15" rally wheels wanted

[Aussie Skylark]

Hi Fellas,
Thought I would check if anyone had a set of 15" X 7's in good condition they wanted to sell?
Ideally I would like to buy 5 if them.
I've read reviews the newer ones are poor quality, any advice on where to buy new if I go that way?
Thanks
Marcus

[elagache]

Dear Marcus and mid-60s Buick owners,

. . . . .
I've read reviews the newer ones are poor quality, any advice on where to buy new if I go that way?
. . . .

The only 15" rally wheels I've got are on my trusty wagon!  They are the Wheel Vintiques reproductions:

https://www.wheelvintiques.com/wheels/muscle/buick-rallye.html

I've only had them on the car since 2018, but they look great.  Nonetheless, I cannot say I've had the opportunity to put many miles on them.  Before that, I had 14" rally wheels from Wheel Vintiques.  They were on the car from 2010 to 2018.  My only complaint on those was a few paint chips on the black parts.  Alas, given the poor conditions of the roads in California, I don't know of the manufacturer can be blamed for that.

Can you tell us which reproduction wheels were getting those bad reviews?  I'm curious.

Cheers, Edouard 

[Aussie Skylark]

Hi Edouard,
Thanks for the feedback. 
I found a post on V8 Buick that mentioned the same supplier you sent the link for, the post compared reproduction wheels from the 90's to today. the wheels manufactured in the 90'S were supposedly better quality, one post even mentioned there was rust pits on the chrome new in the box with a recent purchase. I guess you cannot believe everything that's posted.
Here's to a good week,
Marcus

[option B9]

Hi Marcus, I know Two people that purchased complete sets of the Wheel Vintiques Buick chrome rally wheel and they have no problems. If there was a defect in one wheel sent out I'm sure the company/retailer would replace the wheel upon request. I purchased my wheels thru Jegs Performance Parts and I never had a problem returning any parts. That goes the same for Summit Racing.
                                                Tony

[Aussie Skylark]

Thanks for the feedback Tony.
I re-read the reviews yesterday after Edouard's post. I didn't copy the link over for risk of false advertising.  Also visited Wheel Vintiques web site and now understand they manufacture in the US, contary to the reviews claiming to be manufactured elsewhere.
Anyway now I'm on track I need some help. My plan was  15X7's with a 4" backspace. Can anyone advise if the size will fit nicely under my Skylark? Has anyone used 15X8's on the rear?
Online shopping provides way too many options.
Marcus.

[option B9]

   Hi Marcus, Sorry I failed to state that Wheel Vintiques is manufactured in California. I did want to buy an American made wheel for my GS convertible so I did my research before I purchased.
  Several years ago I purchased a set of American Racing Torque Thrust D's for my 65 GS Coupe restoration project, only to find out that they are Not made in the US. What a disappointment ! I should have returned them at once but that was mistake #2 . So I learned my lesson and moved on..
   The used 15X7 code JJ Buick Rally rims with 215/70/R15 Firestone's that I just put on my 65 GS Coupe restoration project fit fine. I did not measure the back space, I just put them on and looked underneath, there is plenty of room. If you want I can go under the GS tomorrow and measure tire to chassis and let you know ?

                   Tony 
 
                             

[option B9]

  Hi Marcus, Loren posted a wheel chart 2/23/17 I looked up my rim codes (code 903) and the rims have a 4 3/8 backspacing.

                 Tony

[elagache]

Dear Marcus, Tony, and mid-60s Buick caregivers who are fussy about where the rubber meets the road.

. . . .
Anyway now I'm on track I need some help. My plan was  15X7's with a 4" backspace. Can anyone advise if the size will fit nicely under my Skylark? Has anyone used 15X8's on the rear?
Online shopping provides way too many options.

I don't think you need to be too fussy about which wheel and tire combo you choose.  You are sticking to the original 300 cid V-8, so you could probably stick with 14" rims and get tires with more than sufficient traction for all but the most extreme driving pleasure.  My trusty wagon has a Buick big-block which produces a huge amount of torque for the purposes of pulling a vintage travel trailer.  So I needed to be more fussy about tires.  Even so, I think I made a decent choice for my needs.  You can find more information on the possible options in this thread I started a while back:

http://65gs.com/board/index.php/topic,2552.0.html

There is additional information from other threads in the Rims & Tires topic of this forum:

http://65gs.com/board/index.php/board,24.0.html

For my wagon, I ultimately settled on front tires that are P205/65-R15 an rear tires that are P235/60-R15.  I ordered the tires with 1" whitewalls from Diamond Back tires because I really like the look of whitewalls.  To me this really situates the car in the early mid 1960s.  Here is a picture from my wagon thread taken earlier this month:



However, even by the late 1960s, tires with raised white lettering where popular and black wall tires have always been around.  There are a lot of tire choices for classic cars and the selection is still growing.  So depending on what you want, you can definitely shop around for the best bargain.

I hope that's some useful pointers!

Cheers, Edouard 

[Aussie Skylark]

Hi Edouard, and the Buick Crew,

Man that wagon of yours is a great looking machine, I've read a lot of your posts and love the history you have with the car.

I'm waiting on a shipment from the US with a new set of disc brakes, hence the need to go to 15" rims. From there I have started to act like a kid in a lolly shop, looking at every option however not sure what to buy. I've fairly well decided to stick with my original thought of a set of 15 X 7's with white walls very similar to yours. Your right with my standard 300 ci I wont be looking for traction when leaving a set of lights.
You guys might spit your morning coffee out when you read this, but legally in Australia the front and back tyre dimensions need to be the same. "Most " of the time the police will turn a blind eye to larger width tyres on the back. I'm planning on driving my Skylark all over the place so 4 perfectly matched tyres is really the only sensible option.

Its almost Christmas and I think I need to buy myself a few presents.

Thanks
Marcus

[elagache]

Dear Marcus and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Man that wagon of yours is a great looking machine, I've read a lot of your posts and love the history you have with the car.

Thank you for the compliment!    That is what happens when a car becomes a member of the family!  She can even make a decent imitation of "Santa's sleigh" at least when delivering presents to car guys!   

You guys might spit your morning coffee out when you read this, but legally in Australia the front and back tyre dimensions need to be the same. "Most " of the time the police will turn a blind eye to larger width tyres on the back. I'm planning on driving my Skylark all over the place so 4 perfectly matched tyres is really the only sensible option.

Honestly, it might be the law in the United States as well!  I certainly have never checked!  Given your drive train, you could very comfortably go with P205/65-R15 all around.  If you want a bit more rubber on the road, you might start a new thread looking for opinions.

Its almost Christmas and I think I need to buy myself a few presents.

Go for it!  

Cheers, Edouard