Hi Everyone,
Dad got around to installing the new 14 inch rally wheels and new BFG's on his '85 ragtop. We took the Cavaliers to a local show a few weeks ago and I snapped a few pics of it and they really change the look & stance of the car. Thought I'd share.
In case anyone sees these in the boneyard, they were optional on Cavaliers from 1985 to 1990 and appeared as base model RS steel wheels I believe in 88-90. They look pretty cool and are a huge upgrade for not a lot of dough, a few hours with a paint can and some trim rings. In other news, we now have a spare set of 13" steelies in the garage for both cars
Yep - got those on my wish list too!
Found a set in the trunk of a Celebrity at my Pick N Save and got all excited but the bolt pattern was wrong. I thought before this Celebritys had the same bolt pattern but these obviously didn't.
At least I have a set of centercaps already though Hahaa!!
Daryl could you tell me the size tires you settled on and how much they were - I haven't seen any Raised Letter in small 14's for a long time.
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Thanks everyone for the comments.
Orlen- good score on the center caps. Those were hardest to find! The A cars hub is a little different, but the rim looks identical. Always something to make it harder. Dad settled on 215/60/14 BF Goodrich T/A's through Tire Rack.com. They were affordable and they're still being made...probably for muscle car folks but we can profit from their buying power. Easier than finding the OEM 13 inch tires that came on the car.
Cheers!
Since we're on the tire size subject...
The factory 13" wheels/tires come to 23.9" from ground to top
The 14" tires Daryl has are 24.1" from ground to top
I plan on 16" rims, and I'm looking at two possible tire sizes:
205/50/16.....this would be 23.9" from ground to top (same as what came on my Hawk)
205/55/16....this would be 24.8" from ground to top
I know the 205/55/16 will go on the rear no problem, but will that extra 0.9" be an issue on the front? I notice a little "ear" sticking out from under the front spring, and I wouldn't want to be rubbing on that.
I like the idea of the shorter sidewall on the first size, but those tires are more expensive and will be the same size as factory, but I think I prefer the larger tire because it will fill out some of the space in the wheel well, making it look more like those tires belong on the car.
Wayne,
A great source of info on how tire size affects your speedometer and tire heights/ width comparison is here:
Tire size comparison/ calculator
I've used it to save time. money and aggravation when changing wheel tire combinations on all of my vehicles !
~ Mike ~
That site is interesting for showing off the speedo/odometer difference.
Calculating the size difference is pretty easy anyway with some simple math.
But what I really need to know is will that extra 0.9" in height rub on that ear under the front spring?
I've picked out the 16" rims I'm getting, now I have to decide on 205/50 or 205/55 tires. The 205/55 are cheaper and will fill out the wheel well a little nicer, but the 205/50 will look good with the short sidewall, plus it will be real close to factory size in height.
That looks great! Looking forward to getting the Radial T/A's for mine as well. Probably will be next year though...
