Tri-Five Chevy Wheel Question

specsintexas · Oct 18, 2012

I recently was lucky enough to purchased a stock, fairly original and almost totally rust free 1957 Chevy 150. The 2 door post coupe sports the original dog dish hub caps on black factory 14 inch steel wheels with skinny narrow white wall tires. The car is fairly complete but does have some minor to moderate body damage. Specifically, to the drivers door, (garage entry accident), passenger rear fin, (rear end collision) , a few small rust holes in the rockers and the normal small dings and dents you find on a 50 year old car. The car is powered by a really good running 283 SBC, a three speed manual on the column and the original Chevy rear end.
I wish to put on some upgraded wheels and tires but I am not sure what these wheels and tires should be. What size wheels and tires are you running on your stock looking Tri-Five Chevys ?
Thanks
Specs

57 HEAP · Oct 18, 2012

I've got Chevy Rally wheels, 14 X 5 up front and 15 X 7 on the rear. Sorry, I can't remember the tire sizes.

raymay · Oct 18, 2012

I am running the American Racing 15x8.5 Torq Thrust Originals with 225/70/15 all the way around. Gave me the look I was going for and provides a nice handling ride.

porknbeaner · Oct 18, 2012

Well what was popular on them in the '60s was 14' chrome reverse and baby moons with wide ovals but if you went early '60s it would have neen just the biggest tires that you could fit under the rear and stock sized tires on the front.

What I used to do with all of the was 15" wheels on the rear with 8.00-9.00s and whatever I could lay my hands on in the front. I prefered blackwalls but what heppened on almost all my cars was I got tires for the back and left what was on the front so a lot of the time I ran big blackwalls on the rear and skinny whites on the front until I had the time or ambition to turn the tires around. You saw a lot of that and running th big 15s on the rear with the 14s on the front gave them a nice rubber rake.

Anyway you are not me but that is what I remember. I usually drove fords and mercs but I did have a tri 5 chebby or two over the years as well.

piker · Oct 18, 2012

I always liked 15s on tri 5 chevys. Ive have seen a bunch that just dont look quite right with 14s. Some with two wide of wheels or offsets have clearance problems. Myself I like old style chrommys.

porknbeaner · Oct 18, 2012

piker said: ↑

I always liked 15s on tri 5 chevys. Ive have seen a bunch that just dont look quite right with 14s. Some with two wide of wheels or offsets have clearance problems. Myself I like old style chrommys.
Click to expand...

yes but not chrome smoothies, real chrome reverse wheels. Chrome smoothies on a late model just look too '90s.

Just for clarification, I am sure that you and I mean to say the same thing.

OL 55 · Oct 18, 2012

15x8 with L60-15 on the back. 715 (?) -15's on 15x4 on the front.

DenverDave · Oct 18, 2012

here's a link to my friend Lazlo's tri five chevy wheel and tire calculator:

http://www.linger.com/nomad/Tri5%20tire%20clearances.xls

40Standard · Oct 18, 2012

14x7 on the front, 15x8 rally wheels or TT D's

slowmotion · Oct 18, 2012

OL 55 said: ↑

15x8 with L60-15 on the back. 715 (?) -15's on 15x4 on the front.

Click to expand...

Never dreamed you could get L-60s under a tri-5 just using wheel offset. Or no? Nice car!

lippy · Oct 18, 2012

Just remember, when you have a flat on the rear of a 55 with a wide tire....they can be a pain. Can I buy your old hubcaps off the 57? Lippy

belair · Oct 18, 2012

lippy said: ↑

Just remember, when you have a flat on the rear of a 55 with a wide tire....they can be a pain. Can I buy your old hubcaps off the 57? Lippy
Click to expand...

Yep-you have to jack the car WAY up in the air to get the wheel off.

