Anyone want pix of 17x11s all the way around?

If someone has some free webspace, and wants to put some pix up, I took pictures today of my ARE 17x11s with 50mm backspacing. They have 315 nittos on the back and 315 sumitomos up front. I saw quite a few ppl wanting pix a while back. I figured I would share. Just email me.

Kyle

Yeah, I can post them for you. I have some questions - what other mods did you have to do to make them fit? Is the 50mm all that you needed? How much do those wheels weigh? I am not as interested in looks as I am fitment and weight.

E-mail pictures to kgorawiec@yahoo.com

Keith, over the weekend I've done my first 2 track events with 315s on the car. I'm running the AFS 36mm offset wheels instead of the 50mm offset. I'm lowered about 2" in the front and almost the same in the rear. No problems at all in the rear, but they did rub on hard cornering on the front. They were rubbing on the top of the inside of the fender. I cut out the black plastic liner in that area, did a little banging on the vertical lip that was now uncovered and voila, no rubbing today. I'm very happy, and man, do these tires stick compared to 275 tires!

Email me and I will send you the pix. Someone emailed me today about them. All I had to do was use a small 5/16ths spacer in the front to clear the calipers and upper A-arm. I had already clearanced the rear for 28x11.5 Hoosiers so they fit fine. BTW, the wheels and tires are for sale. 850 with 2 GOOD Sumitomos and 2 almost gone nittos, or 750 for wheels only. Ive had them for only 2 weeks. I doubt Ill ever get to a road race track so they are pretty much useless to me.

Kyle

Originally posted by 94bird
Keith, over the weekend I've done my first 2 track events with 315s on the car. I'm running the AFS 36mm offset wheels instead of the 50mm offset. I'm lowered about 2" in the front and almost the same in the rear. No problems at all in the rear, but they did rub on hard cornering on the front. They were rubbing on the top of the inside of the fender. I cut out the black plastic liner in that area, did a little banging on the vertical lip that was now uncovered and voila, no rubbing today. I'm very happy, and man, do these tires stick compared to 275 tires!

You are running 315s all around, or just on the rear? I am looking to upgrade for road course work as well, and any info you can provide on your research and set-up I'll appreciate. A few specific questions: wheel weight?; Do you run separate wheels for the street?; why the 36mm offset, when AFS seems to recommend 50mm? Thanks for these answers and for addtional info.

315s all the way around.

The AFS wheels weigh about 24 lbs. a piece I think. I didn't weigh them by themselves. The Kumho 315 tires are about 33 lbs. a piece, while Hoosiers are about 24 lbs. a piece.

I'm running 36mm offset because I noticed so many people rubbing on their rear control arms or wheelwells with 50mm offset. Most everyone has to run a wheel spacer in the front with that offset too. I did roll my rear fender lips since my car is so low, but I don't think I had to now that the tires are mounted. On the front no spacer is needed with 36mm offset and the only reason I had to doctor up the plastic on the upper side of the inner fenderwells is because I sit so low. With Eibach Pros or the like I don't think I would have had to touch anything on the front. It also helped that AFS was selling these 36mm offset wheels on Ebay and I got them for about $150 a piece.

I very rarely drive my car on the street now. It's being built up for road racing, but just today I drove to a local scale to weigh the car with my AFS wheels on. They're not fragile by any means.

I'd love to see a picture of yours and how they fit. I'm looking for a set of 17x11's and was trying to narrow down some choices!!

So you're running 36mm on both front and rear?

Originally posted by 94bird
315s all the way around.

The AFS wheels weigh about 24 lbs. a piece I think. I didn't weigh them by themselves. The Kumho 315 tires are about 33 lbs. a piece, while Hoosiers are about 24 lbs. a piece.

I'm running 36mm offset because I noticed so many people rubbing on their rear control arms or wheelwells with 50mm offset. Most everyone has to run a wheel spacer in the front with that offset too. I did roll my rear fender lips since my car is so low, but I don't think I had to now that the tires are mounted. On the front no spacer is needed with 36mm offset and the only reason I had to doctor up the plastic on the upper side of the inner fenderwells is because I sit so low. With Eibach Pros or the like I don't think I would have had to touch anything on the front. It also helped that AFS was selling these 36mm offset wheels on Ebay and I got them for about $150 a piece.

