Wheel/tire combo regrets?

[JR]

 I think you'll probably need a 1/4 inch spacer in the rear. My old 10 inch rear wheels had 5.5 backspacing, and they rubbed when turning up into driveways.

That said, man that looks great. When you get the car back together again, take some shots of the whole car and post up. That real lip is awesome.

[funknut]

Looks perty dang awesome to me !   

Thanks!  I'm definitely happy with how it turned out so far.  It will be especially interesting to see how the new tires change the ride quality.

That said, I think you'll probably need a 1/4 inch spacer in the rear. My old 10 inch rear wheels had 5.5 backspacing, and they rubbed when turning up into driveways.

That said, man that looks great. When you get the car back together again, take some shots of the whole car and post up. That real lip is awesome.

Will do!  Thanks for the info, I may yet need more spacer.  The good news is spacers are the easiest part of this adventure.

[Mopar Nut]

More pics would be great...  I have been trying to find good pics of 2nd gen chargers with 18s.
Do you have a pic of the spacer too?

The spacer is a 3/8" from Billet Specialties:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bsp-wsg5l375

The garage is pretty tight now so I can't get a full side shot, but I did what I could given the space available.  The car's not rolling right now or I'd get some better pics. When I bought the car, the driver's LCA was bent, moving the front wheel rearward almost 1/2", so that's currently off the car.  I have a replacement, I'm just waiting for the pivot shaft bushings to arrive.  I should be able to get it out on the driveway this weekend and grab a few more pics.

Rear side:



Side profile from rear:



Rear side profile from front:



Front side shot.  Ride height is not final, it's sitting a little low right now.



Front wheel to forward fender.  Looks tight, but will need to see once disc conversion is done and proper caster is set.  Wheels are 4.5" BS which is generally regarded as OK, even on an 8" rim.



Front wheel to rearward fender.



Front.

Those wheels look good with that car color!   

[303 Mopar]

That said, I think you'll probably need a 1/4 inch spacer in the rear. My old 10 inch rear wheels had 5.5 backspacing, and they rubbed when turning up into driveways.

That said, man that looks great. When you get the car back together again, take some shots of the whole car and post up. That real lip is awesome.

Will do!  Thanks for the info, I may yet need more spacer.  The good news is spacers are the easiest part of this adventure.

My 10" with 5.5 bs rubbed the inner well but not the spring until I put on 3/8" spacers.  All good now!  And I agree, those wheels look sharp!

[VegasCharger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF4bGNocwV8

[funknut]

My 10" with 5.5 bs rubbed the inner well but not the spring until I put on 3/8" spacers.  All good now!  And I agree, those wheels look sharp!

Thanks!  I'm really happy with them so far.  I haven't been able to get the brake and suspension work done that I was hoping for yet as I've been chasing a couple other problems, but I did get all 4 mounted up and drove it around a bit to settle the suspension after playing with the LCA adjustment bolts.

The 3/8" spacer has done the trick so far.  No rubbing from the back yet.

I did massage the forward passenger side fender to try and prevent any rubbing.  It's still very close, and something is off because the driver's side has plenty of room.  Oh well, something to figure out another day.

Here's a couple quick phone pics:

[JR]

That looks fantastic!

[crj1968]

Yeah- looks great- Nice car !!!!!   

[funknut]

Thanks guys!  It's a huge relief to see them on the car with (so far) no interference issues! whew!

[Kern Dog]

That red 68 looks great. The larger diameter wheels give the car a slightly updated look while still retaining a classic style. The color of the wheel centers is traditional to the era these cars were built, allowing  a casual observer the illusion of a 14 or 15" original diameter.

Me? I have never regretted my wheel choice. I went with a 18" diameter because I wanted modern type low profile rubber for better handling. I was fully prepared for dissenting opinions. I had a 76 Camaro for years, often getting unsolicited opinions on how "They" would have built the car. Screw those jerkoffs. Do what makes YOU happy, right?

[Fitz73Chrgr]

Looks awesome!

[Dreamcar]

Thanks guys!  It's a huge relief to see them on the car with (so far) no interference issues! whew!

What can you tell us about the suspension? Torsion bar size, rear springs, any lowering?

[funknut]

Thanks everyone!  I appreciate the words and can say that I'm very happy with my choice.

What can you tell us about the suspension? Torsion bar size, rear springs, any lowering?

In that picture the front suspension is completely stock.  The driver's side had been tweaked at one point due to a front end collision, which sent the strut rod rearward about 1/2" to 3/4", so the wheels were not quite in the same position side to side.  On the passenger's side it was a bit closer to rubbing the forward fender lip, but a few minutes of light hammering gave a bit more room to where I'm not worried about any rubbing.

