luke87gt

Hi folks, I'm starting to hunt for a set of CCW Classics for my 2003 z06. I've searched dozens of posts on this forum but unfortunately very few get into the topic of backspacing/offset.

First off, here is what I am searching for:

- 18x10 front / 18x11 rear
- 275/35 front / 305/35 rear
- 1" lip front / biggest possible lip rear
- Street or Race
- Any finish

Now on to the questions.

1.) I want the wheels to sit flush with the fenders for that aggressive look. However sticking out beyond the fender is absolutely not an option. Given the wheel sizes I show above, what backspacing (or offset) is recommended?

2.) I like a 1" lip on the fronts. But for the rears, what is the biggest lip available for an 18x11 if we assume that the wheel may not stick past the fender? I think it would be in the 1.5-2" but need someone to confirm.

Thank you!
Luke

neutron82

I believe a 3" lip is the biggest you can get on an 18x11 forging... not sure on the offsets but if you call John at ccw you can get the answers you need straight from him... he has done so many wheels for this car he will know what you need right off the top of his head

luke87gt

Thank you for the reply about John.

I'll have to give him a ring

Regarding the 3" lip, I am 99.9% sure you can't get anywhere near that on a 18x11 and still tuck

neutron82

I just saw that you are looking for classics, those I'm not sure about the lip sizes... I had a set of 19x11 505a's with a 3" lip (and plenty others do as well) and they were flush with the rear quarters... not an 18 but the offsets should be identical

luke87gt

Yes with the 505s you can get the 3" lip since the spokes can curve back in.

Classics are flatter so you are more limited

Do you know what ur offsets were?

Black 02

With a 305 you are going to need a high amount of offset which means not very much lip. One guy ran larger lips on classics but needed narrower tires to keep everything inside the fender.

On my last set of wheels I ran a 42 offset on an 11" wheel but I had a 275 tire so it definitely would have stuck out with 305s.

WKMCD

You don't need to find an expert.

Give John a call at CCW and tell him exactly what you are looking for. I had 2 sets of CCW's on my C5 and each time I simply spoke with John and they were perfect. The last set John setup a 18x10 and 19x13 SP500's for the L5 flares. I simply told John I wanted as wide as possible but not stick out. They were flush and looked great.

Call John or Chip...They are GREAT folks!

striper

I have on my Z exactly what you are looking for. 18 x 10in front with 265/35-18 Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta tires. I have 18 x 11" rears with 295/35-18 same tires. They are fantastic tires. One rear is brand new due to getting a cut in the sidewall. The backspacing I don't know because when I bought them I just got whatever John at CCW recommended as the correct size. They fit exactly like you'd want. The tires sit right at the wheelwell edge with only the sidewall bulge slightly sticking out. The lips aren't as wide as you'd want but the rears are wider than the fronts. I've been giving some thought lately to selling the whole setup, but not too seriously yet, simply because I've had them for a while and was considering a change in looks. If you want to make me an offer, PM me and we can discuss. The rims are in great condition and right they are not on the car because I'm hand polishing them. The other three tires have a good amount of life. left.

luke87gt

Pm sent!

Maxx_Z06

Toque

Be aware that often times its NOT the rim that sticks out past the fender.

Its the LARGE lip protector on the tire that sticks out.

Something to consider when purchasing tires.

Toque



My New Bridgestone RE-11's.





My Old Continental tires.

MSG C5

That is correct. John did a great job guiding me through the tire option. The Michelins for example had a raised tire bead to prevent rim damage when the car was being serviced. The Hankooks I went with do not stick out like the Michelins.

luke87gt

The tire selection is certainly a valid point. Obviously the tires will play a big roll in whether there is overhang or not beyond the fender. Take for example an 18x11 rim. Guys commonly go with 295/35, 315/30, or 335/30 tire (not many street radial options outside of those sizes for an 18"). Even if that rim is flush with the fender, the 335 is 45mm wider than the 295 which means nearly a full inch more tire overhang to either side of the rim compared to the 295 tire.

Before I call John @ CCW, here are my expectations for the backspacing judging off the stock c5 z06 wheels which are close to flush. I'd venture to say that another 1/4" of front spacing on the CCWs would be great for a bit more of an aggressive look.

The stock z06 wheels are:

front: 17x9.5 7.38" BS (3.12" front spacing)
rear: 18x10.5 8.03" BS (3.47" front spacing)

If we assume another 0.25" of front spacing, I think this would be pretty close to ideal for me for a street car on the CCWs, or very close to it (I'll call John to confirm). The following splits the extra half inch of rim width to the inside and the outside equally:

front: 18x10 7.63" BS (3.37" front-spacing)
rear: 18x11 8.28" BS (3.72" front-spacing)



EDIT: I just got off the phone with CCW and it looks like I nailed it. The sizes they recommended were:

front: 18x10 7.75" BS (3.25" front-spacing)
rear: 18x11 8.25" BS (3.75" front-spacing)

If you want to removed the rear brake plastic then you can do an 18x11.5 8.75" BS

chassed

And what's your lip size going to be?

luke87gt

You don't really have many options with a C5 unfortunately because of how far the brake hub sticks out on these cars requiring a high positive offset wheel.

In the front with an 18x10 7.75" BS, you are limited to about 1".

In the rear with an 18x11/18x11.5, you are limited to 2". There is no difference in the 11 or the 11.5 because with the 11.5 the extra 0.5"
width is to the inside of the wheel, not the outside. Of course this is all assuming we are sticking with CCWs recommendations on width/backspacing to prevent the rim from sticking out beyond the fender.

You can't go any larger on the lip unless you are willing to increase the front spacing (which means the wheel sticks out further beyond the fender like a dirt track car. That's not an option).

I searched 100+ CCW posts and wasn't able to find this information. John @ CCW was a big help and now I know exactly what I am looking for.



Only thing I forgot to ask John is how CCW measures lip since the lip size to me never looks as wide as it's advertised...