim. Where are your weights placed now and how much weight did it take to balance?

 

Thanks.. I had them balanced with two different sets of tires. And no problems with them at all.

IM not sure how much weight it took really. I watched the tech, and he used the stick on type weights, that go on the inside of the rim.

 

Sweet! What size are those?

 

Thanks..255/50/16...bfg g-force drag radials, there a little wider then a stock type radial. And with the 9.5 rim the section width is wider over the typical 8" rim.

 

Nice how much weight did it add to the rims?

 

Not getting any emails on post replies.

Didnt get to weigh them...cant be more then a few pounds. when i get a chance i could pull them and see.

 

Mike.... what do you think about 295's all the way around, 16 inch stock 86 TA rims, widened to 10"... sick, yes? would it work?

 

I was going to post saying you had to use a spacer on the rear. But that was very smart using a front wheel with a different offset. Brilliant actually. I am thinking about doing this to my Firehawk wheels. But by the time I get them widened, shipped, by spacers, buy good 315/17 tires its going to be around a grand. Thats alot just to have wider back tires. I could put a cam in it and some bolt ons for that. But then I would need bigger tires. Who knows.

 

Mike... more questions for you
I think I understand why you used the fronts for widening... the 4.25" offset (distance from mounting surface to in-board rim edge, yes?) would keep the tire more tucked in to avoid any interferance with the fender lip... yes?
If I wanted to widen all four rims then I should leave the rim original locations... yes?
Using fronts on the back would be nice, but then the tires wouldn't line up... the front (with equally widened fronts) would be 5/8" farther outboard than the rears, yes?
What bugs me is the infamous wheel well spacing, or gap. I like the look of lowering, but it makes going over speed bumps and negotiating minor incline a hassle. I'm thinking of 285/60 R16 with wheel widend to 10". Then, cutting springs to reduce orginal hieght by 1.5". Height difference between current tires/wheels (245/60 R15) and the 285/60 R16 is 3", increasing ride height by 1.5". Cutting spring keeps ride hieght the same and wheel wells are all filled up. To make up for gear reduction, I'd slip in a 3.73 ring.
any comments are welcome...

 

Going with the taller, while lowering the car, certainly will fill the wheel well. But think of the wider footprint. As you get into the wheel well, you lose wheel well width, IN A HURRY!

A minor bump might cause the tire to rub inside the wheel wells. 285s aren't exactly going to tuck, unless your BS is more than the stock BS.

-=-Steve

 

good points, Stephen...

the car is in the shop right now, so I can't go out and look... I'm crazy for putting fat meats all around, so I'll be chewing on this for a while.
BS? I'm guessing that your not referring to the vernacular, although BS might be the best term for my 285 quest...
Bump Stop?
I want it all... filled wheel well and good travel...
any advise?

 

I certainly didn't wanna BS you.

I was referring to BackSpacing.

I ran Impala SS 17"s on my 97 Tahoe, dropped 5" in the front. Everything was great UNTIL.... Due to the deep BS, in a turn, if the suspension deflects, it brought the lower a-arm lips into contact with the inner of the trim. A little trimming.....OK...about 5" inwards, and about 1.5" cut off, the lower a-arms no longer hit the rims.

And, I never had a problem with any weakening of the lower a-arms.

 

ill be getting my wheels back in a week or so from weldcraft after they get done widenening them to a 9.5". i ordered all new tires 245's for the front and 255's for the rear.
when the tires got here i gotta say im a little woried that they wont look as beefy in the rear as i was hoping for. there just dosent seem to be a whole lot of differance in width between the two (at least unmounted). i guess ill see how they look after i get them blown up on the rims when they get back.

 

Why didn't you go wider on the tire in the rear? A 9.5" wheel should have a 275mm width tire, I just googled 275/50/16 and several other sizes near that and they are out there. Would definately look much wider than 245/50

 

I dont really get the point of putting tires that will fit on a stock rim on a widened rim after paying all that money to get them widened. Are there even wider tires than 245/50/16's available anymore? I checked tire rack and the only 255/50/16s were all competition tires. Even the selection of 245/50/16's is a lot worse than it was just a couple of years ago.

 

I have looked all over the web for a wider 16" street tire and I can't find anything bigger than the 255's. These tires came on the vettes and gnx's back in the day that where running a 9.5" wheel and they had a noticeabley wider look. I do admit it is a pricy investment for not a lot of gain. I just wanted a custom twist on my car without taking from the perfect look these cars had from the factory. Hats off to the guy that started this thread, I'm sure he can relate.