danj Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Guys I'm looking for some experienced help here. I have searched the threads as best I can to try and find some useable information for getting some good wheels and tires under my street rod. I have an 83 280ZXT 2+2 with a 383 stroker, 700R4 tranny, Edelbrock EFI, and the stock R200 3.54 rear. Suspension has been reinforced all around. Original ZXT brakes. Lost my power rack steering in the conversion. The car runs great but of course no traction. As we all know the 4-lug wheel choices for this vehicle are very limited. I have considered the 4-lug to 5-lug conversion, but would rather stay with the 4-lug to allow me to remount the original 15" wheels if desired to preserve the stock appearance if I ever decide to resell the car. I have corresponded a few times with Ross C. on this but we seem to have long periods of lapses in our communications, so I don't want to start a project and then not be able to finish it. The only 4-lug choices I can find are the one's offered by Motorsport. I like the looks of the Konig Imagine Opal wheel in 17 X 7. I think I would prefer a 16 X 7 wheel, but they don't make that size in that wheel style. I am considering mounting Toyo Proxes tires. Perhaps something in the range of 245X40X17. Once I make the purchase of course I'm stuck with both the wheels and tires, which will run me about $1,500-$1,800 or so. The tire dealer thinks the higher profile 17" wheels might be a problem with turning/clearance and possibly affect my gearing. My questions are these: For those of you who are familiar with the ZX body style and have had some experience with wheels and tire combinations on this Z, what choices are available in the 4-lug, and what would be the best wheel size/tire size combination?? Clearance issues? Steering problems? The rear of the car probably isn't going to be a problem, it's mostly what's up front. I do not expect to be racing the car on the strip. Also, no rallying. This is strictly for cruising and illegal street racing. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. If there is a useful thread that has covered these specifics I cannot find it. I know there are Hybrid Z guys out there somewhere who have already solved these issues. Thanks, DanJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleachZee Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 for the front, either 16 or 17" diameter are good. 8" wide works with clearance on all sides. (zero offset) 8.5" is about the max you can go, with +10 to +12 offset and still clear. If you plan to remove the inner splash guard and roll the fender lip then you may be able to squeeze a 9 inch wide wheel up front. The back can hold closer to 9.5" wide wheel with +10 to +20 offset approx. As for tire outside diameter size, the stock is 205/60/15. You can use one of many online tire calculators to find a suitable 17" tire to match or be close enough. 245 width is no problem. That is pretty narrow. There are many options for 3-piece wheels which cost around $500-600 per wheel. Otherwise, much cheaper options are Sportmax 002 16x8, or Rota RB come in 17 and 16". The 17's are available in 8" wide and wider, while the 16's are 8" or more narrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danj Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 BleachZee Thanks for the info. Based on your number sit looks like I'll have the clearance I need in the front without mods for street use. I'm most likely going to go with the MT street radials in the back and some speed rated slightly smaller tires up front to help with the manual rack steering. DanJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danj Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 Thanks to information from BleachZee and Dustin280ZX I am planning on having a set of MT street radials put on my 83 ZXT 383 sbc tomorrow. Will decide on the front speed rated tires for mostly street use later. Before I write the check I wanted to be sure that I have the minimum wheel width for these tires. My stock tire size is P205 60 R15. The MT's are P235 60 R15. The wheels are the stock 83 ZXT swastica style 15" rims. The MT's require a minimum 6.5" wheel. Not for sure if I have 6" or 7". Don't want to remove the tire to find out if I can get the answer here. Anybody know the wheel width before I make this purchase? Thanks, DanJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 ZXT wheels are 6"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81280zxtc Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 DanJ, I think I have a set of 5 star Momo's in the garage that may fit. 4 lug pattern, 16 x 7's. The had some Bridgestone Potenza RE-71's which were the tire of choice back in the day, but were worn and removed. These came in the trunk when I picked up the car from a friend. If interested, I'll see if I can get you pics. Let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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