Nova wheel ?

[markss28]

Ok I know this question has probably been asked about a thousand times but I really need to know within the next day or 2. How big of wheel can a 72 nova fit in the back. I would like to put on a 18x10 but I understand they do not have the same room as a camaro. Any help will be greatly apreciated. Also I would like to know what the largest time combo I can fit.

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted by markss28

Ok I know this question has probably been asked about a thousand times but I really need to know within the next day or 2. How big of wheel can a 72 nova fit in the back. I would like to put on a 18x10 but I understand they do not have the same room as a camaro. Any help will be greatly apreciated. Also I would like to know what the largest time combo I can fit.

You can read the specs in my PHR link in my sig. My rear tires are very tight in there, and they do rub a little during articulation. I think a 275 is max for width. I'm running an 8" wheel. A 9" wheel may work, not sure on that 10" wheel though.

[USAZR1]

Originally Posted by markss28

Ok I know this question has probably been asked about a thousand times but I really need to know within the next day or 2. How big of wheel can a 72 nova fit in the back. I would like to put on a 18x10 but I understand they do not have the same room as a camaro. Any help will be greatly apreciated. Also I would like to know what the largest time combo I can fit.

A 9.5" width wheel will fit with a 5.75"-6" backspacing. Some guy on the P-T Forum installed 18x10's with 275's and 6.25" backspacing on the rear of a 70 Nova. Seems like the 68-72 Novas have more room than First Gen Camaros.

[MarkM66]

I'm running 5.5" bs, and like I said it rubs sometimes, so if you want to try to run more then 5.5" bs, best of luck to you. I have about 1/2" between the tire and outer wheelhouse, all stock, non modified. I'm very skeptical about that 6.25" bs. On my car you'd be replacing tires really soon, if it got out of the driveway.

[Hdesign]

Try this link: http://www.2quicknovas.com/6874.html

It's my understanding that you can slip by with maybe a 9" wide wheel with some generous backspacing. I think if you go wider, you may have to mini-tub and roll the fenderlip.

[MarkM66]

I just went and did some measuring on mine. I have almost exactly 5/8" between the tire, and outer wheelhouse. I tried putting a 7/16" (which measures 5/8" od) socket between the two, and it fit very tight.

[NvrDun71]

Mark,
Not to deviate from the original thread here but I am also about to a 17" rim/tire swap on my 71' Nova. Just have a couple questions for ya. First did you have to run a rear shock that doesn't have the upper body on it to run the 5.5 backspace. I am planning on an 17x8 wheel with a 255/45/17 to keep it a little conservative and wanted to get your opinion on what the best backspace would be. I know most run the 4.75 with an 8" rim however I would think a 5.00 or a 5.125 would be a little better tucking the rear tire further underneath the car as I am going with some QA1's in the rear w/out the upper body. In your opinion is it a good or bad idea to go w/ tha extra backspace? Also have you rolled your fenderlips at all or are they still unmodified. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[markss28]

Now that I have some understanding as to how much rim we can clear on a 72 Nova, how about the tire. What is the largest tire I can fit on a 18x9 rim in the back?

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted by NvrDun71

Mark,
Not to deviate from the original thread here but I am also about to a 17" rim/tire swap on my 71' Nova. Just have a couple questions for ya. First did you have to run a rear shock that doesn't have the upper body on it to run the 5.5 backspace. I am planning on an 17x8 wheel with a 255/45/17 to keep it a little conservative and wanted to get your opinion on what the best backspace would be. I know most run the 4.75 with an 8" rim however I would think a 5.00 or a 5.125 would be a little better tucking the rear tire further underneath the car as I am going with some QA1's in the rear w/out the upper body. In your opinion is it a good or bad idea to go w/ tha extra backspace? Also have you rolled your fenderlips at all or are they still unmodified. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

When I put my quarters on I just cut the lip back some, so the quarter is actually the stopping point, not the lip. I think a 5" of bs on an 8" wheel would be about right.

My shocks did hit the wheel at the bottom, since I was running mono leaf spring pearches. I just modified them to move the bottom of the shock over a little. I think multi leaf pearches would solve this problem. Top of the shock had no issues.

[Hdesign]

Originally Posted by markss28

Now that I have some understanding as to how much rim we can clear on a 72 Nova, how about the tire. What is the largest tire I can fit on a 18x9 rim in the back?

I think 275 is all you can realistically hope to get without rubbing issues.

Go to www.tirerack.com and check out each of the specs for the tires you're interested in. For example, if you plug in 18x9 and want a 275 treadwidth tire, it will tell you exactly how much the tire will bulge on the sidewall (the part that will actually rub). It's like a calculation chart almost.