Wheel sizes 78 T/A

[LS1_78Bandit]

Hey, I've got to imagine this is a really frequently asked question, but when I was doing a search, most of the info was for camaros and I've heard that the birds have slightly more room (true or not??).

I was looking at doing 17x9.5 up front with 275/40 and 17x11 in the back with 315/35. Is this going to fit without having to bang things? What would the bs be? I was looking at the Torque Thrust II's (even though they seem to be "overdone") .

Should I just go with a smaller size? This is primarily a street car, but will occasionally go to the track. This is a fair weather/fun driver not a daily driver. Will the 315/35's be an uncomfortable ride on the street?



Oh, no suspension mods (yet). I'm probably not going to lower it much because the speed bumps and steep driveways around here will be killers on the ground effects. But I'll definitely have to change out the springs because the LS1 that's going in is a bit lighter ....

[LS1_78Bandit]

Ttt

[JoshStratton]

Sorry I didnt see this before. Welcome aboard! Nice to have another late 2nd gen.

I personally have a 79 but think we are looking at the same situation. I had 17 x 9.5 TT2's all around on mine before tearing it down and they seemed to fit nicely(well, aside from the fact that my backspace was off a little). Wheels

I 'think' I was running a 5 inch backspace, but on my next wheels I will increase that to 5 or 5.75 inches. If you look through my old posts in the 'For Sale' section, you can probably find them. They sold a while back, but the details were there -->Sorry I am a little worthless here. I cannot remember what the details were with them.

[JoshStratton]

Oh yeah. This also is a discussion that has come up a few times with our cars. If you search the Wheels section, there are a few threads regarding it. I think in there, you will find the validity of the 11's in the rear.

Got any pics of your car?


Edit: Nevermind. I just looked at your 'Welcome' thread. I think I remember you. Didnt you have that guy who does all the restorations do your car? I think I followed that build and was VERY impressed. Very nice.

[LS1_78Bandit]

I personally have a 79 but think we are looking at the same situation. I believe you will have to mini-tub if you want to fit the 11's in the back.

OK, I'm hoping not to do that. I know someone that put 10.5's on there without tubbing, and 10.5 should be large enough even if I try to go with the 315's (though I suppose if the 11's don't fit, then 315's probably won't regardless of rim ....).

I 'think' I was running a 5 inch backspace, but on my next wheels I will increase that to 5 or 5.75 inches. If you look through my old posts in the 'For Sale' section, you can probably find them.

OK, I'll try doing some searches. BTW - what are your new wheels (or what will they be)? And what sizes?

Oh yeah. This also is a discussion that has come up a few times with our cars. If you search the Wheels section, there are a few threads regarding it. I think in there, you will find the validity of the 11's in the rear.

I'll try again, but I tried searching before posting and I guess I didn't find the right search terms because I couldn't find what I needed. Most discussions seemed to center on 1st gens.

Edit: Nevermind. I just looked at your 'Welcome' thread. I think I remember you. Didnt you have that guy who does all the restorations do your car? I think I followed that build and was VERY impressed. Very nice.

No, that wasn't me. I had the Restorer From Hell do my car. OK, 60 second version of my sob story: Bought the car when I was 15 with paper route money - it was in excellent condition when I bought it. Drove it through HS and College, then moved to CA but left the car in PA. Even though I took excellent care of it through the years, that much time in the NE takes a toll.

So with a new, well-paying job, I decided to get my car back into "excellent" condition. Took it to a restorer, who quoted $6-8K to do the job. He stripped it and left it in his back, dirt parking lot. In the North East. For 5 years. By that time it was in pretty rough shape. I cried when I saw it.

With much kicking and screaming I got him to actually start working on it again and after an additional 2 years he finally finished. Total bill: $23K. And it's still not where I'd like it to be, especially after all the money poured into it. I'm going to have to have someone else fix up the things I'm still unhappy with. But at least it's out of the Colossal Idiot's hands. I will say one positive thing about him though - he did a great job with the decals and the paint job seems to be quite good too (time will tell exactly how good it is ...).

And of course now I'm putting in the LS1 drivetrain and then will do some upgrades on suspension and brakes.

My "$6K-$8K" project is probably going to be in the neighborhood of $40K by the time I'm done. But I've had this car for 19 years now and hope to have it pretty much 'til the day I die. So I suppose if you amortize over the life of it, it's not too bad. Or .

[JoshStratton]

LOL another body shop impoundment. Yikes. There are some really great body shops on this site that I would use, but all the horror stories is why I am trying to teach myself to do the work.

BTW - what are your new wheels (or what will they be)? And what sizes?

I am a long ways off before getting my wheels, but I am REALLY liking these in 18x10's in the back and 18 x 8's in the front:

http://www.newstalgiawheel.com/listp....asp?cat=10190


Their site is running a little slow right now, but if you click on that link and then click the link that says "See Our Wheels On Your Ride!!!!", it brings up a nice little program where you can see your car with different colors, ride heights, etc...and you can 'try the wheels out'. They are also a great company to do business with. They are a sponsor of this site and many of the PT.com members have been extatic with their service and price.

And of course now I'm putting in the LS1 drivetrain and then will do some upgrades on suspension and brakes.

Any ideas on what you will be going with?

