The Perfect Wheel and Tire Fitment for your Gbody - Tips and Tricks

This video I go over wheel and tire fitment for your 1978-88 Gbody. We talk about how to properly use wheel spacers/adapters. How to measure backspacing & offset for your wheels. Some tire and wheels that fit perfect on your gbody. plus reasons why your tires might rub and how to fix the issues it causes.
Do you need more car content? If so follow below
Website- GasPoweredGarage
gaspoweredgarage.com/
Instagram- Gas Powered Garage
gaspoweredgarage
Here's links of some of the parts from this video.
brake brackets & emergency cable brackets
ebay.us/TWQ33o
the 17inch or bigger wheels in the video
ebay.us/fh5TpA
factory style gta/gnx 16x8 wheels
ebay.us/rqkxvn
Here's links
G-body companies i use & trust for parts
#1 dixie restoration depot
ebay.us/2Wh0t4
#2 gbody parts
ebay.us/8NEkg4
#3 mikes montes
ebay.us/7IqpoY
#4 quick performance racing ( rear end parts)
ebay.us/k6Dgvl
→ DISCLAIMER
Some of the links are from Ebay are affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service using the links provided, we may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! This helps us continue to create the free content that we publish. We test products and/or services ourselves to personally understand their value. We only promote products, services or companies that we really believe are worth your money.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

For anyone buying parts from this video i included some link in the description and in this comment to help everyone out. Here's links of some of the parts from this video. brake brackets & emergency cable brackets ebay.us/TWQ33o the 17inch or bigger wheels in the video ebay.us/fh5TpA factory style firebird gta & buick gnx 16x8 wheels ebay.us/rqkxvn

[@tonypr3869]

great video ! thanks man

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Your welcome

[@mr84ttop34]

Thanks for sharing I really don’t want to go any bigger then 17’s on my 84 Hurst Olds. I like the Torque Thrust on the Malibu.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Your welcome. I was a fan of only 15inch wheels till I got a set of gta/gnx 16inch wheels. Then added the torque thrust 17inchs to the stable now im thinking due to bigger brakes the gbodyparts 18inch gnx wheels are looking nice also.

[@mr84ttop34]

@@gaspoweredgarage I agree.

[@bwspacity]

Been a week scratchin my head.rear of body was sitting 1" to the lefr and couldn't figure out why.found out why yesterday.bishings shifted

[@gaspoweredgarage]

If the bushings are worn out or bolts rusting away it can make either the body and or the frame shift making wheels and tire combo not fit properly.

[@punch_bowl_turd3005]

i just ordered a set of 4 17"x8 with 3.5" backspace and 245/50s all around from wheel smith the 17" oem style in black for a black car. i should have no issues with my 86 ss.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

If its stock ride height you should be fine. If its lowered any you might get rubbing every once in a while on the front.

[@Twonoc]

If I order the 18x9 inch from gbody parts I don’t have to worry about front or rear marking correct? Going on a 88 Monte by the way

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Using a 18x9 gbody parts wheel on your monte carlo it will fit front and rear due to the backspacing. The only thing is choosing the right tire so you dont have rubbing issues between your inner fender or suspension.

[@stevencovington4715]

I like the Chevy S10/ GMC sonoma 16x8 5 spke wheels, but prefer the GMC cap on non-Chevy cars; the GMC wheel cap lends itself better for decal/ emblem change than the Chevy cap. The combination of machined and gun-metal surfaces just does something for me.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

I agree and i'm also a fan of the s10 sonoma gt / extreme wheels in the 16x8 they look better on a gbody's than s10s. the only downfall to that size wheel is the tire sizes available now a days. wish when gm designed that wheel it was made in a 17inch wheel originally instead.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

S10 extreme generation 1 or 2 wheels and camaro iroc wheels are also good oem wheels that looks good and fit perfect on gbodys. Worth checking out and can be had cheap from junkyards,ebay,or Facebook marketplace, or even craigslist.

