Hey guys, despite all the bad news lately, I just ran into some good news. I finally found the rims I want to replace my old school 'vette wheels with. Here's a pic of my car now for reference:



Here are the potential replacement wheels:



I was holding out for magnesium wheels but these were sent to me by a friend. They may be a tad big heavier than the magnesium wheels, but they do look sharp . According to the guy selling them, they are real Z06 wheels off of a 2001 Corvette. He says, "Fronts are 17" rear are 18" by 10.5"

Since these are much bigger than what I have now (especially in the rear), will I have any problems putting these rims on a '94 Camaro? Do I have to do any modding to my wheelwells such as the "BFH mod?" If it helps: the car has Koni SA shocks in front, bilsteins in back.

As for tires, the guy says the wheels will need new tires realllly soon. It looks like I'll probably get the NT05's in the front, and NT05R's or 555R's in the rear.

So let me know what you guys think, and also what I may need to make things fit. Also, what's up with stock 'vettes having smaller tires in the front ? All other cars I've owned had the same size all around.

 

Stock 2001 Z06 wheels are:

Front: 17 x 9.5" 54mm offset
Rear: 18 x 10.5 58mm offset

The fronts will fit fine. The rears would benefit from a 1/4" spacer, or some serious inner fender hammering plus cutting off the projecting edge of the jounce bumper brackets (see General Wheels FAQ regarding what needs to be done to the 17 x 11 50mm offset wheels - your wheel has a slightly greater backspace than those wheels.)

Note, as explained in the FAQ - NOT ALL 4TH GENS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. Some people put a 7.9+" backspace wheel in the rear, and have all kinds of issues, others claim they bolted right on and had to do nothing. You will need to fit them up and see how close they are to the inner fenders.

If you are getting them with "Corvette" tires, the 'vette tires are a larger diameter than those used on the 4th Gen F-Body. When buying new tires, select a diameter that will match what was on the car originally.

 

I really appreciate your help. I've never used wheels before that needed custom work, so I'm glad for the info.

The wheels currently have 'vette tires on them, but they'll be replaced with NT05's in the front, and NT05R's or 555R's in the rear before being put on the car. What diameter/size should I go for when shopping for the tires?

If I can avoid it, I really don't want to go hammering and cutting away at the car. Especially since I'm still a "noob" at all this . Will a 1/4" spacer solve my problem? I know that all fbodys are not the same, but is that a safe option?

 

What tires did your car leave the factory with? They were either 235/55-16 (26.1") or 245/50-16 (25.7" RPO QLC). A tire with a diameter in that range will work. 275/40-17 (25.7") for the front. 285/35-18 (25.9") in the back.

The speedo error would be minimal, no matter which tires your car had on it originally.

 

What brand 1/4" spacer do you suggest? With such big wheels, I guess I need something that won't break since the rear tires will be drag radials. I was also told to use stronger studs when using wheel spacers. Any suggestions? ARP studs?

Thank you so much. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what the car came with from the factory. The previous owner had the older 'vette wheels on it when I bought it. I never saw its factory wheels. For what it's worth, the current old school 'vette wheels are 16". Here are some pics of them:

 

There should be a tag on the driver's side door with information regarding the original tires. You could also look at the build tag for RPO "QLC" which was the 245/50-16 tires.

If you add the spacer, you will probably need longer studs. Therein lies another problem. It is hard to find "slightly" longer 12mm studs. The stock studs have threads that project approx. 1.25" from the face of the hub. You would need at least 1.5" of thread.

Ideally, you want "hub-centric" spacers. The brand isn't important - they just sit there, sandwiched between the wheel and the hub flange. NHRA allows spaceers of this type. The impact of the spacer is an increased bending load on the studs, which is why higher strength studs are a good idea.

 

I really appreciate the help Injuneer. You definitely know your stuff . Though I'm starting to wonder if these awesome rims are worth all the custom work and fittings I'll need to do.

Since these are heavier/bigger wheels, will my launch time and handling be hurt? Or will it be the complete opposite (bigger tires = more rubber on road)?

Below are the pics of the door jam. Looks like the stock size was "P245/50ZR16" though about 95% of the info on this sticker is Greek to me ha .

Pic1

Pic2

Pic3

I believe my VIN is 2G1FP22P1R2204533. If that somehow can be decoded for beneficial tire info as well. Thanks so much!

 

Any input guys? Injuneer?

I was told on another forum that:
So am I looking for a 1.66" spacer or a 1/4" spacer?

 

Whoever calculated the backspace made an error, by forgetting about the thickness of the flange that holds the wheel on the tire on the front wheel completely, and by only allowing 0.25" for the rear wheels. If you have a 10.5" wide wheel, the 10.5" is measured inside the flanges of the wheel, where the tire beads sit. The actual width of the flange is in the range of 0.40 - 0.50". My calculations assume an 0.466" flange thickness.

Width of wheel = 10.5" + (2 X 0.466) = 11.43" total

Backspace = 1/2 of total wheel width + offset

11.43" / 2 = 5.72"
58mm / 25.4" = 2.28"

5.72" + 2.28" = 8.00" backspace.

I'm saying that you should move the wheel 1/4" away from the inside fender liner with a spacer. That eliminates the interference with the inside fender liner and the jounce bumper bracket..... IN MOST CASES. If the body is not centered correctly side-to-side over the rear axle, you may need to recenter it with an adjustable panhard rod.

If you added a 1.66" spacer in the back, your tires would be more than 1" outside the fender.

 

Thank you so much for clearing that up for me. The internet is a great place to get info, but sometimes wrong information gets passed around. Not sure where you got the 0.466", but it sounds reasonable. So 1/4" spacer it is .

Do you know a respectable online store to get quality spacers? I did a web search but the ones I found seem pretty cheesy. I'm pretty sure (hoping) the picture isn't the actual item. Though if they work, they work. Any suggestion? Is this "hub centric?" Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=110485008693

So with a spacer, I will need longer and stronger studs. I believe you said 1.5" studs? Which one of these would work best for my application?

http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...1.5%22%20studs

Hopefully the car is centered. I guess if a panhard rod in necessary, we can worry about that if a problem shows up. However that's one more piece of hardware that I'm not familiar with .

Thanks so much for the help. This is all Greek to me .

 

Those are sweet rims good choice very popular. I've got the Z06 C6 rims on my 95 Z28, very sharp looking

 

Thanks man, I hope to have them put on the car this spring . Just have to figure out how to do it (hence the questions above ).

Your C6 wheels must look sharp . What size rims do you have? Are they the same size in back and front?

 

Injuneer, I am a little stuck. Please see post #10 in this thread. I am very close to getting these rims on my car. Just a few more minutes of your time . Thanks so much!

 

What part of #10? Are you saying you feel you need the 1.66" adapter?

 

Not at all. I agree that the car would benefit with a 1/4" spacer. However I am having trouble locating a spacer in that size. Since you are more familiar with these, could you suggest a reliable online store where I may purchase a pair? The normal online stores I use are Summit, Street Side Auto, and eBay. I am not the worst online shopper, but I can't find 1/4" spacers, let alone ones that say "hub centric."

I also know that I will need longer and stronger studs. I believe you said 1.5" studs. Though Summit carries a boatload of studs and I'm not sure which is the correct set.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...1.5%22%20studs