I very rarely drive my car on the street now. It's being built up for road racing, but just today I drove to a local scale to weigh the car with my AFS wheels on. They're not fragile by any means.


I went to AFS' website and all I saw for Camaros were 50 mm offset--is 36mm some kind of special order or custom deal?

I took some pictures today of the car with the wheels and tires mounted but it's getting late and I have a track day tomorrow so I'm going to bed. I should be able to upload them tomorrow.

The 36mm offset is listed as a Corvette offset on the AFS website.

Which offset would stick out farther, the 36 or the 50?

Common sence tells me the 50 but I just want to confirm! Thanks.

The +36 mm offset will stick out further..


Read about it here: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm

I have AFS 17x11 wheels with a 50mm offset all around my T/A. Mine also rub a little in the front, and a little on the inner fender. I need to bang the inner fender with a hammer. They do not rub on the fender lip. My AFS wheels also weighed 24 pounds, and with 315 Nitto DR's they weigh 51 pounds. Here are a few photos:
http://24.219.29.88/front_315.jpg
http://24.219.29.88/ta_315.jpg
http://24.219.29.88/315_front.jpg
http://24.219.29.88/prosolo/IMG_8204_cropped.jpg

Chuck-that is a sweet ride you have there! :bow:

These aren't action shots, but I took them last night in my driveway.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mikevtaylor/17x11/17x11.htm

I just won a bid for a set of 17x11 AFS 50mm from ebay last night. Before I call them up and ask them if they'll swap for 36mm, EXACTLY what if any rubbing issues do you have? I'm just going to be using the 11" for autocross.

Oh well!! They won't swap and don't have any 36mm's in stock anyway.

I got my 36mm AFS wheels the same way and asked them if they could swap 2 of them for 50mm offset. They said no, and I figured I'd make them fit anyway. In reality I think it was easier to fit 36mm offset on the front than 50mm offset.

If AFS was auctioning your wheels with the common "paint blemish" description I defy you to find that blemish. I still don't see one and I paid about half price for the wheels.

I was sort of hoping I wasn't going to win the bid. The more I thought about it I believe the 36's would be better.

I agree that the 36's would be better up front as you would not have to run a spacer, and may not have to grind on the spindle (which I had to do with the 50mm offset wheels). But, I would be concerned about rear fender clearance on a Camaro as they have a little less clearance back there compared to the Firebird.

Maybe the next pair I get will be 36mm and I'll use those on the front. You mean less clearance on the inboard side of the wheel well??

Originally posted by chuck
I agree that the 36's would be better up front as you would not have to run a spacer, and may not have to grind on the spindle (which I had to do with the 50mm offset wheels). But, I would be concerned about rear fender clearance on a Camaro as they have a little less clearance back there compared to the Firebird.

Ah yes, I've heard that mentioned before, but I'm not sure how much difference there is. Next time I see a Camaro next to my car I'll try to take a better look. I guess there has to be some reason I preferred a Firebird over a Camaro besides those cool popup headlights. :cool:

YEah, except when we have to replace the motor that makes that head light pop up! :yuck: :yuck:

Mine are still original. They're very likely coming out soon now since they're pretty much dead weight for me.

do any of you drive with the 315s all around on teh street and are there any adverse effects by doing this?

I'd assume with that big of a tire up front, you would get a lot of wandering on the road. Think about it, a 315 series tires is about the same width as most LMP and GTS cars use up front, thats a boat load of grip.

Anybody who has actually driven on the road with 315's all aroudn care to chime in?

I've driven many times on my 315 Kumho Victoracers on the street. I can tell you they do want to follow grooves in the road, but not nearly as bad as Hoosiers. What I can't compare them to is 315 street tires. I would certainly make the sacrifice for the grip, but I wouldn't use it as a daily driver up here in Michigan. ;)

well im in texas and wondering what wheel tire combo to get next and was wondering what sort of effects it may have on the power steering pump and I can deal with wandering ill be driving with street tires and if I ever get into autocross or road racing I can jsut swap them with a different set before that. Basically if there is nothing else to worry about other than wandering I think I may try it...

