The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 1956 Chevy pickup wheel rims and tires

I have a 1956 chevy 3100 pickup, 6 cylinder 235.
My problem, pickup currently has 15 inch rims, 6 inches wide with 225/75 tires. I have beem looking at 15 inch rim, but 8 inches wide, offset 3.5 inches,with 235/75 tires.
Will the 8 inch rims and tires cause problems with the tie rod ends? Any assistance will be appreciated. Thanks

Welcome. They should be able to clear the tie rod ends. The part most likely to rub is the drag link and it can rub with stock wheels and oversize tires. The 3 1/2" back space is close to stock but an 8" wheel will make the tires stick out and can be hard on bearings. Larger tires & wheels on these trucks look great but can also make for difficult steering. The stock wheels were 5" with 670x15 tires and they steered pretty well. The 225/75 is a fairly good replacement. I don't think changing from what you have would be an improvement.
Fred

3 1/2 will just barely clear. You can take a little off the ball shape. If you like the wide look, that's OK. Power steering will take care of that.

Later model chevy rallys will fit fine. My 56 has stock 76 rallys and steel belt radials. Everything clears fine.

Thanks for the reply, the wear and tear on the bearing could be a problem later on. I will revert back to my original tire 225/15 on 6 inch rim. Thanks again

Stock rally's are typically 8" width and 4" backspace, just in case others don't know.

I'm running 15x8 4x4 Rallys on mine, no clearance issues at all. I have about 1/2" clearance between the tie rod and wheel lip.

Been running my rallys 20+ years with no issues.

Just searched google and this showed up:
Trailer Rim 15" White Spoke Wheel 15 X 6. 6 Lug Hole Bolt on 5.5 pattern.

Does anyone have thoughts on these rims fitting a 1956 Chevy pickup? Not sure of the offset or carrying weight.

Offset is important to know, might want to check on that.

Backspacing is also important to know, in addition to the offset. They are not the same dimension, but one will affect the other. With a 15x6, you would want something around a 3" backspace with a 0 MM offset.

15" Corvette/Camaro style Rally Wheels can be found in 6", 7" and 8" widths. I have 15x7 on my 1956 3100 project truck and they seem to be just right.

Mike B

The backspace on these rims are 3 1/2 inches and Max weight is 2600 pounds. Will these rims suit my pickup. they are a lot cheaper.

Trailer Rim 15" White Spoke Wheel 15 X 6. 6 Lug Hole Bolt on 5.5 pattern.

I needed 2" backset rims for my GMC/Toy and got what I needed from Early WHeels out of Moro Bay Ca. ("A quiet little hot rod shop in a sleepy little drinking town... with a fishing problem.")

After shopping around I went with them as they don't charge extra for back spacing. All the others wanted extra for custom backspace.

They're a different way of measuring the same thing. Offset is the "offset" of the mounting surface from the center of the wheel, and backspace is the measurement from the mounting face of the wheel to the back edge of the wheel. That's why your 15x6" wheel example with a 3" backspace is 0 mm offset. You need to know only one or the other, not both.

I said offset but always use backspace, as I find it easier to work with. Most of the old car stuff refers to backspace, and stuff for the more modern rice-burners or positive-offset stuff (no or little wheel lip) refers to offset.