Z06 Wheel offset

[ezccole]

I'm curious why, the corvettes run so much positive Wheel offset? I'm building a 67 LSX 6 speed and working out the details of suspension choices.

[Rhino]

One nice thing that comes with the high offset on the C5/C6 designs is that it results in significantly reduced scrub radius when used with the C5/C6 suspension.
The offset allows you to run a longer lower control arm which reduces the angular change the suspension components go through as they move through their travel.

There's nothing that will inherently make the car corner better with positive wheel offset. The wheels are designed around the suspension.

[ezccole]

I have purchased the AME front clip with C6 components, so with this design will it handle better with the higher offset? Or do I really worry about wheel and tire fitment issues.

[Lowend]

Higher offset also puts less strain on the wheel bearings, spindles ect.

It was something that should have been done a long time ago... but brakes and suspension componts would not fit.
With the popularization of larger diameter wheels the componets can now fit inside of the wheels instead of behind them

[HWYSTR]

Hm, I thought the more offset there is from zero, the more side load on the wheel bearings?

I also was under the impression that the ideal location for the ball joint and wheel bearing is completely to the outside of the wheel? That would allow the longest arm on the control arms to be used, and a much more granular/linear arc due to the leverage?

I picture a coil spring on the floor, against a wall, and you have 2 bars, a long one and a short one. There's a hole in the wall at 2/3 hieght of the spring. You stick the short bar in the hole, and push/pull down on the other end, slowly compressing the spring. The spring rate as it compresses, if you graph it, would be a sharp slope. Now do that with the long bar, and you can gradually apply pressure, and the spring graph will be a smoother arc. (If you add tire to the bar length, it's squirmy, and you loose control of the compression/spring rate. If you turn the wheel, you change the length.).

And negative is towards the center of the car, right? Aren't we talking about negative and not positive? New 'vettes are positive?


Thinking out loud, and certainly could be wrong....


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[Rhino]

I also was under the impression that the ideal location for the ball joint and wheel bearing is completely to the outside of the wheel? That would allow the longest arm on the control arms to be used, and a much more granular/linear arc due to the leverage?

The vettes do use a high positive offset.

Otherwise, As long as you're calling the wheel side furthest from the vehicle center line the "outside" we're speaking the same language.

[HWYSTR]

Oh, had that backwards then! Ok, positive is towards the inside, got it! Thanks!

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[silver69camaro]

I have purchased the AME front clip with C6 components, so with this design will it handle better with the higher offset? Or do I really worry about wheel and tire fitment issues.

No, that suspension was desiged to run wheels and tires that would fit under a first-gen F-body.

The geometry isn't stock Corvette, anyway.