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A lot of effort went into selecting the right
tires and wheels for my Ranchero. I wanted modern performance and
handling. That means 17" tires. I've been very happy with Bridgestone
RE71s on my other cars, and the new
RE730 that replaces them is even better. The great thing about Bridgestone'
web pages is all the technical
data that well help you measure fitment. The 245/45ZR17s that I wanted
for the front had the same cross section as my old 245/60R14s but had 1.5"
more tread width. The 285/40ZR17s on the rear were much wider than the
245/60R14s, but with the right wheel offset they fit perfectly. I've also
use a 315/35R17 BFG Drag Radial on the rear with a perfect fit.
For wheels I could have gone with a stock
look, but I decided on the American
Racing Torq-Thrust II. Let's face it, with my Ranchero you just can't
have too much chrome. I bought the wheels mail order from Pete
Paulsen and the tires mail order from TireRack.
The new tires have dramatically improved
tracking, handling and launch. The difference in driving the car is like
night and day!
[Here's a detailed discussion of fitment
that most of you will want to skip: My 70 Ranchero (Torino-a-like) had the stock
14"x7" 0-offset factory high performance steel wheels and I was
running 245R6014 BFG radials.
In front a 245/45ZR17 has the same overall
width as my old 245R14s so the ideal wheel would have 0 offset like the stock
14" wheel, but the 17" tires really need an 8" wide wheel.
A stock size of the AR TTII is 17x8 but with a +8mm offset (that's a 4.75"
backspace.) It fits fine. The wheel and tire are riding 1/4"
(8mm) inside of the "perfect" location but it isn't noticeable and
custom offsets do cost extra.
In the rear I wanted the widest tire and
wheel I could fit and keep a stock fender. All the 17" tires I looked
at jumped in size from 285 to 315. A 285/40ZR17
puts down 9.8" of tread and that's a pretty big improvement over the old
BFGs I'd worn slick. The 285s need at least a 9.5" wide wheel. AR
TTII wheels also come in 17x9.5 with a 28mm offset (6 3/8" backspace.)
The ideal backspace would have been 6".
Although a 315/35R17 BFG Drag Radial "requires"
a 10" - 12" wheel, I've had good luck running them on my 9.5"
wide wheels. In fact, at 11.85" of section width (vs. 11.25" for
the 285) and 11.5" of tread (vs. 9.8" for the 285) they fill out the
wheel well a little better and look great.
Based on what I measured on my car a 10" wheel
with 6.5" backspace would fit with no problem. For the rear I've
confirmed this with my 15x10 wheels and 28x12.5
slicks.]
- Offset
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The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub
mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of
three types.
- Zero Offset
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The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.
- Positive
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The hub mounting surface is toward the front or wheel side of the wheel.
Positive offset wheels are generally found on front wheel drive cars and
newer rear drive cars.
- Negative
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The hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheels
centerline. "Deep dish" wheels are typically a negative offset.
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- Backspace AKA Backside
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Is the distance from the mounting surface to rear
edge of the wheel A to B
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