Guest Riviera_Rob Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Well, I always wanted a first gen Riv, so I finally picked one up in January.First and foremost she's getting dropped, I have a Jamco 3" drop kit that should be here within a few weeks.I've been searching high and low for info on wheel/tire combos that will fit. From what I've read, it seems like I may be limited to 17" wheels with a 3" drop. Has anyone been able to successfully go with 20" wheels with this drop?What about Exhaust?, How are you running your pipes/mufflers? I was thinking of eliminating the mufflers in front of the rear wheels and putting mufflers where the resonator would be. Any thoughts?Thanks,Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelman Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Rob, it is not so much the diameter of the wheel as much as it is the overall diameter of the tire. I have seen 19s and 20s on the front of first generation Rivieras, but these larger diameter wheels are usually paired with a very low profile tire, so there really is not much difference. Depends on the look you want to achieve. I want with 17s and a taller sidewall because I like that look better on my car. Do a forum search for Dirty Dan's car. He put 19s or 20s on it. May still be on the bottom of the first page.Exhaust was also discussed within the last month. Find that thread and see if it will answer your questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riv1964 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I'm running 16's but I would think the issue would be total total tire height and width, not the rim size. My exhaust (headers) exit before the rear tires, but I also had them exit the rear at one time. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelman Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Try these. Maybe you will find something you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Rob,Open the link at the end of this post and play with tire / wheel size combos and see what's close.I've had really good results on my stock '63 running 225/70/15 or 225/75/15 tires. I'm looking at some 245/50/17's to go on my '64. The tires very close to the same size in diameter and width. With tire size in mind, all you need to be conscious of is that most wheels for rear wheel drive cars have a 0 offset, so back spacing is your biggest concern. Most of the guys I know who are running 17's or 18's are using a 1/4" spacer and longer wheel studs to help with frame clearance on tight turns and to also bring the tire/wheel closer to the lip of the fender. When you're looking for wheels, remember that you're looking for a 5 bolt 5" on 5" circle. Lots of chevy 2WD pickups have this same bolt pattern. If the vendor you're looking at doesn't have a '64 Riviera in is drop down list, try the chevy pickup. Rivieras have the same bolt pattern through '78 as do most other GM big cars and some late 70's / early 80's Ford LTD's and Lincolns. If you're really gung ho, the Lincoln Versailles had the same bolt pattern on a 9" rear end with disk brakes and the width is almost identical to that of your Riviera. Tire size calculatorEd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Roostriz Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Doesn't the Gm pickup rims have too small of a hub diameter for the Riv? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Perhaps on the '63 and '64, but not the '65. Most custom wheels do not have a center that fits on the hub, so there might be room anyway. As I said, most guys I know are running a 1/4" spacer between the drum and the wheel so the hub won't present a problem anyway.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) Try these. Maybe you will find something you like. They're OK , but I still like yours, Steve !! Will 245/50/17's bulge too much on the side wall on a 7" rim? Edited February 13, 2011 by nickdaytona (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 The sidewalls won't budge any more than what's built into them. If you put them on a 7" rim, you'll just pull the beads closer together than you would with an 8" or wider rim. They'll look like they're bulged, but it's an illusion; the beads are pinched. If anything, they'll be narrower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nickdaytona Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) The sidewalls won't budge any more than what's built into them. If you put them on a 7" rim, you'll just pull the beads closer together than you would with an 8" or wider rim. They'll look like they're bulged, but it's an illusion; the beads are pinched. If anything, they'll be narrower. Well that's great news !! I was worried about the front wheels with the 3" drop.I'll probably go with 225 for the front and 245 on the rear .Rims- 17 X 7's for the front and 17 X 8's on the back . Now to shop . Edited February 13, 2011 by nickdaytona (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelman Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 The problem may be the tread width. If the rim is too narrow, you will get an odd wear pattern, with the center of the tread wearing more than the edges. I didn't find a 245/50/17 on my site to see a recommended rim width, but these may be a bit large for a 7" rim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Here's another "calculator" I found by Googling recommended rim width.For your 245/50/17 tire, it shows 7" to 9" rims to be acceptable. You'll just need to watch the air pressure in your tires to make sure that you're getting a good foot print. The pros at the tire shop should be able to advise you on this.Custom rims, wheel tire packages for your ride - RIMSnTIRES.comEd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Riviera_Rob Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Thanks for the Info everyone, I got bit by the Flu bug Sunday and was hurting most of the week, back on my feet now.The jamco springs came in during the week, maybe within the next 2 weeks or so I'll be able to get them in and start measuring things out.Thanks,Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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