18" on a 2nd gen

[1971ssls1]

hey guys, i have a 71 camaro, i am wanting to put 18x11 out back and 18x8 up front. i am hoping that some of you can give me an idea of what backspacing to use on the fr. and rr. to get everyhting to fit just right, and possibly some tire sizes. thanks for any info.

[MrQuick]

Welcome to the site, to fit 11' you will have to do some work to fit. Might as well go with 335's on 12's.
Ok 18x11's 315's will require bs of 5 3/4"-6"
Play it safe with 18X10 295's and a 5 9/16" bs.
Please measure your vehicle as all car are different.
Fronts....how crazy do you wanna get?

[jeffandre]

I put 19x13's (9.625" bs) with 345/30's in the rear and 19x10's (7.25" bs) with 275/35's in the front. I have the same turning radius as a 3rd Gen F-body. I did not have to modify the front sub or inner fenderwell, but I have modified the inner fenderwell rear mount to bring it closer to the firewall for tire clearance. The only reason 7.25" bs worked for me is that I have Vette Brakes upper and lower control arms, which are built perfect for tire clearance in that they do not bulge out of line when you look from the edge of the lower ball joint to the bushing location (stock and other aftermarket arms tend to have more rounded lines and would have screwed up my plans badly.

If you have stock control arms listen to Vince and make sure you test fit something before you buy. Good luck and get some pics out here when you can. Oh yeah, welcome to the best site on the Net!!!

[1971ssls1]

change of mind, the wheel i want only makes an 18x10, so what would be the best b/s to get a nice deep dish? and how about the front 18x8?

[c.schulz]

You can easily put a 18x9.5 up front.Vince gives some great dimentions. to start from.But be sure to measure your own car.

Chris

[yody]

vince, where do you get 5 9/16"? to put a 10" wheel on the back of a second gen you need 6" of backspacing, that will put your wheel inboard of the fender lip about 1/4" any less backspacing than that and your wheel will stick out. People put 11's on the back, but they will stick out barely past the fender lip, which is not functional and looks stupid. with 6" of backspaing on my 19x10's i barely have a 1/2" if not 3/8"s before i hit my leaf springs inboard. THis is what i recommend;
18x10's with 6" backspaing on the back
18x9's with 5.5" backspacing on the front,
you can still fit a 275 on a 9" wheel and have decent turning radius with the 9" wheel.
BTW jeff, don't count your chickens before your egg's hatch, have you actually mounted the wheel son the car, and try turning the wheels at the correct ride hegiht? I KNOW you will get it to work, however i don't think it is set in stone. Let me know when you get the wheels back, i want to make another visit!!

[F70t/a]

Did you get your rims and tires jeff? it's gonna look killer once it's a roller again.it will make for some good motivation to get the car done quicker

[jeffandre]

I mounted the wheels a little over a week ago for clearance checks, at 3rd Gen turning radius measurements the tire almost rubs the sway bar and is still 5/8" or so away from the LCA back side. The top of the tire is about 1.25" in from the outer edge of the fender too. I should be able to run the car with the front fender lip at or slightly below the top of the tire, and the rear fender lip will be about 3/4" below the top of the rear tires, so the rake will be about 1-1.5" front to rear.

Once I get new ball joints, GW del-a-lum's installed (must be machined to fit my arms), and the spindles and arms painted I will throw the front suspension back together and set it at ride height for picture taking. I hope to have it together before Dave leaves for Texas!!!

[MrQuick]

vince, where do you get 5 9/16"? to put a 10" wheel on the back of a second gen you need 6" of backspacing,

Thats just from my experience Mody, trust me, im sure you will be rubbing with a 6" bs. I rubbed abit with my 9.5's and 5 5/8" bs. Just a surgical touch with a BFH and that stopped. Just be sure to carefully measure your car when setting up. Mock up rims would be the best way.

[1971ssls1]

can i just ise a 10" wheel with a 4.5" bs or a 5" bs and not worry about it?

