opinions...17" or 18"

[69ozz]

just looking for some opinions on wheel diameter for a 69 camaro with 2" drop front and rear. thinking about 17" or 18", but would like some input before i spend the $$$$. any tire size would be helpful too. thanks 69ozz

[jy211]

18's....

[third base]

Both: 18's rear, 17's front

[CAMAROBOY69]

18" This is what I am running.

Budnik Famosa 18" Wheels
Front 18x8 Rear 18x9.5
5" BS 5.5"BS

Nitto 555R Extreme Tires
Front 235/40-18 Rear 275/40-18

[Stupidnewbie]

Decide what kind of tire you want to run, as there's a huge price difference and the width you want may not be available in one or the other. For me, 17's are more practical and have the look I'm going for, so that's what I'll be using.

[go-fish]

If this is a show car I think either a 17/18 combo looks good as well as the 18's all around. if this is a serious contender doing battle frequently then 17 inches will do best at all four corners. You will be buying tires more often than at a show car rate and it is cheaper for 17 inch rubber, and if there is anyone out there that thinks 18's have a performance advantage over 17's in a car with midrange to professional type abbilities, then they bought into the BFGoodrich ads and the TV shows.

[aonghus]

I have been debating myself as to whether go 17" or 18" for wheels, for me the main determining factor is brakes.

One can fit 14" rotors inside an 18" wheel, 17" maxes out at 13" (correct me if I am wrong)

The price difference for the package i've been looking at is quite substantial, nearly $4,000 more for a set of Forged 18" wheels & tires versus $2000 for wheels and tires for a set of 17" Vintage Wheel Works wheels with Rubber.

I like the idea of being able to stop better in proportion to how quickly I can get going. Bigger brakes sure are appealing to me, and I'm willing to give up a little bit of sidewall...

[go-fish]

Is there a big following in the 100-0 braking competitions. I would like to know how much of an advantage 13 plus inches on a _______ lb. car (enter 69 Camaro weight) would actually be. My 70 'cuda has Willwood 12.9'' rotors in front and 12.19" in back, I run 17's. I personally, along with the guy from Willwood Engineering out in Camarillo, think this combo is fine for perfomance, would it look the best at a car show, no. I use light steel road race wheels and www.hydroboost.com 's hydraulic assist brake booster. No vacuum required. Basically the same unit that's on my Powerstroke, with some tweeks. Compared to this setup ,wich runs off of your p/s pump, vacuum brake boosters suck. Delaney Auto Design swears by them, you'll crap your pants when you see his latest projects, I will. I am not a 17 inch wheel salesman, but just know this, it aint always about a bigger wheel/rotor combo. Take a minute and look at the vids on hydroboost.com. What good is it to run big brake technology and have engine vacuum assisted brakes. BTW if you are going for show, you could have saved some time and ignored my rant. Asthetically, I do like a 17/18 combo, I couldn't justify spending $2000 more for wheels, I don't know how much more for rubber, and $2000 plus for the bigger brakes. All that and you could just set down and engineer a better braking system. I have less than $1000 in wheels and tires, $2300 in brakes, and the hydroboost. I am very confident my system can out perform most vacuum assisted 14 plus inch brakes.