Rocky · Oct 18, 2012

I used 15X8" chrome reverse on the back of my 55 bel air hardtop..had to flatten the lip and pull the lip out a little to clear. Used 14X6" on the front with bias ply tires..55 dog dish caps on the chromies ..
Had to jack car up one side at a time, using a small bottle jack between axle and frame to get fat rear wheels under....with flat tires! INflated tires after getting wheels on the car. Big pain in the ass.

50mercfan · Oct 18, 2012

15x4 front with 165r15
15x8 rear with 235/70r15
Had to bend the inner lip on the rear

Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad

OL 55 · Oct 18, 2012

slowmotion said: ↑

Never dreamed you could get L-60s under a tri-5 just using wheel offset. Or no? Nice car!
Click to expand...

It is a bit of a struggle to get them up under an uncut wheel well!

NEWFISHER · Oct 18, 2012

15" steelies with Hurst Racing wide whites 215/75/15
Stock height:

.
lowered 3" springs

Model T1 · Oct 18, 2012

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Here's how to get the rear tires off.

lippy · Oct 18, 2012

You guys knock it off with the dog dish hubcaps I need a set for my 55.!! Lippy

OL 55 · Oct 18, 2012

Great looking wagon Fisher!

NEWFISHER · Oct 18, 2012

lippy said: ↑

You guys knock it off with the dog dish hubcaps I need a set for my 55.!! Lippy
Click to expand...

You can buy great looking re-pops ( which are on mine) or i know i guy with some 5 out of 10 originals that need repolished and painted?

Thanks ol'55

BOOB · Oct 18, 2012

Bone stock, removed the caps because they would rotate on the valve stem. I think it turned out ok.

Pins&Needles · Oct 18, 2012

I think the tri-five stock rims are some of the coolest looking steelies out there with the nubs for hub caps.... although... the 14s that came stock in 57 don't appeal to me... (and you can't run disk brakes if you plan to).... I went out and found some 55' 56 wheels for my 57 which look identical to the stock 57's but are 15.... painted them up... and ran spiders on them.... looked great!

BOOB · Oct 18, 2012

I would have spiders for mine if the werent so damn expensive! The hub holes on the factory wheels are an odd size, nobody makes push-thru caps that I know of.

specsintexas · Oct 19, 2012

Thanks everyone for your help. Based upon the look I like AND based upon what I have seen done by other Tri-Five owners (examples posted in the forum responses), I have decided to go with 225 70R 15's on the rear and 205 70 14 in the front on Cragar Street Star Chrome wheels.

Thanks
Specs

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Tri-Five Chevy Wheel Question

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Tri-Five Chevy Wheel Question

specsintexas Member from Buda, Texas (Austin Metro area)

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porknbeaner Member from North Central Missouri

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specsintexas
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from Buda, Texas (Austin Metro area)

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from SW Virginia

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raymay
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from Rochester, New York

porknbeaner
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from North Central Missouri

piker
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from newport minn

porknbeaner
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from North Central Missouri

OL 55
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from Glen Arm, Md.

Hot Rod Veterans

Maryland HAMBers

HAMB Old Farts' Club

DenverDave
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from Denver, CO

The DOG - Deuce Owner's Group

'55-'57 Chevy...cars

Colorado H.A.M.Bers

Fat Fords from 1935-1948

In Memory Of Delbert Wilson

40Standard
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from Indy

slowmotion
Member

from eastern ohio

lippy
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from Ks

belair
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from Lake Jackson, TEXAS

Rocky
Classified Editor

from Bellevue, Nebraska...suburb of Omaha

34 Fords

50mercfan
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from Henderson, KY. (the hendo)

OL 55
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from Glen Arm, Md.

Hot Rod Veterans

Maryland HAMBers

HAMB Old Farts' Club

NEWFISHER
Member

from Oregon

Model T1
Member

from Central Illinois

lippy
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from Ks

OL 55
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from Glen Arm, Md.

Hot Rod Veterans

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NEWFISHER
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from Oregon

BOOB
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from Taylor, TX

Pins&Needles
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from Santa Cruz

BOOB
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from Taylor, TX

specsintexas
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from Buda, Texas (Austin Metro area)