Hey fellas, Just thought I would share my experience today... I got a set of Nitto 555R drag radials mounted on to a set of Weld Drag stars that are 15x8 with a 4.5 backspace... the car is a 76 V8 Comet 2door.. the first issue is that the Welds with their thick flange area barely are good for stock length studs, NHRA rules not withstanding, The issue is that the tires rub the leaf spring a 3/8 wheel spacer makes the clearance ok.. a 1/2 inch even better.. but then you for sure need the longer studs.. I will try to get some pics in the daytime... but as of now i am ordering 3inch studs in the .615 knurl and see what happens....
of course it is.... its just 200 plus in wheels... after selling these welds...I am doing this cause I got the welds for a song and had all the other stuff laying around...... I would rather not run the spacers.... just stating for those that are not sure what size wheel to get...some 3.5 backspace Drag stars would fit the bill without any dicking with spacers...although I think at that point rolling the fender will be mandatory with said tire size
To gain some spring clearance, you can loosen the U bolts and while using a pry bar on the springs, push them inboard while tightening the U bolts. This is what I did on mine with it's 15 x 10 wheels (5" BS) and 295/50 tires.