I'm thinking about doing it. I run 315's all the way around for autocross and don't have a problem there. So why not?

http://12.213.170.218/mitchntx/TWS_01_600.jpg

Not sure if it's related, but my PS pump took a dump shortly after going to 315x4. The pump had a lot of track time on it.

They sure won't stand up to a lot of track time. Do you have a PS cooler?

Yes and a Turn One PS pump.

Well, I have an LT1 so I guess the pump doesn't work for me. I was running with Tommy Pulliam yesterday and Tommy vents his PS tank after each autocross run. You could hear the pressure being released. He has a cooler also.

In this thread,

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171868

I posted this ....

Originally posted by mitchntx
Looking at a pump off of an LT1 car and an LS1 car (not side by side, from memory), it appears the pump is identical. Each mounts to a different bracket and obviously, the reservoir attaches differently, but the pump itself appears to be the same.

I would imagine some creative plumbing would make it work just fine.

Well so far it hasn't been an issue for me and I understand that for some reason it's more of an issue for LS1's. Don't know why though.

Back to the wheels.

Caution: A 36mm offset will not properly locate the rear tire in a Camaro. The tire will stick out too far and contact the outer fender (rolled lips or not). They will fit the Firebirds, which have a larger rear wheel well though.

With a 1.5 inch drop, I had to roll the rear fender lips to clear the 50mm offset wheels. So a 36mm offset wheel would make the situation worse on a Camaro. But I am still using soft rear springs. Maybe if you don't mind a twichy rear end, stiff springs could resolve, but this would ruin the handling of the car. Lots of hammering/undercoating, an LG aluminum adjustable panhard rod and LG aluminum rear LCAs and I have plenty of inboard room with the 50mm offset tires with 315mm tires. No rubbing at all. I have used Kumho Vs, Advan A032Rs, Yoko AVS, Dunlop 8000, and Nitto DRs all in 315mm size in the rear with NO problems. Note the Nitto DR is actually narrower than all of the other tires in the 315mm size.


As far as the problem of wheel contact with the rear bumper brackets, I fabricated steel strap loops between the sway bar frame mount brackets and the shocks to keep the suspension from ever hanging low enough to cause the wheels to contact the bumper brackets.

36mm offset looks best for the front of both Camaros and Firebirds. However, a 50mm wheel with a very narrow spacer might work well too.

I removed the inner fenders and bent back the sharp metal piece near the outer edge of the wheel well on the front, but reinstalled the plastic fender liner intact. I also cut the excess outer fender lip (runs about 12") to gain more clearance there. Using my 2nd set of AFS combo wheels, I was able to confirm that the 17x11 50mm offset wheel clears the spindle if you grind down the tab right where the top inside of the wheel comes closest to the spindle. Looks like 1/8" of clearance, which should work, but I could probably use a 1/8" wheel spacer on top of that.

Rick Raldiris

I use the 50mm on the rear with a 1/4" spacer, I did roll the lip and beat a little on the front inner wheel well. But I really have no problems. I use the 36mm on the front and haven't touched a thing. Have no rubbing problems at all.

so with a 1.5 drop on a firebird with a 36mm offset nothing really needs to be done except roll or cut the fenders in back?

I rolled my fender lips in the back and used a 5 lb. hammer to persuade some of the raised edges in the inboard side of the fender to be a little more smooth. You'll also likely need an adjustable PHR to center your rear end to optimize your clearance side to side.

It's not clear if you mean putting 36mm offset wheels on the front too, but if you do, you'll have to do some trimming on the black fender liner and perhaps bang smooth a lip that is hanging down just inside the fender lip.

That's about it.

My black liner needs to be trimmed for my 275's!!! It's just one side though, it's warped and curls out. I didn't have to do a thing on the front (36mm), never trimmed anything. While it does stick out sitting still, once I start cornering, it tucks nicely up in the wheel well. I think it has to do with the amount of camber and the fact that the relationship of the tire/body movement occurs as an arc, not an up and down type motion. If you watch my video, you can see that.

