Well, my persistance at scouring craigslist at night while I'm at work has finally paid off. Today I scored a set of 2002 Camaro SS 17x9 rims for $375 and best part is they were only 3 miles from the house. So now the big questions: 1) Will 275/40ZR17 tires fit on all 4 corners with the right spacers? I'm really not interested in staggering the tire sizes if I don't have to. I'd rather standardize on one tire size and go from there. I'm not running any front inner fenders so the only rubbing I can think of would be the frame and the fender lip. 2) Anyone run a similar combination that has a good idea what width spacer/adapter to use and can recommend a part number? 3) I'm going "inexpensive" on tires and although I'd like to put on a set of Nitto NT05's, I don't think the budget is going to permit it. Any recommendation on Riken, Kumho of Generals? I've seen a lot of less expensive low profile tires shed their treads. If I have to spend more money and wait until next spring to get tires I will. Thanks a bunch, -Phil
Those tires are 10.83" wide and 25.66" tall, so they should fit in the rear with, as you said "the right spacers", and probably even have a little extra space to go larger. I seriously doubt they'll fit on the front though.
I'm currently running 235/60-15's up front and they're a 7.6" tread, 9.5 section and a 26.1" height, so we're looking at 1/2" shorter and 3" wider. I'm guessing if I have to that the 245/40-17 will be the way to go upfront.
That's quite a find on those wheels. I've been looking off and on for a set to put on my 96 z28 and haven't seen any for less than 600 around here.
Had four Sumitomo 275/40-17 Z-rated HTZ II tires mounted, balanced and nitrogen filled for $475 today at tire barn. Now all I need are some spacers and I'll be good to go. Took pics next to the 265/50-15 I have on the back. The 275s don't look as big right off, but when you put them side by side you can really see the truth. Should have great smoky burnout pics of the 265s soon.
Here's a couple shots of the wheels, one just sitting on the car and a couple comparing the 265/50-15's against the 275/40-17's I'm looking to paint the wheels a dark graphite or anthracite metallic. What's hard to get over is that although the 17's are a little taller and wider than the old 15's, the 15's actually look larger in the wheel well. Something to get used to I guess.
Nice score. I used to own a 1987 Firebird. The spacer recommendation for goin from 4th gen to 3rd gen Fbody is 2". Get good quality bolt on billet spacers. They are costly, but safer than the cheaper methods. Ive interchanged many wheels between the skylark and the f-body, so they spacing is similar. You could probably even get away with a 1.5" but they will probably tuck in too far. I guess i missed this thread earlier, i would have had some recomendations for your tire selection. I think the 275/40's look too "rubber bandish", if i were to do it again i would have gone with a 45 or even a 50 in the rear. 275s should fit fine in the front. The cheaper tires like Falken, or Sumitomos are not as "wide" appearing as some of the more expensive brands like goodyear or BF goodrich. This is due to the "tread width". The tread width on the cheaper tires is much smaller than the more expensive ones. However, you just cant beat that price. Nice score. Should stiffen up the ride quite a bit too, and make it feel a bit more planted.
My first choice of tires was the Nitto NT05 or the NT01, followed by the BFG Geforce KDW. My brother was a Cadillac service writer and we got to talking about decent tires for lower cost and he mentioned the Sumitomo, which he had on his last car. He's a die-hard BFG owner and he tried the Sumi's because at the time he couldn't beat the price. He was impressed with the ride quality and the traction and said to check them out if I wanted to save some cash, which I did, as the Sumi's were almost $75 less each than the NT05's. $300 goes a long way toward a set of tubular lower control arms I've already contacted another board member and billet adapters are on the way, so I should be on the new wheels before the weekend!! Besides that, I figure I can save up for the NT05's over the winter and if I really want to change tires I can do it in the spring and slip the Sumi's onto my Intrepid R/T -Phil
Here's a pic of a Yenko/SC Nova with the same wheels, painted satin black it looks like. I think they'll look much better in a dark color.
So here we are. Before and After. She rides quite better on the modern rubber too. The drivers front tire rubs a bit turning corners but the passengers side is OK. I guess I'll have to get in there and massage the lip of the fender a bit.