[@DJPrince317]

I have a set of 22 inch Irocs I got off offer up locally but I don’t know the backspacing on them. They have 265 on them they came with but those run and rear passenger sides sticks out further then rear driver 😩

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Is there any marking on the inside of wheel or on the spokes?

[@DJPrince317]

@@gaspoweredgarage not that I see from the outside no. I’m gonna take them to a tire shop and get these 265 taken off so I can get the accurate backspacing on them. I’m trying to AVOID the frame notch is my soul purpose tho brother.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Sent you a picture on instagram how to measure backspacing. Once you measure tell me what the number is per wheel is if there different or if there the same measurement.

[@DJPrince317]

@@gaspoweredgarage ok I got u brother I appreciate u

[@1deep7]

I want to do 18x7 on the front… & 18x10 on the back for my 86’ GP! What you think? I went to Hot Rod Tour yesterday I seen a lot of 18s on 305s on G bodies an f bodies!

[@gaspoweredgarage]

To fit anything bigger than 295 width tire will need adjustable upper trailing arms to center the rear end for the perfect backspacing to fit the maximum tire width in the wheel wells without any rubbing. Assuming your wheel backspacing is 4inch for the 18x7s (fronts) wheels and 4.5 to 5inch for 18x10s( rears) with a stock length gbody rear end. Should work and look good at the same time.

[@1deep7]

@@gaspoweredgarage thanks I’ll go with that setup… thanks for the info

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Your welcome

[@haniballecter7605]

will this work .... 1987 cutlass supreme 2 door , will torque thrust 2 rims 16 x7 -- 0 offset with 225 - 55 - 16 inch tires all the way around work ,,, thanks

[@gaspoweredgarage]

16x7 with a 0 offset and 4inch backspacing will work on your cutlass. I would recommend going with a 225/50/16 tire size instead of the 225/55/16.

[@tederrasimmons8133]

Will front 22X9 -19 and rear 22x10 -25 work on 85 cutlass? I think that's 4.25 backspacing for front and 4.5 backspacing for rear.

[@gaspoweredgarage]

going off your information the front 22x9 with 4.25 backspace will work with a 235 tire. then the back 22x10 with 4.5 will work with a 275 tire. the back 4.5inch backspacing is going to be the max you can run. any bigger backspacing it will rub and require adapters or spacers. which i'm not a fan of the route of adapters or spacers. when you install those wheels make sure you have longer than stock wheel studs so you get good contact between wheel studs and lug nuts.

[@tederrasimmons8133]

Ok thanks a lot for the help I'm really new to all this I wanted them to tuck in the back but if I have to do a notch to get them to tuck I'll go that route even though I didn't want to cut. Oh yeah I do have qa1 coilovers upper and lower double adjustable trailing arms and upper and lower control arms all qa1

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Your welcome. With the backspacing you provided doesn't need a notch. Maybe roll the fender lips if you need a little extra room. Now if you change the rear backspacing then it would definitely need to be notched. Like if you went bigger than a 4.5 inch backspacing or a wider wheel than 10inch.

[@born2wrench]

you have to have the center for that spacer ..the wheel studs are not designed to keep the wheel center

[@gbody_eastbay7419]

Is there anyway I can make 2015 camaro wheel work

[@gaspoweredgarage]

93-02 camaro/ firebird, c4- up corvettes and 5th-up camaro wheels all will bolt up but requires huge spacers starting at size 1.25" for front of a gbody and 1.75"- 2.5" for the rear of a gbody.

[@bowtiebuck3527]

I have the gold 80s/90s style trans am wheels and they scrape my tie rods when I turn. Any tips??

[@gaspoweredgarage]

Is your car lowered any? On the inside of the wheel do they say front only or rear only?

[@bowtiebuck3527]

@@gaspoweredgarage no it’s not lowered and I checked the insides of the wheels and none of them say front or rear and I’m pretty sure they r all the same backspacing

[@gaspoweredgarage]

If the trans am wheels are the snowflakes 15inch ones you may need a small spacer about 1/4 or 5/16. If its the gta wheels 16inch could be the wrong backspacing.

