Help Me Find Inexpensive 17" or 18" Wheels 69 Camaro
 

In the mean time, I probably have to just buy some new 14" tires to fit the rims I have now; however, I want to start looking for some new (for me...used is fine) wheels for my Camaro. That way, I can be patient and wait for the right deal to pop up, or if something's available now for cheap...:popcorn2:... then I could get some sooner.

My criteria are:

1. 18" on all four (I could possibly be talked into 17" if its the right look and deal)

2. Widest possible width that will fit and correct offset for stock 69 Camaro keeping in mind that it will be lowered 2" in the future. What is the correct width and offset anyway? I keep reading conflicting reports.

3. I ain't paying $3000 for wheels, not even close, no way no how. In fact, I think $1,000 is the absolute TOP of what I'm willing to pay for them and I think that's even expensive. Used is perfectly fine with me as well. I can even handle some rash. I proably don't like whatever color they are anyway. :D

4. The tires available for whatever rims aren't stupid-expensive because they are some oddball size. I'll be driving this car a lot, it's not a trailer queen, so I'll go through tires. I'm willing to pay good money for a quality tire and definitely see the value in that. I paid way more for my tires than my rims on my last car, I think they were $250 a tire. However, pricey just because of a weird size makes no sense to me, I'd rather go to a more available size and spend my money on a better grade of tire.

5. They have to look cool on my car.....TO ME.....I may think stuff looks good when you guys don't 'cause I'm weird. :D

Here are a few examples of stuff I like the looks of:

I'm really likin' on these. I'd be really happy with them:
http://image.superchevy.com/f/312523...owire+.JPG.jpg

This is ok but all black instead of the brushed edges:
http://www.nelsonracingengines.com/a...camaro-blk.jpg

This one is about as open of a pattern as I still like. In fact, it still might be too open. I don't want to be able to see the whole rotor behind the wheel. I'd like to hide it somewhat:
http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/gal...tfighter_1.jpg

So, with all that being said, advice and pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

You want to spend $1000 total for a set of 18's? Did I read that right?

And you just posted pics of 3 sets of wheels that cost in the $3000 to $5000 range.

So basically you want the champagne on the beer budget. Welcome to the club. :lol:

No, I want ones that LOOK like that and I wouldn't mind used ones either. I posted the pictures for examples of wheels I like the looks of.

My biggest concern that I need advice with is probably the sizing more than anything.

The last set of wheels I bought came with great tires, looked like the first picture, and were $650 off of Craigslist. They were 18" Rota's for my Subaru and I loved them.

So, if I know what size and offset I need, I can keep watching the list for good deals.

Your best bet of finding something looking those 3 would be a used set of CCW's. They are traded second hand often but the tough part will be finding the right backspacing.

I would point you here for an option that is new and inexpensive.

http://www.team3wheels.com/lt_iii.html

Thanks Flash, I'll check them out.

So, would I be OK in the area of:

Front 8" wide rim with 4.75" BS
Rear 9.5" wide rim with 5.5" BS

Or would I be safer with a 9" rear rim with ?? backspacing?

I have stock front discs for now and rear drums.
As I said, at some point in the future I'll be lowering aprox 2", probably with the ridetech setup.

I want to get as wide a rear tire as possible while still not getting too close to rub.

I'm also thinking I'll want to go with a 26" or 27" tall rear tire.

That's what my Vintage V45's are spaced at with Nitto NT05's 18 x 245/40 and 275/40.

Rears are tight both inner and outer. I was getting a little contact with hard cornering loads with urethane from spring bushings and new OEM rubber rear bushings. Just installed urethane rears and I'm guessing the contact won't be an issue as they are much more rigid. My wheel opening to ground measurements are 24.25" front 25" rear. The rear inner lips have not been rolled, I had to massage a couple high spots on the inner sheet metal. That said all these car vary to a certain degree.

American Racing TTII's are cheap still @ $199 each. You can paint the centers.
front 18x9 -5" BS 265's
rear 18x10 -5 3/4" BS 285's 295's with a trimmed lip.

Get some sumitomo tires and you'll be close.

Just saw these on fleabay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18X8-5-18x10...b1277a&vxp=mtr

I am not going to argue for or against using BMW bolt patterns on early Camaros, but it has been done by many. Just another option.

Thanks Vince,

9's will fit on the front without increasing my turning radius?

10's won't be too close on the back?

Bigger is better of course but I want to make sure I'm not too close on the sides.

I'm not really feeling the Torque Thrusts though, maybe a bit to vintage looking for me.

Oooh, I'm liking the looks of those.

I think I'd be fine with the BMW bolt pattern. It's only .025 different. Probably barely out of the tolerance stackup of the old hubs and wheels anyway.

