I'll take the opposite side here.I actually like the stock 5-star chrome rims on my '98.I don't like the look of HUGE wheels on a sports car.I do think certain rims look good,but I like my wheels to have some rubber on them and not look a rubber band!Anyway,just another side of the coin.
Kevin

 

I agree about the rubber band part. I just bought some Chrome ZR1 replicas (16x8.5) and I like having the rubber there. Just couldnt stand the salad shooters. Ill probably upgrade to 17x 9.5 or maybe 11 in back eventually and keep the fronts smaller. I think it will look good with a slight tilt forward. Just sharing.

 

I really like that idea!I had the idea once to see if I could get a stock 16" wheel in an 11" width.Just for that "stock" appearance.But a stock looking wheel in 17 X 11 would be awesome as well!
Kevin

 

Sorry, but I have yet to see a lot of Camaros or firebirds that are lowered with big wheels. Half the people on this board get some nice 18s or zr-1 wheels and leave it stock height. Well that is simply . I am leaving the stock salad shooters on until I can get a nice set of coilovers and some zr1 wheels. I will have that thing slammed tho, thats for sure. Someone here posted pics of a camaro with 20s, and it wasn't lowered at all! Whats with that?

 

My car is lowered to close up that gap and the rims are just to make it look good. I dont like anything more than 17. Maybe some 18s but I can't say for sure. I hate it when the rubber is under the fender to that bugs me so much. I like it to fit snuggly in with all the rubber showing and no gap.

 

my car came with "meaty" 235 width tires, hehe.

i ditched those within a year in favor of some 98 formula rims i bought for 200 dollars plus shipping, best upgrade yet. i have 245/50/16 tires on there as well...much better than 235/60/16

now my sights are set on some boyd coddington 18" smoothie 2's

 

I lowered and put 18's. Well I put the 18's and was going to wait on the lowering, that lasted one day and I was back buying springs. Looked like crap with the wheel gap. But I had been driving around on a lowered 94 camaro w/17's. So I felt like I was in a truck when I got into the new car.

 

LMAO... obviously you drive a Chevy. I belive he was refering to the Pontiac 16" rims. My chrome 16" Trans Am rims kick @ss. Granted they weren't exactly the stock ones, but since convertibles were limited to 16" rims by GM they were the best you could get from the factory. I've received compliments from A LOT of people on them. For those that don't know, they look just like WS6 rims, but with a bit more chrome webbing between the spokes. including the bead guards, they measure ~17.5" in diameter, not exactly "small" IMHO.

Quote:

Even 17 inch rims are a waste of time and $ if you are doing it to get rid of the wheel gap...because you are only gaining 1 inch TOTAL diameter... they won't get rid of the wheel gap at ALL.

you can't be serious. *sigh*

the exterior diameter of all 4th gen, 3rd gen, C4, C5 wheels are the same. ~25.7" RIM diameter has nothing to do with WHEEL diameter, which is dictated by which tire you put on it.


there are more reasons than performance to go with 17's instead of 18+.
- Tire selection (try to find a 18"x9.5" tire for under $200... even better, try a 18"x11"... some people are all about performance afterall )
- cost (not only in original purchase, but also in replacement tires. 18's get expensive quickly).
- road noise (I commute 70miles/day on the highway roadnoise is a REAL PITA if you have a convertible. 16" rims and Firestone SZ50's are nice, however I'd hate to listen to 18" wheels over the same commute)
- durabilty (my 16's, and even 17's do fine over pot holes and the occational curb if needed... I'd hate to try 18's or 19's ... that would be a $$$ mistake.)


I like the look of 18's, and may go to a set if my driving habits change in the future (i.e. stop bracket racing? shorter commute?) but don't get so worked up over the issue. There were a lot of cool Pontiac Rims, and a fair number of great Chevy ones too (98-00 Magniesium C5 18" rims, Z06 rims, 17x11 ZR1's, 17x11" GS, 17" SS rims, etc...).

sorry for venting, but man that a load of crap I couldn't pass by without saying something.

l8r

 

I agree with everything except the above statement. I couldn't tell any difference with my 18's then with my 16's as far as sound goes. It didn't get any louder. I don't have a convert, but I do have t-tops, and got the rims about 4 weeks after the car, and I was still in the "have to take the t-tops out no matter how far I was driving" stage of the new car, so I would have had plenty of time to hear if the 18's were noisier. I would think that it has to do with the tires though.

 

Dude, that is one annoying sig. I dont want to look like a wannabe mod, but shorten it, because scrolling through sigs like that is a PITA.

 

...are you actually trying to say that 18" Z06 rims have the same diameter as stock 16" ? ? ?

Please tell me you are joking... because we weren't talking about tires.. I already went over this already regarding eliminating wheelgap... what part wasn't clear ?

 

17's or 18's are around the same . . . and anyone that is "all about performance" would/should probably have seperate DR's for the track mounted on their little 16's

and for street racing, having 18's isn't going to make much of a difference...

 

Oh my god lol, Thread reincarnation!

 

you would still have to stiffen your suspension with springs so your tires wont hit your fenders.

 

i agree, its gonna be to cost effective. although the idea should be given some credit IMO