shamby

I'm sure this has been beat to death, but I've got an 84 with factory tires and wheels that has been sitting for a long time. It's getting imposible to find 16" tires for the car so I've decided to go with 17" or even 18" wheels. The car is light blue over dark blue and I think the ZR1 wheels in black will look the best but I cant find the wheels either due to the offset. Any ideas or do I buy spacers and order for 89 and up? If I go with spacers what size wheel and tire do I run? Thanks

project C4

These would be nice...

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rch-cc71072-11b

shamby

Those wheels would look good.It's hard to find a wheel for the 84 Vette. I really didn't plan on spending that type of money but I may have to. Thanks for the reply..

surfbug

those sure are purrrrrty…

let us know what u decide

im looking at a 1985 and will have the sme problem.

you mean you can’t find 16 inch tires anywhere? been a long time since I looked…

shamby

No, You can find the track only tires and BFGs on back order. I've tried all the tire shops where I live and Tirerack.com along with discounttires. I think the stock wheels look good on the car but no luck getting new treads. Crazy

Brick454

You can use C5 wheels .You will need some spacers. They are staggered.

• Front: 17 x 8.5 Tire size: P245/45ZR-17
• Rear: 18 x 9.5 Tire size: P275/40ZR-18
• Bolt pattern 5x4.75" (same as 5x120.65mm)
• Front offset= +58mm, Back Spacing= 7.0" (177.8mm)
• Rear offset= +65mm, Back Spacing= 7.5" (190.5mm)

Some people use one size all the way around .But you would need to buy 2 sets.

shamby

I was trying to avoid using spacers but looks like I dont have a choice. I'll do some home work but if I'm going to by spacers I'll stick with the ZR1 wheels just need to figure out what size of spacer and wheel. I'd like to keep them under the fenders. Thansk

project C4

Any factory wheel designed to fit 88 and up cars will need .75 inch adapter to get back to the factory position on an 84-87 car. That being said,you know there is some wiggle room there. You like to keep them under the fenders so a 1/2" spacer with a factory 88 up wheel would work good. 1/2 spacers are easy to get and still safe with longer studs installed.

shamby

I've got sitting in my garage a brand new set of 17X9.5 with 56MM back spacking and 17X11 with 50MM ofset ordered by mistake. Would the 1/2 spacer make them work and if so will they stick out past the fenders. I dont mind the back just a little. I can send the wheels back if I need to.

Kilobuck84

If you have a base model with 8.5" wheels all around you can use 245/50-16" tires. Availability of these is not an issue. If you have the Z51 option with 9.5" rear wheels the 245s won't fit. You could find a pair of 8.5" wheels for the rears to keep the factory look.

project C4

The 1/2" spacers will work on the 9.5 wheels. I am not sure about the 11's. They might rub on the inside depending on what tire you use. If you are talking 315 then the sumitomos which run narrow may work.

shamby

I think the car is z51 options but not sure. I'll try to find out.

kael

Consider C6 front wheels, they are 40mm offset. I run these on my '87 (not C6, another +40 offset) with a 2mm spacer. Need to make sure the lug nuts turn at least 5-6 times. Otherwise, get some longer studs, not bad to replace (of course, I have a 12-ton HF press ).

Brick454

Z51 will have an extra fan, The tag should be in one of the storage spots behind the seats. If it a 5%! that is a great win . Dana 44 rear , fast steering and lots of other cools stuff.

shamby

Its Z51, it has BMH on the rear spring and BMB on the front.. This is why your kidneys hurt when driving for along time.

shamby

I think I'm going to order 1" wheel adapaters that are Hubcentric mfrom Titan. Send the 17X11 back and exchange them for 17X9.5. I also have a C5 with 17" wheels and getting back tires on it is getting to be almost imposible.

MatthewMiller

The 11s will fit front and rear, but like someone else said, you may need a bit more than 1/2". To run those spacers (you can't get them that thin in adapters), you'll need to install longer wheel studs. 3/4" spacers or adapters should work well for you. Plain spacers are actually lighter, stronger (there's literally no way they can fail), and you don't have to worry about the studs in the hub hitting the backs of the wheels (you might have to cut them). I prefer them, but you have to factor in the cost and hassle of swapping out to longer studs. 315/35/17 tires are the ones to run on these wheel, and there aren't a lot to choose from, although there are two or three decent choices. All of this goes for front as well as rear.

For the 9.5" wheels with 56mm offset, stock 9.5s on your car (the Z51 wheels) had 38mm offset. So for that to match the stock placement you'd want 3/4" spacers or adapters (19mm), which would get you to 37mm net offset. Same goes for the rear if you end up running them square. Run these with 275/40/17 tires and you'll be in good shape.

shamby

Thanks for all the info. I'm wondering if I would be better of running a C5 or C6 wheel instead making the Zr1 wheels work. I like the wheels you are running on your car Matthew but not willing to spend $2000 on a car that I drive very little. I've seen pictures of C4 will the C5 wheels and they look good.

MatthewMiller

Actual OEM C5 wheels are all staggered in diameter. IMO only, that doesn't look that good on a C4. The C5/6/7 needed that stagger to hide its disproportionately big butt. The C4 has no such problems and looks best with wheels of equal diameter. I get not wanting to spend the money for Forgestars. One idea is to look at OE Wheels. They make replicas of lots of different Corvette rims, include several C5 styles. I think they only come in later-C4 offsets (usually 56mm), so you'd still need spacers, but you're going to need spacers for stock C5 wheels also. They make most styles in an 18x10.5, and with 3/4" spacers and 285/35/18 or 295/35/18 tires they will fit and look great on both ends of your car.

shamby

I'm going to send back the 17" wheels I purchased and order a set of 18" from OEWheels. Getting tires for my 98 with 17" wheels is getting hard also so I dont want to go through the same thing in a few years. I'll get 18X10.5 for a 1988 corvette and just purchase the needed spacers.thansk for all the help. Nothing is easy anymore. Ecklars still sales the ZR1 wheels for the 84 but tires are going to be an issue.