I have to figure out the offset to bs translation again though.

Ideal backspacing for a 1st gen:
18x7 w/4.25" BS
18x8 w/4.75" BS
18x9 w/5.25" BS
18x9.5 w/5.5 "BS

If you are looking at wheels that list an offset, you are looking for +6mm to be dead center in the wheel well.

A 245/40/18 is about as big as you can go up front, and you still may have some rubbing issues. 275/40/18 is about as big as you go in the rear without tubs. Obviously each car is different, and GM tolerances were questionable back in the day. Some cars seem to get away with slightly bigger, and some have had issues with slightly smaller.

If they are way out you can buy an adapter...5 x 4 3/4 base with a 5 x 120 lug spread.


Calculator here.

http://www.customwheeloffset.com/tir...et-calculators

edit: tought you found bmer wheels

Check out this site... very budget friendly!

http://www.customwheelsexpress.com/

OK, so....from what I've gathered so far...
If I keep my eye out for 18x8 w/4.75" BS for the front I should be ok and (I hate these metric tire sizes) I should get maybe the next size smaller (width) tire than 245/40/18 ?

For the back I should be looking for 18x9.5 w/5.5 "BS and maybe look for the next size smaller than 275/40/18?

I'll have to do some more research and relearn how to decipher the tire sizes again (it's been a while since I speced out anything). Then I'll see what I can come up with. I do have a 4.10 rear and probably really should have a 3.90 so if I go a bit larger in diameter in the back I may have to go a bit narrower.

Those are pretty darn reasonable. I like some of them too....which is always a plus! LOL

Looks like their SQL server is screwing up though...
hmmm.... Are they a reputable dealer?

Have you seen these? You buy them I'll pay the freight.

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=45456

https://lateral-g.net/forums/atta...1&d=1394151264

Not quite my style. But thanks anyway! GLWS

No problem. Just saw you wanted a really good wheel for a great price so I thought I would throw it out there. Good luck in your search.

Understanding tire sizes are as follows:

275/40/18

1st number is width = 275mm wide (divide by 25.4 to find inches)
2nd number is sidewall height = 40% of 275mm (from lip of wheel to edge of tire)
3rd number is wheel diameter = 18"

A narrower tire would be a 265/40/18, or a 255/40/18
A tire with less sidewall would be a 275/35/18

Simple right?

Now the confusing part...Keep in mind that since the sidewall is a percentage of the tread width, a 265/40/18 will be 10mm narrower and have 4mm less sidewall than the 275/40/18. That translates to 8mm overall shorter tire since you have to count both both sidewalls (above and below the rim).

If you really want to play it safe, you can run: 225/40/18 and 255/40/18.

But that's no fun.

A still fairly safe option would be: 235/40/18 and the same 255/40/18's. If your bs is correct, these sizes will fit the majority of 1st gen's without issues.

*265/40/18 isn't offered by every manufacturer, so that's why I didn't suggest those.

Safe sucks! You should be OK with 245's and 275's. The front fender to inner fender bolts at the top of the wheel opening should be replaced with pan head allen bolts if the car is relatively low.....assuming front track width is stock. I'm running Kore3 hubs and IIRC they push the wheel out an 1/8" from OEM and I'm OK.

This photo will give you some idea of 4.75-5.5 and 245-275 clearances:

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-2...2k9PZ6v-XL.jpg

What about Boss 338 wheels? They are very well made wheels, and you can find a set with tires NEW for $900-1400 (depending on the finish you go for).

They are very well made, good finish very good finish and fit. I believe you could order them before on custom backspaces, but they sell tem on perfect BS for older muscle cars.

I.e.:

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/r9IvgsTjyoU/hqdefault.jpg

http://www.boss338.com/gallery/boss_...hevelle_ss.jpg

http://autobahnmotorsgroup.com/wp-co...87_860x645.jpg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18x8-Gray-Bo...f2551a&vxp=mtr

i.e. full set of 18" wheels with tires for about $900. similar deals on ebay.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/pts/4493050597.html

Check out Eagle Bandits as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CPP-US-Mags-...03f77f&vxp=mtr

They have them in Chrome, gray or black with polished lips. Several guys running them and they are similar to a good mix between AR TT2's and Foose).

Good luck!

Gui

The biggest problem he is going to run in to is at the price point he wants to spend he will have a hard time getting a BS to use max tire size. You need custom made wheels to make sure you are dead on for offset. I used 285's but if i was 1/4" in or out I would rub.

I bought a set of BG Rodworks wheels 17x8 -4.75 bs and 17x9.5 -5.5 bs for $520 with lug nuts delivered from Discount Tire Direct. They also sell 18's. Call them if you see wheels out of stock on their website, they may be able to find a set like they did for me. The quality of the wheels are nice.