I am using Hotchkis front sway and springs and rear leafs. Global West poly body bushings and subframe connectors, either GWE or DSE upper arms, and for my brakes I am looking at Willwoods or Precision Brake Company's. I really like the Baers I had, but I didnt want the dropped spindles that they come with. I wanted to adjust my ride height with the springs.

[zbugger]

OK, FINE!! I'll tell you what's up.... You can fit the 275/40-17's in front with a 5.5" backspace. It may rub the sway bar on full lock though. In the rear, you don't need to mini-tub. 315/35's on a 17x11 wheel with 5.75" backspace will work. You may need to bash in the bump for the seat belt bolt though, and rolling the fender lip is also a good idea. You have a little more space because the wheel wells are more rounded than the Camaro. I've seen it done on a few 2nd Gens before. Go over to www.nastyz28.com and look for a member named badkarma. He has that setup and it looks nuts. Oh, and on this site, before I go forgetting and he kicks my butt... Look for PKNMCLE. He's got it on his Camaro too. Hell, I posted pics of it before.

[LS1_78Bandit]

OK, FINE!! I'll tell you what's up

Sorry! Wasn't trying to rile anyone up. I really did try to search first ...

Anyhoo ... you provided exactly the info I needed! Thank you *so* much!

[zbugger]

Sorry! Wasn't trying to rile anyone up. I really did try to search first ...

Anyhoo ... you provided exactly the info I needed! Thank you *so* much!

Ha ha.. No worries. Although it almost seems like I'm the only one here that knows this stuff.....

[JoshStratton]

Allen you are my hero! I guess when enough people tell you it cannot be done, it becomes engrained.

<--------moron, gullible, ignorant. Take your pick.

LS1, my wheels may have changed.

Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe!

[zbugger]

Josh, just remember to measure your car first. I've said this before, as have many others, but every car is different. And remember that lowering the car gives you less room than you might think.

[JoshStratton]

Maybe that is where I thought the fit with the 11's came in.

Either way, I am a LOOOOOONGGGG way off. Right now my car still looks like a giant bucket of trash.

[LS1_78Bandit]

Any ideas on what you will be going with?

I am using Hotchkis front sway and springs and rear leafs. Global West poly body bushings and subframe connectors, either GWE or DSE upper arms, and for my brakes I am looking at Willwoods or Precision Brake Company's. I really like the Baers I had, but I didnt want the dropped spindles that they come with. I wanted to adjust my ride height with the springs.

I have some questions on this, but I'm going to move it to the suspensions section. Though you may not see it right away since I'm still doing more searching through that forum to see if I can answer them myself ...

[Jeremy]

I run 17 x 9 front and rear with 5 3/4 BS front and 5 1/4 BS rear. The wheels fill the wells nicely but don't stick out past the body lines. I do get some rubbing on the sway bar at full steering lock but it doesn't cause any problems for normal driving, only in parking lots.

[a73formula]

I am running 17x11 tt11's on my 73 with 6" bs and have no problems and didn't have to hammer in the seatbelt hump, and before anyone asks no they don't stick out past the fender they sit exactly even which works for firebirds because of the rounded lip. With a 5 3/4" bs I think the wheel will stick out of the fenderwell on an 11" wheel but lik previously stated all cars are different so you do have to measure.

P.S. don't feel bad about the $23k your into your car already, I am into mine almost $30 and I still have to do the body and paint still.

[79TransAm]

here is the thread with the pic of that guys camaro with 315's

http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40656

and here is his car domain site

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/424578

[LS1_78Bandit]

OK, I've just purchased a pair of wheels, but they need to be custom made, so I won't get them for a while. :( I still have a few days to make changes, so I wanted to do a final check here.

I ordered the wheels as 17x11 in the rear with 5.75" bs and 17x9.5 up front with 5.5" backspacing.

In the rear I was thinking of either 285/40's or 315/35's. I figured the 17x11 would have the flexibility of doing both. But based on some comments, I'm wondering if maybe I should just go with the 17x10.5 and plan on 285/40's. Technically I could still do 315/35's on the 10.5 if I eventually decide to go that route.

The reason for considering the 285's over the 315's is that with the 315's, even though they fit, if I corner hard I may have issues. The 285's would give me more leeway. The other reason is that I've seen people comment that 315 in the back and 275 up front is a relatively large split and that I should consider keeping the split lower.

I don't have to make the final decision on tire size now, but I do have to decide on wheel size. And considering the exorbitant price of the wheels and the fact they're custom, I wanted to make absolutely certain I got the right thing. So ... 10.5 or 11? Any thoughts?

Oh, and yes - I know I need to do actual measurements to be 100% certain on sizing ...

[79TransAm]

I'd say 10.5 with 285's. Let us know how ya make out with em when ya get em. I'm trying to figure out the same thing.

[LS1_78Bandit]

Let us know how ya make out with em when ya get em. I'm trying to figure out the same thing.

Unfortunately that's gonna take a while. The wheels are Works VS-XX's which are custom made in Japan. I've been told to expect 60-90 days.

FYI. Here's a pic of the wheels I'm getting. Full credit should go to the owner of this vehicle (I think it was Trev on transamcountry.com). His car looks just like mine and when I saw the wheels he chose I just *had* to have them. I almost shorted my keyboard out with drool.

[a73formula]

I would go with the 10.5" also. with that bs I think that you would have the rim sticking out of the fender with the 11". Just my .02 cents but I have 6" fo bs on my 11's and they are right flush with the fender lip.