[@stevencovington4715]

You have the wrong offset wheels. You have the wheels marked "Rear Wheel Only" on the inside between two of the wheel stud holes. All you can do is run wheel spacers, or find the "Front Weel Only" set of wheels.

[@DJPrince317]

So I can run 245 for 22s without a frame notch?

[@gaspoweredgarage]

You can run up to a 275 or 295 tire with the proper backspacing without a frame notch. With a frame notch you can run up to a 315 or 325 tire with the proper backspacing.

[@rockfordhx2768]

I wanted to go 20 inch rally wheel American racing on my 84 cutlass 20x8 all around I was planning on going 255/35/20 up front and not sure on the back maybe 275/35/20

[@gaspoweredgarage]

For those wheels to fit make sure they have either a 4 or 4.5 backspacing. You may have to go with a 245/35/20 in the front instead so you dont have any rubbing issues. 275/35/20 will fit fine in the rear.

[@rockfordhx2768]

@@gaspoweredgarage thanks brother appreciate you seriously and rear on a 20x8 what’s the widest I can use the 275

[@gaspoweredgarage]

For the 20x8 in the rear the widest would be the 275. Now if you went with a smaller wheel like a 17inch or 18inch you could go with up to a 285 or 295 in the rear.

[@rockfordhx2768]

I haven’t purchased the wheels yet I’m debating 20s are out of stock I might go 17s since watching ur videos got me into it so say 17s I get those what’s the widest rear tire I can run on a 17x9 back and a 17x8 up front thanks for responding brother waiting on ur response on the 17s no frame bitch gonna buy wheels Monday so really trying to find as much info as I can get I got 500 hp I need the grip

[@gaspoweredgarage]

17x8 wheel i like to run 245 size tire. 17x9 or 17x9.5 depending on space 275 fits perfect with no mini tub or frame notch. Based on my gbodys I had some wiggle room i could have used a 285 or by using a small spacer a 295 would have fit before needing to tub and notch frame. Same thing applies for 18inch wheels also.

[@rockfordhx2768]

Is it ok to go with a 17x7 in the front and 17x8 in the rear or should I just do 17x8 all around and wider tires in the rear I’ve decided American racing salt flats to go on my 84 cutlass supreme 2 door

[@gaspoweredgarage]

17x7 will work on the front and work best with a 225 tire. Staggered wheel combos are my favorite look but thats not for everyone. 17x8 all around works also even if you do a wider tire in the rear.

[@rockfordhx2768]

@@gaspoweredgarage ok this is my first wheel setup is why I’m asking away another question so 17x7 front 17x8 back u think 225/35/17 in the front and 275/35/17 in the back I’m trying to get that stance what size tires u recommend

[@rockfordhx2768]

Because American racing salt flats only come in 17x7 and 17x8 I wish they had a 17x9 I could use for the rear but that isn’t the case so on a 17x8 can I run a wider tire then 275 if I run a 295 I’ll have to use a spacer to move the wheel away from the frame so they don’t kiss each other

[@gaspoweredgarage]

I wouldn't worry about going the max tire for the rear. Heres the three options I would do in your shoes. Number 1 - 17x7 front 225, 17x8 rear 275. Number 2- 17x8 front either 235 or 245 both work , 17x8 rear 275. Number 3 - 17x8 245 front and rear.

[@rockfordhx2768]

@@gaspoweredgarage could I do a 225 on the 17x7 front in 225/35 matching a 275/40 in the back or should The height be the same from front to back

[@68mediagroup34]

Size tire no rub 15 inch by 8 Chevy rallies on 85 cutlass

[@gaspoweredgarage]

If your rally wheels have a 3.5 to 4inch backspacing. the front I like to use either 225 or 235 size tire. Then for rear 275/60/15 size tire.