Time to order wheels and tires.

swifty said
I like both wheels and have looked at them. My buddy has the Riddler on his 56 Chevy. I also am not committed to 17". I know 18" fit better up front. I just like the look of 17" better. Just trying to get as much info as possible so when it is time to place order there is little delay. I also like these wheels, anyone have opinion or experience with these?

U.S. Wheel 701 Series Gunmetal Retro Wheels with Machined Lip 701-8812

On the front would a 7" be better rim for the 215/50/17 with 4" BS, more outside tie rod clearance?

18's don't really fit "better" up front, you can just run a wider tire and rim with 18's than 17's. If you're not planning on running 275's up front, 17's work just fine.

Those wheels are ok, the large hub bore should mean you won't have any issue with that. The 17x8's with 4.5" of backspace will work well for you in the back. The problem is the front. A 17x8 with 4.5" of backspace won't work for you. You really do need 5" of backspace to get 17x8's to work properly with 73+ disks.

The 17x7's with 4" of backspace are borderline. With 215/50/17's you'd have about the same space to the fender lips as I do with my 275/35/18's. Which is to say, nothing extra at all on a car without rolling the fender lips. It may work ok depending on your ride height. If you're lowered like I am, you'd probably need to roll the lips to keep them from rubbing. It doesn't seem like much, but with a 7" you really want 4.25" or more for backspace.