The rear suspension looks stock but I don't really know what springs are in there.  They don't look original to the car, but I'm not sure if the previous owner used stock replacements or something else.  They do look like they're using the original spring hangers though.  I can get you some measurements from hub center to fender lip if that would help.

[Dreamcar]

Thanks everyone!  I appreciate the words and can say that I'm very happy with my choice.

What can you tell us about the suspension? Torsion bar size, rear springs, any lowering?

In that picture the front suspension is completely stock.  The driver's side had been tweaked at one point due to a front end collision, which sent the strut rod rearward about 1/2" to 3/4", so the wheels were not quite in the same position side to side.  On the passenger's side it was a bit closer to rubbing the forward fender lip, but a few minutes of light hammering gave a bit more room to where I'm not worried about any rubbing.

The rear suspension looks stock but I don't really know what springs are in there.  They don't look original to the car, but I'm not sure if the previous owner used stock replacements or something else.  They do look like they're using the original spring hangers though.  I can get you some measurements from hub center to fender lip if that would help.

Thanks for the info. I love the look and I'm always thinking of what kind of wheels/tires and stance I'll want for mine when the time comes.

[440]

I went the small route on my daily.

245/50R14

So far I'm happy with them. If my car wasn't lowered they wouldn't fill the guards properly.

I haven't had them on long so here is the only stance photo I have.

[Kern Dog]

Except for the front and rear, that car looks like a 71-74 American B body 4 door. 

[RIDELIKEHELL]

funknut The car looks great 

[frank1966]

Hey nice posts, I was thinking of running 18 x 10 with a 5.25 bs on 285/40's. up front 245/45 with 4.25 bs, trying to push the wheels out a little. Any issues? It seems like from other posts we have a lot of room in these wells.

[funknut]

funknut The car looks great 

Thanks!  I have to admit I drew a lot of inspiration from yours. 

[funknut]

Hey nice posts, I was thinking of running 18 x 10 with a 5.25 bs on 285/40's. up front 245/45 with 4.25 bs, trying to push the wheels out a little. Any issues? It seems like from other posts we have a lot of room in these wells.

The BS on my rear wheels is 5.75" and I added a 0.375" spacer, so that would give me an effective BS of 5.375", so yours would only be 0.125" farther out, but your tire is 10mm narrower, so 0.2" (5mm) more inboard.  Should be a very similar fit to mine. 

I have not driven a whole lot since installing the new wheels/tires, and my one concern for the rears is rubbing on the inner wheel well.  My rear springs are pretty/very firm, so I'm not too terribly worried about it, but feeling around above the rear tire... I'm not convinced there won't be an issue at some point.

On the fronts, I had to lightly massage the foreward fender lip a bit to avoid any contact on the passenger side.  Very minor, though.

If you haven't already, check out the wheel/tire sticky thread and post in there.  Lots of great info and someone may have already tried your combo.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63191.0.html

[frank1966]

Hey nice posts, I was thinking of running 18 x 10 with a 5.25 bs on 285/40's. up front 245/45 with 4.25 bs, trying to push the wheels out a little. Any issues? It seems like from other posts we have a lot of room in these wells.

The BS on my rear wheels is 5.75" and I added a 0.375" spacer, so that would give me an effective BS of 5.375", so yours would only be 0.125" farther out, but your tire is 10mm narrower, so 0.2" (5mm) more inboard.  Should be a very similar fit to mine. 

I have not driven a whole lot since installing the new wheels/tires, and my one concern for the rears is rubbing on the inner wheel well.  My rear springs are pretty/very firm, so I'm not too terribly worried about it, but feeling around above the rear tire... I'm not convinced there won't be an issue at some point.

On the fronts, I had to lightly massage the foreward fender lip a bit to avoid any contact on the passenger side.  Very minor, though.

If you haven't already, check out the wheel/tire sticky thread and post in there.  Lots of great info and someone may have already tried your combo.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63191.0.html

thanks, it makes me feel better before making such a big purchase!

[RCCDrew]

I put 15x10 western 15 spokes all the way around on my charger. Now going to 15x10 and 15x7 Vectors. I like the look better for a vintage style General.

[Derwud]

What is a soft lip, other than the ones on Scarlett Johannsen?

Funny!!

[68pplcharger]

I have no regrets on my tire wheel combo. It was pricey but well worth it... 17X11 rear and 17X9.5 front with ZR17 315 rear tires  and ZR17 275 front goodyears

[Dino]

I have no regrets on my tire wheel combo. It was pricey but well worth it... 17X11 rear and 17X9.5 front with ZR17 315 rear tires  and ZR17 275 front goodyears

It looks awesome!