1964 wheels/tires

[Ron L.]

Wanted to confirm if these American Racing Torque Thrust D wheels will work on my 64
15" x 7" with a 3.75" backspace. Plan on mounting 25/75-15 tires. Any problems out there with this set=up?
Thanks in advance for your advise.

[Duke W.]

Re: 1964 wheels/tires

I prefer working with offset, and 3.75" backspace indicates slight positive offset. The critical clearance issue is the end of the rear spring to the tire/wheel.

Chevrolet 15 x 7" rally wheels came in two flavors. Zero offset for pass. cars and negative 0.28" offset for Corvettes. That was to ensure adequate clearance with the end of the rear spring. and installing this wheel on a C2 will require the horizontal fender lips to be shaved off. That doesn't chnage the outside contour of the fenders, but it will result in a judging deduction.

Negative rear camber will increase both spring and fender lip clearance by about 0.25" per degree.

I have read reports on the Corvette Forum that the zero offset version will work, but I have never personally inspected such an installation for adequate clearance.

I assume the tire size you mean is 225/70R-15; 225/75 are taller than OE, which could also cause problems and will upset speedometer calibration.

As a general rule the biggest wheel/tire combination that will fit a C2 without problem is a '67 Rally wheel (15 x 6", +.03" offset) with a 215/70R-15 tire.

Duke

[Ron L.]

Re: 1964 wheels/tires

Thanks Duke. My typo on the tires - should have been 205/75-15. Mine is a non-judging car - just looking for wheels other than the Rally wheels which I have understood would work. Will hope to get some more info on options.

[Michael J.]

Re: 1964 wheels/tires

205/75-15s are what I have had on 7 C2s I have used for driving, they are the best most reliable fit of any.

[Rob V.]

Re: 1964 wheels/tires

Hi Ron--

I have purchased/utilized American Racing Torque Thrust D wheels on seven (7) of the eight (8) 1963 through 1967 Corvettes that I have owned. On five (5) of the seven (7) Corvettes, I ran 15"x6" on all four (4) wheels; and on my current '64 Corvette, I run 15"x6" in the front, and 15"x7" on the rear. (I also ran 15"x6" front, and 15"x8" rear on a '67 Coupe). On all of the wheels I have utilized BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires, which suited my purposes of casual driving (no racing or pushing the car to design cornering limits.) The American Racing wheel website was very useful in determining offset wheel spacing. Finally, my use of the wheel/tire combinations did not require any modification of the fenders or fender lips.

Please verify/validate the proper spacing for your car, but here is what I used:
Wheels:
On all four (4) wheels--AR VN1055661 15"x6.0": Offset +4mm
On rear two (2) wheels--AR VN1055761 15"x7.0': Offset -5mm
On rear two (2) wheels on a '67 Coupe--AR VN10558061 15"x8.0": Offset 0mm (Required wheel spacer on rear wheels and offset rear control arms)
TIRES:
Front and/or all four (4) 15'x6" wheels: BF Goodrich P215/65R15
Rear two (2) 15"x7" wheels: BF Goodrich P245/60R15

Best Wishes.

[Duke W.]

Re: 1964 wheels/tires

Thanks Duke. My typo on the tires - should have been 205/75-15. Mine is a non-judging car - just looking for wheels other than the Rally wheels which I have understood would work. Will hope to get some more info on options.

Seven inch wheels are actually too wide for 205/75R-15 tires. All are low performance/low speed rated/rock hard compound that lack the safety of a spiral wound nylon cap belt. I call them "van tires".

A six inch wide wheel is plenty wide for those tires.

Duke

[Ron L.]

Re: 1964 wheels/tires

Thanks and especially to Rob for the exact sizes for the specific wheels! Good motoring.....