I had a set of 17x9.5 ZR1 wheels on my '95 Green Z28, but the wife totaled that one, so now I have a '97 SS that I want to put 17x11's on the rear of. I need to know what modifications anyone has done to make sure the rears don't rub...

I plan on putting on an aftermarket panhard rod and lower control arms, all with poly bushings. What else can I do?

Thanks,
Paul

 

Again..... check the FAQ

 

Click HERE for info regarding 17x11 rears.

Fred, you should put ^that in your sig.

 

Thanks Guys, sorry I didn't check the FAQ... I guess I didn't think it would be such a common topic. I've also been in and out of the hospital for the past year and thus haven't been online much, and forgot my forum manners!

Thanks,
Paul

 

No big deal!

It's just easier to post a link to the FAQ than type out all the info. Injuneer is the one who wrote a lot of the FAQ, including the 17x11 writeup.

 

Thanks... It's a great, very detailed, writeup... and my SS is even green so it gives me a pretty good idea of how they'll look, especially from behind... They almost look like they need mini-tubs from that rear photo!!! I can't wait!

Cheers,
Paul

 

Here's mine:


and a closer view, with less zoom:

 

Wicked Cool!!! What brand and size are your rear tires??? I'm looking at the whole set of ZR1 wheels and tires from AFS wheels on ebay, and here's what they say about the tires that come with this particular auction:

ABOUT THE TIRES: The wheels and tires are brand new with the labels still on them. The Sumitomo HTRZ is listed as a ultra high performance tire. It offers excellent handling at high speeds and superb wet and dry traction. We have mounted the front rims with 275/40ZR-17 tires and for the rear the wide 315/35ZR-17. The treadwear is 160 and both temperature and traction are A rated. Look at pictures below to see the tread pattern!

They look pretty cool and I'm sure they perform up there with the Kuhmo Ecsta's I am currently running...

Thanks,
Paul

 

My wheels are silver AFS ZR1's - 17x9.5 - 275/40 fronts, 17x11 - 315/35 rears. The tires are Dunlop SP8000's - these are the tires that AFS installs on them for the packages on their website (not ebay).

 

You definitely need to post some pictures of those black chrome wheels!!

 

You Bet!!! What good is Bling if you don't show it off???

My income tax return should be here any day now, so I'll be ordering all the parts as well as the wheels and tires from AFS directly after I get the check.

On that topic, about 3 years ago I bought a set of the 17x9.5's (all 4) for my '95 Z28 and they were the black powder coat with clear coat over them. I had dark limo tint (5%) all the way around all the glass on the car, so the whole top of the car looked black, and the black wheels were the perfect accent for the car. However, after 1 year, the clear coat started chipping off. That car, like my SS is now, was not daily driven and was always garaged. NEVER saw snow, and I might have got caught in the rain with it a handful of times... I called AFS and they wouldn't do anything about it. They said that I must have abused the wheels because their quality is much better than that. I always used actual 'car wash' soap on the car, and never used anything more than soap and water on the wheels.

So this time I see that AFS seems to be the only brand offrering these wheels in the correct offset, especially with the black chrome. I called them 3 different times to tell them about my previous encounter with their quality, and all 3 times I got a similar story: they had some serious quality control problems in the past, but the company was now under new management and those problems are behind them. (Offered me no discount!!!) My wife barrel rolled my '95 Z28 BAD and luckily for me she and my two young children were uninjured. She had several bruises, which I was glad to see because she never wears her seatbelt and I hoped it taught her a lesson without seriously hurting her. I was wrong. She does always strap the kids in properly, and thus they were completely unharmed, although it was a little traumatic... My Son said, "It was really fun when we were sliding through the grass, but when we were rolling, I didn't like it very much." (He was 4 then...) -> I bought the Z28 back from the insurance company for $900, and although the body is completely totaled and twisted like a pringle chip, the motor, 6-speed, and rear end are all fine. I drove it around a little just to be sure. The interior WAS mint before the accident, but the emergency crew shoveled all the pieces from the wreck, broken glass, and some dirt just for good measure and ruined the interior!!! The motor/trans are going into my '83 Malibu Wagon!<-

Anyway, the point of all of that was to say that the ZR1 wheels met a horrible fate, all 4 are flat spotted from sliding sideways on the concrete after the tires got ripped off them! A couple of them also have chunks out of them... So just so you know, don't expect them to live through a barrel roll on the concrete, even with good tires on them!!!

 

I had it all planned, the 17x11's with all spherical rod end suspension links in the rear to limit any slop that might let the tires rub. About $2500 total. And then... a new dilemma.

My Son and I were cruising in the SS with the t-tops out, me dreaming of how cool my new wheels and rear suspension would be, and my little 5.5 year old little buddy started talking about how we didn't get to go to the beach last summer and one of his friends at school just got back from the beach, and he really wants to go this summer, with all of us (his 2.5 year old little sisster and his Mom -darn it- AND his 19 year old babysitter. She actually wants to go with us!!!) and play in the sand and in the water and walk on the beach at night... We had some unexpected bills last summer and didn't get to go...

So now, I have no choice... I can't let my little buddy down. I'll have the SS for a good long time (providing the wife doesn't completely total it like she did my Z28...) but my Son is only going to be young and amazed at the ocean for a very short time. Maybe there will be enough money left over after the beach to buy a can of black spray paint to paint my existing 17" SS wheels? Oh, well, at least I'll get to see my babysitter in a bikini!!! She's a wonderful girl and she is so in love with our kids that she comes over to play with them even when she's not babysitting! I tried to get her to run away with me, but got shot down...

 

pics of babysitter?

 

just an fyi

the sumitomo tires suck....they are so cheap it's rediculous.

i would buy the rims bare and put decent tires on them

 

I will do everything in my power to get some pictures of her in her bikini!!! She's cool enough that she would pose for me, but doing it without the wife catching me or seeing the pictures... whew! I may have to buy my own camera just for the occasion...