12" wheels on stock width rearend?

[jlwdvm]

Did you have any problems with the 275's up front?

[garymac69]

Originally Posted by jlwdvm

Did you have any problems with the 275's up front?

At the present ride height, the tire sometimes rubs the paint off at the top, bottom area of the fender while turned full lock and while moving over bumpy surfaces (like parking at a field). You can not see the damage except getting down on the ground and looking up at the fender lip. I just touch up the paint a couple times a year. While at some of the road course and autocross events, I noted that most all of the 1st gen Camaro's with the Detroit Speed frame and 275's on 10" wheels had a similar issue.

[KSBRKTRACER]

Not trying to Hi-Jack the thread , but what about the same configuration on a 67 , mini-tubs and stock width rearend. By the way the 69 is gorgeous.

[Regal454]

Originally Posted by garymac69

Yes, I rolled the rear lips 19 years ago when I restored the car, knowing I would always run wide tires. The front 18x9" have 5 3/4" B.S. but would recommend 6" to give a little more clearance on the outside fender lip at full lock.

Gary, do you think 18x9 front wheels would cause the tires to rub the frame rails at full lock? Do your wheels hit the inner fender or outer fender at full turn? Have your inner fenders been modified at all? Also how much negative camber are you running? I'm asking because I too have the Ridetech front suspension and am getting ready to order a set of wheels in the near future.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[garymac69]

Originally Posted by Regal454

Gary, do you think 18x9 front wheels would cause the tires to rub the frame rails at full lock? Do your wheels hit the inner fender or outer fender at full turn? Have your inner fenders been modified at all? Also how much negative camber are you running? I'm asking because I too have the Ridetech front suspension and am getting ready to order a set of wheels in the near future.

Thanks in advance for your help.

With my present amount 5 3/4 " B.S. the driver side rubs the frame a little at full lock and rubs off some of the paint, no damage to tire. The other side does not rub. The rubbing area to be concerned is your front fenders around full lock. With the squared-off fender of a '69 the tire tread tends to grab the fender. My inner fenders are stock, but there is no clearance issue there. My recommendation is to go a little more B.S. and limit turning radius a little. Two of my friends went with that and have less rubbing issues than I.

[garymac69]

Originally Posted by KSBRKTRACER

Not trying to Hi-Jack the thread , but what about the same configuration on a 67 , mini-tubs and stock width rearend. By the way the 69 is gorgeous.

The configuration should work great on the '67. Did you ever check out the Ridetech 48 Camaro build? I believe that rearend was 1" narrowed each side, so they had around a 5" lip on their wheels.

Thanks for the compliment.

[garymac69]

I just remembered that I did have to make a modification to the rear 4-link mounts that bolt to the stock 12-bolt spring perches. When I originally bolted on the new tires and wheels, I found that the inside of the tire touched the bottom of the coilover where it bolts to the mounting bracket. I then initially ran with a 3/16" wheel spacer, but that made the clearance a little tight on the outside fender lip. I then drilled new 1/2" holes in the rear 4-link lower mounts, offset to the inside about 3/8", to mount that aluminum coilover bracket. I removed the wheel spacers. The tires are perfectly positioned in the center of the fender well now. IMO the system might have been designed around a '67 & '68 with rounded rear fender and the wheel offset is setup to position the tire a little more outboard.

[Regal454]

Originally Posted by garymac69

With my present amount 5 3/4 " B.S. the driver side rubs the frame a little at full lock and rubs off some of the paint, no damage to tire. The other side does not rub. The rubbing area to be concerned is your front fenders around full lock. With the squared-off fender of a '69 the tire tread tends to grab the fender. My inner fenders are stock, but there is no clearance issue there. My recommendation is to go a little more B.S. and limit turning radius a little. Two of my friends went with that and have less rubbing issues than I.

Thanks for the response Gary, looks like 6" BS on an 18x9 is the way to go. I saw the guy with the "Dirty Silver" '69 Camaro went with a 18x9 with 5.9"BS for the same reasons. I will probably limit my turning radius as you suggested. Since my car is primarily a street drives car, I would like to run about -.75* Camber. What are your alignment specs?

[garymac69]

Originally Posted by Regal454

Thanks for the response Gary, looks like 6" BS on an 18x9 is the way to go. I saw the guy with the "Dirty Silver" '69 Camaro went with a 18x9 with 5.9"BS for the same reasons. I will probably limit my turning radius as you suggested. Since my car is primarily a street drives car, I would like to run about -.75* Camber. What are your alignment specs?

I have my camber now at -.50* but have been told a good setup for handling should be closer to - 1.50*. I plan to get it realigned to that in the near future.