18" wheels on a first gen

[lsxfirstgen]

im building a 69 camaro that wont be used for autocrossing or racing, i will probably put one of the hotchkis or similar suspension kits with the about the same range of lowering springs. i want to run an 18" wheel front and back with 18x8 245/45r18 and 18x??275/40r18. is it possible to fit this size and what backspacing would i need. thanks for any info.

[buickfunnycar.com]

First off,all of these cars are different so what works for one may not work for another so...that being said,I run the following combo on my '69:

Fronts:
18x8 (4.875" b/s)
245/40-18

Rears:
18x10 (5.625" b/s)
275/40-18

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

I would highly recommend contacting Jon Henson from www.driverzinc.com for some expert fitment advice,he has done dozens of these cars and knows what fits.
Email him @ [email protected] ...and tell him Musclecarjohn sent you.:)

[brickyard69]

Hotchkis suspension (cut one coil out of the frontand added spacer in rear).

Coys C5 wheels
18X8 front
18X9.5 rear

Only had to roll rear lip slightly.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/04/Camaro2-1.jpg

[Mark68]

First off,all of these cars are different so what works for one may not work for another so...that being said,I run the following combo on my '69:

Fronts:
18x8 (4.875" b/s)
245/40-18

Rears:
18x10 (5.625" b/s)
275/40-18

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

I would highly recommend contacting Jon Henson from www.driverzinc.com (http://www.driverzinc.com) for some expert fitment advice,he has done dozens of these cars and knows what fits.
Email him @ [email protected] ...and tell him Musclecarjohn sent you.:)


I wouldn't trust the 18x8's w/4.875" b.s. & 245/40/18 tires in front. I went with a set of Rushforth Superspokes on my '68 camaro and have rubbing issues which no one can seem to explain. I went through Jon at Driverz Inc and he told me that they should fit my car with no problem, but they don't! I checked alignment and all the other things that might cause these tires to rub but can't find anything wrong. If I had to do it again, in the front, I would go with either an 18x7 w/4" b.s. and a 235 tire or maybe an 18x8 w/5.25" b.s. (pending there's enough room behind the tire). My rears fit fine and are 18x9 w/5.5" b.s. and 275/40/18 tires. Remember that all cars are different and what one guy runs maybe will not work for you. Do your homework before you order your wheels & tires or you'll be stuck like me with two wheels & tires that I can't run on my car.

[lsxfirstgen]

jon at driverz gave me some good info, fr=8 w/4.75-5 and a rr=9 w/5.25-5.5. thats kind of what i was figuring but like above, i dont want to be in a situation with extra wheels that dont fit.

[buickfunnycar.com]

Jon is right,a 8" wide wheel with b/spacing between 4.75-5" is right in the sweet spot with 4.875" generally considered ideal.4.5" will work too but then you're getting a bit close to the frnders in some applications.

Mark,
The only thing I can think of as to why those didn't work for your '68 Camaro was possibly because of a different brake setup that pushed the wheels outward?I've seen this before,that setup Jon sold you should have been spot-on.

[JustinB]

same here. Jon set me up with with 18x8 with 4.875 back spacing for the fronts and it was spot on.

[DriverzInc]

Yup, something about Mark's set up has to be different, and there must be some unmentioned X factor. As I'm sure almost EVERYONE here would agree, an 8" wheel with a 4.875" is standard on these cars and is the agreed best fit.

Mark is running what he thinks are stock control arms and spindle with a Baer serious street brake kit, which is said to only push out the track width by .125".

We've confirmed that his wheels are the right 4.875", and I've talked to Baer about their .125" track width increase. One thing about Mark's set up is his neighbor set up his alignment. Now its hard to judge from his pictures, but it looks like a bit more negative camber could really help him, and I suggest putting that car on a good alignment rack and having that done. Mark's is definitely a very unusual case. We can prove we've been building a 4.875" backspace on an 8" wheel for 5+ years on first gens with almost a perfect success rate.

[PRRC]

Yup, something about Mark's set up has to be different, and there must be some unmentioned X factor. As I'm sure almost EVERYONE here would agree, an 8" wheel with a 4.875" is standard on these cars and is the agreed best fit.

Mark is running what he thinks are stock control arms and spindle with a Baer serious street brake kit, which is said to only push out the track width by .125".

