wheel widening
 

hi guys, i would like to widen my 87turbo t rear wheels to 8". they are stock wheels. i will mount 275/50r15's on them. any recommendation on if i should do this and if so, who would you recommend? 3.5-3.75 backspacing on the 8" wheel? thanks for helping.

idling till SPRING,
mike p

Re: wheel widening
 

Gbodyparts.com sells ones that are widened. Grand National wheels as well. See http://www.gbodyparts.com/index.php?...4da2b547373fff

Chances are they are getting them done by True Design in Colorado. The GN wheels, too. See http://www.trudesignwheel.net/buick_olds_wheels.html

Note that the stock T wheels are 4.0" backspace, and the 86/87 GN wheels have a tiny bit less. Regardless, this is considered the ideal backspace.

For the 86/87 T's, the best and simplest way to do this is to get a pair of the American Racing "Vector" wheels made in the 70s and early 80s with the proper 4.75" bolt pattern.

http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/pict...s/twheels.html

The downsides are:
- They are often not in the best shape, and may require refinishing
- They do not take the T-Type caps without some inventive work
- They take shank vs. cone style nuts
- They have a 3.5" backspace, which makes things tight on the outside

Note that the "new" Vector SE that American Racing sold recently do not have a usable backspacing in the 8.5" size. At least not without spacers/adapters.

Re: wheel widening
 

what about for a 16x8 rim? i have 245s and 255s in the rear. but i want the car to have a more aggresive look in the rear with some wider tires.

Re: wheel widening
 

Directly from the True Design site:

Pontiac GTA wheels made 16x7, 8, and 9.5 wide standard. Other widths are available. Backspacing can be to your special needs!