68 camaro - Help with wheel/tire fitment

[68ash]

Sorry to beat a dead horse guys. I've been looking and looking to try and get a solid answer on what i can fit under my camaro. So far, it seems like the largest i "should" be able to go is
18 x 8 fronts with a 4.875" or 5” BS and 245-40-18 tires...
18 x 10 rears with 5.75” BS and 275-40-18 tires..
That is if i roll the fenders tight. All of this of course is assuming i have a fairly "true" car to start with. So taking this wheel combo into consideration, right now my camaro is factory height with no suspension mods done except for poly bushings. I have a new set of hotchkis 2" drop springs for the front, and i would like to bring the rear down a little as well. Will i be able to fit these with the front dropped that much and the rear down a bit? Thanks for the help guys!!

[lawlorj]

As you might have seen in my previous post I am in the same boat as you, also looking to put wheels on my 68. I don't have wheels on my car yet but I have been measuring my car for 17s so maybe I can help you a bit. Firstly, I highly reccomend you measure your own car to get the best fit for you, there are a lot of variables to consider. If your spending big bucks on wheels its worth the time to measure. I made my own simple tool out of scrap wood and some hardware that is similar to the Wheelrite one. Took no time at all and really gives you a good idea of what will fit, its not perfect but its better then nothing.

Here are my observations:

One thing to watch for is what type of brakes you are running. I have C5 fronts and the disks are much thicker than the old drums. Around .3" if I recall. That will affect your front BS for sure. With an 8" wheel I can't go more then 4.75" BS or the wheel will contact the tie rod end. However, I am fitting 17s not 18s and I have tall rod ends to make things more difficult. You might be able to get away with more BS with the larger wheel and stock ends. Also, on my car it looks like the fronts might rub the frame rails on full lock.This is known to happen with the 245s. No big deal to me, but if your going to go with 5" of BS in the front I would say they will most deffinatly rub. Outer fender clearance was hard to determine. I can't compress the suspension enough to really tell but I think I will be alright, with the amount of BS your going with I can't see that being a big issue.

Backs are another ball game. I am not sure about 18s but in 17s most people dont seem to go bigger the 9.5" wide. 10s would be TIGHT, its been done though like you said. I am going with 9s and even that is going to be close. For me 5.25" BS is about right, which is +6 offset, which is the same as the wheel you mentioned so your probably pretty close with that one. That backspacing gives me the best tuck on the outter and good clearance on the inner fender. Again brake type back there can change that or if your quarters have been replaced. I know mine have so those numbers work for me but might not for you.

Hope that helps. Let us know how it goes.

Jaime

[68ash]

Ya, i think im going to go with the 9.5's in the back. I cant afford to swap the front out with one of those hydroformed subs right now, so i dont really want to spend 1000's on wheels. i found a knockoff cheap set that actually has the correct offset and width. only ones i could find, so i think im just gonna bite the bullet and throw those on for now until i can afford to actually make some real upgrades to the suspension.

Im still left with the question of wether or not i can put those 2" drops on the front and bring the back down a little to match. or will my wheels be too wide for the drop?

[armourmark]

you should be fine with 18s and dropped 2 in front with 245s and 275s in dropped rear. If you need a little wiggle room, run 235s up front and 265s out back. Not much of a difference, but sometimes every little bit helps.

[Rod]

you could put on a Ridetech Tru-turn on and run 9.5 inch wheels front and rear with 275/40-17 or the 18s along with reduce the bump steer and keep the stock subframe

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/06/IMG_5442_zpsb0bb22b8-1.jpg (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/crazyshopmonkey/media/Del%20mar%20March%202013/IMG_5442_zpsb0bb22b8.jpg.html)

[68ash]

Rod, i do like that idea! After reading about it a bit, they say they've only tested it with the RideTech StrongArms. They say it is "possible" to use the OEM ones, but of course they cannot guarantee fit or performance. kind of a bummer.... Do you know if that kit will work fine with the factory arms?

[68400BIRD]

I have 17x8" on the back of my car. I do not know the size of the tire off the top of my head. But, it is a tight fit!!
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/02/DSC07468_zps6eb3f7a3-1.jpg (http://s319.photobucket.com/user/che77vy/media/DSC07468_zps6eb3f7a3.jpg.html)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/06/DSC07327-1.jpg (http://s319.photobucket.com/user/che77vy/media/DSC07327.jpg.html)

[Rod]

Rod, i do like that idea! After reading about it a bit, they say they've only tested it with the RideTech StrongArms. They say it is "possible" to use the OEM ones, but of course they cannot guarantee fit or performance. kind of a bummer.... Do you know if that kit will work fine with the factory arms?

I know that someone here on the forum used the tru turn and stock arms together, here's the thread from Jeff Tate (https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?88778-Tru-Turn-System-with-Stock-Control-Arms)