We've confirmed that his wheels are the right 4.875", and I've talked to Baer about their .125" track width increase. One thing about Mark's set up is his neighbor set up his alignment. Now its hard to judge from his pictures, but it looks like a bit more negative camber could really help him, and I suggest putting that car on a good alignment rack and having that done. Mark's is definitely a very unusual case. We can prove we've been building a 4.875" backspace on an 8" wheel for 5+ years on first gens with almost a perfect success rate.

This set of Rushforth wheels were sold through us on a special we were running at the time. We have been in contact with Jon ( Driverz inc. ) And Jason Rushforth about this concern. I've looked a pictures of the car and will agree that from the pictures. The car needs negative camber. We will stand by the 4.875 B/S as we have sold count less sets with out any issue. There has to be an unknown X factor that is being over looked. We would have no reservations about setting up a 1st gen Camaro with the same set that is on Marks car.
Tim / Jim

[buickfunnycar.com]

Last person I talked to that had this problem was with a set of VWW's through Jon and after our discussion,we determined it was indeed the aftermarket brakes pushing the wheels outward.
4.75-4.875" is proven on a 8" wide wheel...

[Mark68]

Last person I talked to that had this problem was with a set of VWW's through Jon and after our discussion,we determined it was indeed the aftermarket brakes pushing the wheels outward.
4.75-4.875" is proven on a 8" wide wheel...

John,

My problem has nothing to do with the brake set-up I have on my car! I am running a Baer serious street disc set-up and at the most, it pushes the wheels out 1/8", which is not enough to cause any rubbing. I am working with Jon on this problem and I know from speaking with him numerous times, that he is going to fix the rubbing issue no matter what it takes. Right now, it looks like my front wheels might need a little more negative camber and I am going to have it checked out by a Goodyear shop and will post the results. I would like to thank Jon from Driverz Inc, Jason Rushforth and Tim & Jim from PRRC for working with me to solve this rubbing issue. These are all great guys and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to buy a truely nice set of wheels!

Regards,
Mark

[buickfunnycar.com]

Gotcha Mark...those names you mentioned are all stand up guys and in times like this,the service you receive far outweighs the price you paid...these guys will help you get your project on the road...not just leave you hanging like an impersonal big box store would.

Another example of why it's so important to support the sponsors here on this board and in our community.

[BRIAN]

MUSCLECARJOHN Since your car's pic is up on every wheel post I am curious as to what suspension you are running. It just looks spot on for that combo.

THnaks

[gmjj13]

275/40-18 on 18x9 and 245/40-18 on 18x8.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/04/DSC00577-1.jpg

[buickfunnycar.com]

MUSCLECARJOHN Since your car's pic is up on every wheel post I am curious as to what suspension you are running. It just looks spot on for that combo.

THnaks

Mostly original GM suspension,been tweaked a whole bunch,Herb Adams bars & springs,koni shocks and 1" rear blocks...nothing special or hi-tech.

[TonyL]

I wouldn't trust the 18x8's w/4.875" b.s. & 245/40/18 tires in front. I went with a set of Rushforth Superspokes on my '68 camaro and have rubbing issues which no one can seem to explain.

What kind of brakes you running up front? rotor thickness at the hat?

nevermind. Just read the whole thread. The track width increase has to be it. That, or the subframe is out of square.

[Mark68]

Gotcha Mark...those names you mentioned are all stand up guys and in times like this,the service you receive far outweighs the price you paid...these guys will help you get your project on the road...not just leave you hanging like an impersonal big box store would.

Another example of why it's so important to support the sponsors here on this board and in our community.


I totally agree with you John. I can only hope that my car's stance looks half as good as yours when it's done. Thanks for all your good info!

Mark

[buickfunnycar.com]

Thanks...and you're welcome Mark.

[strtlegal]

Just curious but are you guys running short steering arms to clear 8" wide with 4.875" bsp??

thanks

[Taylor1969]

18X9.5 5.5" backspace rear w/ 275-40-18
18X8.0 5.0" backspace front w/ 245-40-18

Running the following suspension:

Front:
ATS Tall Spindles
Global West Front springs
Corvette Brakes
w/ a 5" backspacing you can always buy a spacer to take some away... if you don't give enough backspacing (4.5") then there is nothing you can do cheaply.


Rear:
Global West L2 Springs w/ 1" drop block
LS1 Brakes

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/07/IMG_1079-1.jpg