Is there any way to get away with 50mm offsets with no spacers in front or rear?

I believe that somewhere between 36 and 50 is the optimal offset, exactly what that number is I'm not sure. 43mm maybe.

You might fit a 50mm in the front IF you grind the spindle a little bit. Not in the back though. On extremely hard cornering my Hoosiers have touched the rear lower control arm so I know you need a spacer with 50mm in the rear.

A change to a smaller diameter rear lower control arm would fix the tire contact with your Hoosiers probably.

With 50mm offset 17x11, my rear wheels are centered nearly perfectly in the rear wheelwells (after rolling outer lips and banging in the inner fenderwells). I could probably run Hoosiers with no problem an possibly 335mm tires on the street.

However, adding a 1/4 spacer would reduce my clearance to the outer fender lip causing contact on hard bumps with my 90lb springs.

Rick R

I can't change LCA's in ESP, otherwise, yes, it would probably take care of the problem. I'm centered too. That's a pretty soft spring, much softer than stock!!! The rubbing has to occur only on extremely hard (violent??) cornering but it's not something I've felt or even heard, it has to be pretty minor. But that's one reason I've used 1/4" spacers.

I've got 285's mounted on 17X11's front and rear w/ no clearance issues at all. My spindles are shaved due to the Baer brakes and didn't even require spacers even though I have them just in case.
Looks just as wide as a 315 tire standing next to it and much larger than a 275. I've compared the two next to each other.

I know it's not for everyone but it's a good alternative instead of paying mucho $$ for 315's.

What offset are your wheels??

Originally posted by bruecksteve
I'd love to see a picture of yours and how they fit. I'm looking for a set of 17x11's and was trying to narrow down some choices!!

So you're running 36mm on both front and rear?


I love the way your camaro looks with 4 17X11 ZR1s all the way around :bow: :bow: :bow:


http://24.219.29.88/prosolo/IMG_8204_cropped.jpg <- :metal: :metal: :metal:

315's all the way around just look badass!

Thanks! I was coming back from an autocross yesterday and was riding behind someone. They said that looking back at my car in their mirror it looked badass!!! It's funny but I've had a lot of people come up to me and tell me they really like the way it looks with 11"'s, that it's the way GM should have made them!! I agree!! But as low as it is in the front and with the negative camber it has, it really does look like it means business!!

Originally posted by bruecksteve
Thanks! I was coming back from an autocross yesterday and was riding behind someone. They said that looking back at my car in their mirror it looked badass!!! It's funny but I've had a lot of people come up to me and tell me they really like the way it looks with 11"'s, that it's the way GM should have made them!! I agree!! But as low as it is in the front and with the negative camber it has, it really does look like it means business!!


Thanks to your car I'm now considering trading my 4 17x9 chrome ZR1s for 4 17X11 chrome zr1s :eek: Damn u ;)

Glad to help!!!:D

so from what ive gathered off this post to fit 17x11's all around with 50mm offsets you just need to roll teh rear fenders and beat in the fender well, friend had 18x9.5's with 65mm offset so they are pretty beat in already, then on the front just trim the plastic cover and grind back the spindle a little and it will work perfectly?

50mm offset is what I'm running all 4 corner no beating the fender wells etc. Front or back. And I'm sittting 26" all 4 corners too.

I don't know what tires you're running but my 50mm offset wheels on Hoosiers scraped the inside of both wheel wells in the rear, it didn't take much banging but a little. You can look at these two pictures and get an idea how they fit under hard cornering though.

http://www.crystalridge.net/cars/autocross/111603/event11rear.jpg

http://www.crystalridge.net/cars/autocross/111603/4to.jpg

The front tires have rubbed the inner fender at the very top of the fender on the outside. You can see how the front tire is up inside the wheel well on the second picture, that was under hard braking AND cornering. I'm pretty low in the front (about 25.75") and they are 36mm offset. I could go with 50mm and maybe a spacer and it might not do that but hey... it's just for autocross!!!

I heard them rub but haven't felt anything.

You are running 315's that's why. I am running 285's slight difference but not much. BFG KD's is the tire.