[yody]

I have 6" of backspacing on a 10" wheel right now and it doesn't rub. I will take pics tomorrow. Most people use 5.5" of backspacing with a 9.5 wheel, so 6" with a 10" wheel is a no-brainer.

Jeff; also make sure to let people know with your backspacing numbers and such that you are running a wheel with different offset than a traditional muscle car wheel, There is only a 2" lip on the front wheels that we have(unless you got a 3"??) at least on mine, i only have a 3" lip in back and 2" in front, so that can throw people off. BTW i think i can use my 10" wheels on the front, i would need a 3/4" spacer(which i already have) but i would have a 3" lip on the front and rear, which doesnt' look that good to me. Gotta get one of your rims down here and see how it sits!

10" wheel no what? front or back? both of those backspacing numbers either on front or back are going to make your wheel stick out big time!!

[MrQuick]

can i just ise a 10" wheel with a 4.5" bs or a 5" bs and not worry about it?

If you want to set your car up right you will have to do some homework. There is nothing worse than spending good money on rims and tires just to be disappointed about them. If you want to play it safe and still have nice sized tires go with 275's on 9.5's and a 5.5 bs. Most rim makers have that BS as a standard so that will avoid spending the extra cash with custom BS.

[yody]

I was bored so i took some pictures today, they aren't the best but...
19x10 with a 295/35/19, 6" backspacing
They actually look more tucked in than in the pictures, the pictures make the wheel look like it is flush with the fender lip but the wheel/tire in reality sticks inwards about 1/4" of the flare







BTW i have seen Jeffs back wheels/tires on the car, and if the front look like what i think they will, IMO he is going to have the baddest set of wheels and tires on a muscle car....ever! BIg red has some monsters, but not as big on the back and not as shiny!! Can't wait to see the front ones on!! Might just have to put my 10's on the front!

[jeffandre]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Cody, I will be working hard to get the fronts on soon, I am waiting for the paint for the spindles and control arms before I start putting everything back together.

The front 10" wheels should fit fine on our 2nd Gens, and I agree that it looks a little better when the front wheels have a little less lip (assuming that they are at least that much narrower than the rears of course). I believe I have a 3" lip on the rears and a 2" lip on the fronts. I also like the way the 295's fit your 10's, knowing that the 35 series fits better on a 10" than the 30 series, so if I go up to 295's someday I will have to see them on a car in the 30 series size first. I think 295/35's will be too tall for my car, but maybe not.

[c.schulz]

Cody when are you going to get some dirt on that car of yours?? Cant wait to see the car completed.

Chris
+

[1971ssls1]

i want to go with the american racing torque thrust classics and they are a custom bs only and on have a 10" rim not a 9.5" so maybe i could use 10" w/ 5.5" bs and it should work out fine? and how about the fronts, an 8" wheel would be fine, but what bs would be the best there?

[MrQuick]

If you want to use the 10" then go with the 5 3/4" - 6" back space.10" rim is actually 10.5 wide with lip. Your gonna have to get dirty and measure.
You will have to modify abit to fit. I always say" its easier to modify the inside wheel well than the outside quarter panel. 295 or 285 tire?

[yody]

trust me, im sure you will be rubbing with a 6" bs

so you take this back then huh?

[MrQuick]

No he's still going to need to work the inner wells to work right. If you read the past post I was recommending that bs to get the balance between getting enough room to allow clearence of the outer quarter.5 9/16 bs should give hin a 1/2" to the outer quarter. You can get closer with the outside due to the axle movement when articulating. I recommend atleast 3/4" of room to the inner panel.
Don't worry your still gonna rub.

[OLDFLM]

SW is running the AR CL205s (grey centered TTIIs) on his red 73 T/A.

18x8 front with 4.5bs 255/40/18 26.03-inches tall
18x10 rear with 5.5bs 295/35/18 26.12-inches tall

Do a seach on Streetking and look at his red T/A!!

V/R,
Ty