Several years ago, I purchased a set of Rally II wheels from a company named Wheel Vintques. They reproduce Rally II and other classic muscle car wheels. My '72 Lemans came with 14x6 wheels. I u[graded to 15x7 wheels in front, and 15x8 wheels in back. All were ordered on line. The 15x7 have a 4" backspacing while the 15x8 have a 4.5" backspacing. After mounting the tires and wheels on Lucy, I was clear I had a very snug fit in the rear with tire rubbing on the inner fender lip and possibly cutting the tire. So I put the 14x6s back on while Lucy has been done for the last several years.

 

I recently got Lucy back on the road. I had the mechanic check the fitment of the rear 15x8s. He said the tire width was fine but I needed another inch of backspacing in order to get everything in there without rubbing. I went back online to the Wheel Vintques website. The only showed the backspacing I had purchased. I sent a note if it was possible to order a custom backspacing of 5.5 inches. I was surprised at the answer.

 

I got my answer from......Coker Tire Company!

Your Question to Coker Tire Company Has Been Answered!

Coker's response was "Sorry, we do not currently offer any custom backspacing options."

 

Hmmm....so clearly Wheel Vintques is owner or managed by Coker! I naively didn't see that one coming. I know some people either love or hate Coker Tire. I personally am agnostic towards them simply because I've never dealt with them before - at least consciously. However, I am disappointed in their response because it doesn't solve my problem with a 15x8 with a 5.5" backspace. So far I have not found another Rally II maker that does custom backspacing.

If you know of one, please let me know. I'd like to get Lucy back on big meats next summer.

 

Frosty,

I don't think Wheel Vintques makes those Rally II wheels, they come from China. However I have those 15 X 8" wide (4.5" backspace) Vintiques on my 1971 GTO front & rear with 245/60 R15 BFG Radial TA tires and they fit great with no contact in the rear and very slight contact in the front only at full steering lock. It's the same body as your 72 Le Mans so they should work on your car too. Perhaps the problem is too wide a tire. Are you going bigger than 245/60's on the rear? The 7" wide 15 inch Vintiques Rally II wheels have 4" backspace vs the factory Rally II 7" wide wheels 4.5" backspace. Neither the 7" or 8" Vintiques Rally II wheels work on the front of my 1970 Trans Am with 245/60 tires without contacting the fender lip which is frustrating as NOBODY makes a 7" wide R2 wheel today with the proper 4.5 " backspace. Have your shop roll the inner fender lip up a bit for some more clearance.

Chip

On 10/12/2023 at 1:36 PM, Frosty said:

Several years ago, I purchased a set of Rally II wheels from a company named Wheel Vintques. They reproduce Rally II and other classic muscle car wheels. My '72 Lemans came with 14x6 wheels. I u[graded to 15x7 wheels in front, and 15x8 wheels in back. All were ordered on line. The 15x7 have a 4" backspacing while the 15x8 have a 4.5" backspacing. After mounting the tires and wheels on Lucy, I was clear I had a very snug fit in the rear with tire rubbing on the inner fender lip and possibly cutting the tire. So I put the 14x6s back on while Lucy has been done for the last several years.

 

I recently got Lucy back on the road. I had the mechanic check the fitment of the rear 15x8s. He said the tire width was fine but I needed another inch of backspacing in order to get everything in there without rubbing. I went back online to the Wheel Vintques website. The only showed the backspacing I had purchased. I sent a note if it was possible to order a custom backspacing of 5.5 inches. I was surprised at the answer.

 

I got my answer from......Coker Tire Company!

Your Question to Coker Tire Company Has Been Answered!

Coker's response was "Sorry, we do not currently offer any custom backspacing options."

 

Hmmm....so clearly Wheel Vintques is owner or managed by Coker! I naively didn't see that one coming. I know some people either love or hate Coker Tire. I personally am agnostic towards them simply because I've never dealt with them before - at least consciously. However, I am disappointed in their response because it doesn't solve my problem with a 15x8 with a 5.5" backspace. So far I have not found another Rally II maker that does custom backspacing.

If you know of one, please let me know. I'd like to get Lucy back on big meats next summer.

 

Frosty, remind me the rally ll rims are just painted then you put on the beauty rings & centers, right? If that is correct, & I have done this, you could consider taking the rims to a tire/rim place that does this kind of work. That work would be you cut away or grind, cutting on a lathe would be better, the weld. Once this I is done you cleanup the outer rim ring, reset the inner wheel hub to the desired spacing, tack weld the ring, check the balance of the rim. If it’s good finish the welding & repaint. You might even check with some local machine shops. Many have the ability to machine & weld.

I'm with Chip and have thrown the roller option in the mix before. The clearance is very close and rolling would at least gain you 1/4 in.