That's a good price, but not my style unfortunately.


Hey, by the way.

I like the idea of 275 40 R18 for the back as that will give me almost 2 more inches in diameter.

What about a little bigger diameter front tire than the stock as well to get the car about 1" higher front and rear? Would I run into problems with hitting the sub at lock and lose turning radius?

I know people usually go the other way, but if I'm going to lower this thing 2" in the future I only really want to get 1" lower to the ground with my subframe. The roads around here are a lot worse than what most people are probably driving on.

I bought voxx magila's from discount tire direct for my 69 nova. Fairly cheap considering.http://<a href="http://s240.photobuc...9DB3EEF4BA.jpg[/IMG]

And I've lowered it 2" in the rear and 2 1/2" in front

Indy, do those clear the C5 brakes without spacers? Just to clarify that those are 5x120 and not 5x120.65 (4 3/4). What sizes do you get? Any full car shots?

Yes they're. 5x120. I dipped the centers black last fall. The fronts are 17x8 with 5.25" BS with a 245 tire, and the backs are 18x8.5" with 5.5" bs and a 275 tire. They cleared fined with stock Nova discs, and they clear the c5 brakes with the ridetech spindles, and prob the stock spindle as well. However, when I ordered the wheels they were fit to the stock disc brakes, well the c5 kit moves the brakes inboard 7/16" (which cpp never mentions) because they are based on a drum spindle. Here's a couple full car shots.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...E485BA83A6.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...F6FBF58600.jpg

I was looking at these Niche Circuit wheels for my 69 on stock suspension with LS1 front brakes / stock rear drums...
I wouldn't mind using a spacer to get it just right...
They some in two widths...
18x8 +30mm which I think is 5.65" BS
18x9.5 +35mm which I think is 6.6" BS

Any chance at making these work?

http://www.customwheelsexpress.com/i...-Circuit-1.jpg

These are nice....I like them. Don't know if anyone has mentioned Coy's, but they are nice, cheap wheels and are made for our classsic cars. They will have the proper offset too, therefore eliminating the need for spacers, adapter, etc.

Have you considered Rocket Racing Booster wheels? They come in the correct sizes and back spacing. I have them on my 69 and they fit perfect with 245/40ZR18 & 275/35ZR18. They also had enough clearance for my 14" Wilwood 6 pots in front.

Since my car is stock now but I want to upgrade later, I can run these with spacers. Then when I replace the rear I can build it with the correct width so I wouldn't need the spacer later.... I would love a DSE front clip but the cost may be more then I can afford....Not sure what a DSE front subframe will accept for wheels either...

While I like the Rocket Racing wheel, and I had a set of Coys on my Chevelle, I want something different. No deep lips. I want the concave look with spokes that come out the the outer edge. If I had big 4 or 6 piston brakes I would find a split 5 spoke the show them off....

You can get a set of those Niche Circuit rims in 18s for about $850 off ebay...

Well,
I'm finally starting to shop in earnest for some wheels. I should have enough in my income tax return to increase my budget just a bit.

I'd like to stay under $300 per wheel.

Anyway, I've been nosing around quite a bit today and I can't seem to find anything in the proper size that's not a "vintage" style.

I'm thinking that the best bet is going to be buying some +25 to +40 offset 5x120mm wheels and using a spacer/adapter which converts to 5x120.65 AND has a thickness equal to the offset of the rim minus 6mm. I might have to machine some myself If I can't find anything close.

I think that's going to give me a huge variety in cheap choices.

Still looking for other suggestions though.

Forgestar. 1100 shipped.

I was considering there rims to but looked them up and a lot of people have had quality issues and customer service issues. I guess that could be anywhere you go tho.

Forgestar is perfectly fine. I know several people who have them and only one that had an issue has a discontinued finish (titanium). All others have been VERY good.

William

I'd do forgestar. Best looking wheel for that price point.

Did any of you get them for a 69 Camaro?

I called today and it seems they have one for the back that would work but the front wheels they have would require a 20mm spacer. I like the wheels, I'm just hoping for a solution that fits. If I have to do spacers, I might as well go with my 5 x 120 wheel idea.

OK,
After calling forgestar directly, it seems I have to go to a 9" wheel up front to get the right offset/backspacing and not need to deal with a spacer. It's going to go towards the subframe but stay the same distance away from the outer fender. It's also only availlable in the F14 Style. Seems like a decent option though.

So, I shouldn't lose too much turning radius with a 9" wide wheel up front right? Anything else I need to worry about?

Stielow just bought a set for his new/old/newish/newest project, and they look great. You won't find a nicer wheel in this price point.