oil pan 4

iTrader: (1)

I picked up a 1987 firebird that has had the C5 swap done on the front end. So it has to have 17 inch wheels. It has 17 inch wheels on there now but they are 9.5 inch wide "corvette replica wheels". Problems are, 1 they rub on the front a little when the wheel is locked to one side or the other. 2 it seems to slide when trying to do tight maneuvering in a parking lot. 3 it has 275/40R17 yokohama S.drive tires. They are great tires but they are "ultra high performance SUMMER ONLY!!!" and can not be driven when it gets cooler than +40'F. 4 its about to be that time of year where its less than 40'F out side when I wake up to go to work in the morning.

The rear end is out of a 4th gen with disk brakes. I don't know how that might change back spacing.

Now I would like to keep 2 or all 4 of the 9.5 inch wheels to put on the rear axle during the summer.
But for the cooler months I need a set of something narrower like an 7.5 to 8.5 inch wheel to put a more normal sized tires on there that don't slide at low speed and don't rub.

So I need a 7.5 8 or 8.5 inch wide rim that is 17 inches tall and I would prefer a used factory original. Doesn't have to be a corvette or F-body specific wheel.
I would rather pay more for a used/refurbished set of original GM wheels than get cheap knockoff chicom garbage.

Anyone have any idea what I might need to be looking for?

cosmick

Surprised Paul Huryk hasn't answered this yet. You might be having a little tire scrub in parking lots, and the rubbing is either too much lowering or wrong offset or both, but for summer performance there's no need to go narrower, you would only lose both cornering grip and braking grip.
For genuine GM 17x8.5s with the correct lug pattern, you can get the fronts off base '93-'96 or '97-'00 Corvettes, but you'll need spacers either way. The newer ones will need thicker spacers. Wrap them with 245/45s.
And for the rear, why stop at 9.5s when so many others have figured out 17x11s with 315/35s?
If you want more details, check with Paul, but beware, he will try to sell you a set of his own brand of 17x9.5s, which are extremely overpriced.
Also, '96-'02 Z28 SS and same-year WS6 and Firehawks came on 17x9s, which will accept both 245/45s and 275/40s, but they still require spacers.

paul_huryk

Cosmick, your shtick is getting old...

Keep in mind that while you can fit 17" x 11" out back the limited tire selection in that size limits staggered pairs you can run (275 front, 315 rear).

And our wheels are not overpriced - $1,125 for a set of semi-forged (flow formed) wheels in 17" x 9.5" that only weigh 20lbs and can fit 14" brake systems - with the proper 3rd gen offset is a steal. We have about 20 CMC and AI race cars running our wheels without a single failure - even when crashed hard. Value is off the charts.

KMK454

With the right offsets, 17x9.5 should fit up front. When you say C5 mod, though, I'm not sure what that means. If it's LS1 brakes with spindles, then that should give you more track width for the 17x9.5s to clear. You can try a small slip on spacer to correct the problem. The other option is modifying what it is rubbing against (body work? tie rod?).

The sliding is most likely high performance summer tires in cold weather. Those tires become rocks at near-freezing temps and are a safety hazard. An all season tire, or even a second set of winter wheels and tires, will be a better choice.

I've studied his wheels, and they appear to be an excellent deal. They're a flow-formed, one-piece design purpose built to accommodate big brakes on a performance-oriented thirdgen. They're also track proven. If you're looking to build a competitive autocross or track car, CTWs are a great choice. Also, I've been reading way too many wheel fitment threads on this forum, and Paul seems to provide useful information to people even when they're not interested in buying his product.

We need to stop eating our own. The more vendors providing thirdgen specific parts, the better. If there's a genuine issue, there's a separate vendor dispute/part review forum. Otherwise, just move on and buy different wheels.

cosmick

That's the pot calling the stainless kettle black. Stop pushing your 17x9.5s! Stop contradicting me, too. Just go to Siberia. That'll solve a lot of problems. I give you a good recommendation, you bash me. Because you aren't a real man like me. Just get out and stay out. I'm getting tired of correcting your nonsense. I mostly don't bother, because anyone with an average IQ can see through your lies. Me, I'm a tested and proven genius, so I can see you're not. So go away, loser.

clubber

iTrader: (1)

Ya know Cosmick, you should let it die. I have found Paul's remarks to at least stay on topic and I've never seen him bash anyone personally. And really flow formed wheels are easily this much from anyone I've found. Many are more, some are much more.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Total lack of class.

Necron

iTrader: (1)

I'm running Paul's wheels on my 91 Formula. I wanted 275-40 on all 4 that were plug in and play. Car is totally setup for handling.

paul_huryk

Please send me some pics...

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

That looks slick

ws6transam

Hiya Paul, It's been a Long time! So, the 17 x 11 is a thing, eh? ...and you claim we can fit some 14" brakes under there? I've got parts on the bench for upgrading from the 1LE brakes to the 2008 Corvette brakes. My trouble is, my ROH ZS wheels are oh, so close to NOT clearing these calipers.

Who is making good tires in the 17-inch size these days, by the way? I've got Kumhos but I put them on the rims back in 2009. I want to pick up some fresh tires for the spring when I finish rebuilding the suspension. I 'could be' tempted to pick up some new wheels, something I could use with race rubber... Where's this fancy website of yours, Paul?

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

http://ctw-motorsports.com/

Necron

iTrader: (1)

I'm currently running Nitto 555 Gen II, which are pretty new. No complaints so far, but I didn't finish the suspension to late summer so autocross will be next spring for a better test.

I was very close to going with the BF Goodrich comp-2.

paul_huryk

We aren't make an 11" wide wheel - the machinery only handles up to a 9.5" width in 17".

Take a look at the "big brakes" page on our website to see if one of those systems matches what you have - everything there is verified to fit under the wheels.

I have sets of wheels with Falken 615Ks and Conti Extreme Contacts here in the shop - both are great in their own ways. Many street car customers use the BFG g-force sports and our CMC and AI racers use Toyo racing radials. Unfortunately some of the really great tires like the Rivals are not available in 275-40-17, but some of the other 17" selection may work for you.