Is a 20/22 stagger too much for my 73 Camaro

[CallMeCooper]

I've got a line on a sweet deal on some coy's 20" front 22" rear but I just dont know if thats gonna be too much for my 73 Camaro.. Its got 17s on it now and the new tires are the same size as my 17s so I know they'll fit.. And I like the big look but is 22 too big?? Has anyone seen this combo on a similar car?? Thanks for the help..

[CRead01]

Wheel size is one of those things that is so hard to say what looks good without taking the rest of the car into consideration. Personally I think 20's are too big but I have seen some 2nd gens pull it off very nicely with the stance and attitude of the rest of the car. but if you like it.... do it.

[wmhjr]

Personally, I think 22's belong on tractor trailers and John Deere tractors, but that's just me.

[aronhk_md]

I dont like staggered sizes personally on anything. I also dont like anything over 18-19 inches. I have yet to see that anything over those sizes benefits in handling, but I HAVE seen how the rubber bands they call tires on the larger wheels destroy the ride of a vehicle. I imagine they make it pretty tough on every joint in the car (I think squeaks in your dash, or any other location, if they existed before will increase, and new ones will show up), and anything hard mounted as well. I'd personally hate to drive a car with 22's on a regular basis. Make sure you drive with your mouth open so your teeth dont contact each other......and dont get your tongue in between them.

Forgot to mention that when you go to replace those tires.......OUCH. The price will make you choke.

[zx10intn]

i love the idea, forget what everyone says, if YOU like it, believe me, when you look back at the money spent, it better be what YOU want and not from the opinion of anyone on a forum

[parsonsj]

i love the idea, forget what everyone says, if YOU like it, believe me, when you look back at the money spent, it better be what YOU want and not from the opinion of anyone on a forum

Cooper asked our opinion. It's the very essence of what forums are all about.

18" is the biggest wheel that can be justified for performance, to support 14" rotors. And 14" rotors are something that very few people will find themselves ever needing. Anything bigger than 18" is purely an aesthetic consideration, and a considerable performance degradation, both in acceleration and braking.

jp

[aronhk_md]

I agree........if he had posted...."hey guys, here's my new wheels" I wouldnt have posted what I did. But he asked for opinion. On that note, I also have to agree with zx10 to a large extent. Its YOUR car, and if you like them.....what the hell? Go for it. I like this place because everyone is entitled to an opinion and they dont really get bashed for it. Thats RARE in online forums, especially with the competitive nature of pro-touring type guys. Glad I found PT.com.

[srh3trinity]

I have 20's on my Trailblazer and wouldn't go any bigger and I have plenty of tire on them. Other than what has been mentioned above about small tires, bad ride, staggered wheels etc. For me, you would have to have huge brakes to fill the wheel up (and for the performance standpoint, that is a lot of rotational mass).

[SR71]

if you have 2" of wheel diameter stagger, you need AT LEAST 2" of tire diameter stagger. it looks dumb if your rear sidewalls are shorter than your front sidewalls.

[jy211]

If that's what your into go for it! I have a 18/20 staggard set up on my 56' and in my opinion I need bigger. a 20/22 combo would be sweet. However what is the overall use that the car will see? Street driving? Are you going to track the car?

[69camaro505]

Cooper asked our opinion. It's the very essence of what forums are all about.

18" is the biggest wheel that can be justified for performance, to support 14" rotors. And 14" rotors are something that very few people will find themselves ever needing. Anything bigger than 18" is purely an aesthetic consideration, and a considerable performance degradation, both in acceleration and braking.

jp

I've heard the argument for 18" wheels. Do the engineers for the Corvette ZR1, Lamborghini and Ferrari really sacrifice performance for aesthetics as there newest models use 20" wheels?

[zx10intn]

let me clear up what i said, because after i read it, it almost seemed like a jab and it definitely was not, sorry if anyone took it that way. all i was saying is that if you think a 20/22 would look good to you and what you are trying to achieve, DO IT!! a lot of it will be based on what you use the car for, as an example, i use my 69 chevelle mostly for cruising and show, so i actually run a 20/22 setup. now as mentioned, if you were wanting to do a lot of track and events, and your score was important to you, might not be the best possible setup. if you were just going to tinker around at a event or two for fun and werent particularly concerned with your score, just wanted to hang out and have fun, then it wouldnt matter if the wheels helped max out your performance. in the end, go with what looks/works best in your eye and for your uses. good luck, picking out the right wheels can be a huge task and take forever LOL

[parsonsj]

Do the engineers for the Corvette ZR1, Lamborghini and Ferrari really sacrifice performance for aesthetics as their newest models use 20" wheels?

Yes.

Though some of the high end models have gone to 15" rotors (my Z06 has 380 mm Brembos which require 19" wheels).

jp

[2blownstangs]

IMO the 20/22 combo looks right on alot of mid sized type muscles and sports cars. For me, it's all in the tire size (profile) and the offsets/backspacing that you are running. What type of suspension set-up are you planning? Are you tubbing at all? Get us abit more info on your thoughts about how you want the car to sit. I think that the stance of the Camaro will be key.

[Samckitt]

Personally I think 20 is too big for a car. I have 17s on my Monte, & wouldn't go any bigger than 18s on the back.

[BonzoHansen]

I only reply as we were asked. I don't slag on what other people want to do, it's their $$ and their car so do what you want. That said...

Cooper asked our opinion. It's the very essence of what forums are all about.

18" is the biggest wheel that can be justified for performance, to support 14" rotors. And 14" rotors are something that very few people will find themselves ever needing. Anything bigger than 18" is purely an aesthetic consideration, and a considerable performance degradation, both in acceleration and braking.

jp

This. All you need to see is the V6 2010 outskidpads the V8 car. To me wheel girth became an issue.

Aesthetically I think anything over 18" on a 2nd gen normally looks disproportionate to the rest of the car. The new camaro can use big wheels because they designed the rest of that tugboat around those big wheels, so proportionately they fit.

What kind of brakes are you going to use to even start to fill up 20" or 22" rims? IMO nothing looks worse than big open areas. Like s18s & drums.

[JAWSS]

Do what makes you happy. If you have never driven a car with 22's on it and "rubberband" tires, how would you know what the ride feels like? Pesonally I have, on side streets, highways and back country roads. I have all of my teeth in tact without leaving my mouth wide open. If you tune your suspension well you will not rattle and clatter your teeth. The tires on the 22's I HAVE only cost $500 for all four shipped. Another $125 for them to be mounted at discount tire. They are a 255/30 22 tires. There are no parts falling off my Monte SS. I have been rolling them since 2007 without an issue. All the Monte SS guys know who I am and one member on here has actually gone for a ride in my car. No complaints and he has all of his teeth too. lol


Above all build your car for YOU. Opinions are like....everyone has one.

J

[Derek69SS]

Yes it's too much. It's too much for any car IMHO.

You can do it if you like it, but I'll still think it's ugly... just one man's honest opinion.

[muthstryker]

DO IT!! Make sure enough wheel is tucking in the rear though, it will look badass!!!

And for you guys saying the ride is terrible my truck rides and handles better with bigger wheels and smaller tires then it does on 15s with a 245/55/15 tire. It depends on the suspension set up and shocks.

[muthstryker]

Oh and get some 14inch brakes as well!