Brad96

iTrader: (1)

For those who have been asking about weight, I just called Heather at Hawk's, and she told me 24 lbs. each.

ownor

iTrader: (5)

Looks like they wont be available before mid April, at least that's what I was told when inquiring about shipping.
edit: 24 lbs? That's not too bad.. the "lightweight" CTW 3rdgen wheels are like 20ish off top my head. Anyone on factory # with the 16" wheels? I'm sure the info is out there but...

NowhereFast

Will these wheels be made in the factory charcoal color too, or just the black and gold?

GCrites80s

Charcoal is what I really want but I may end up needing tires too soon to wait additional time for them to come out after black and gold.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

Thank you!

hawksthirdgen

The Black 17x9 GTA Wheels are in stock and ready to ship.
Order online or call us today
www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/gta-mesh-wheel-set-of-4-17-x-9-black-reproduction/

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

Oh dang, that's almost 4 weeks behind schedule.

Any indication of when the gold sets will be ready to ship to customers?

ziggy89

I'd honestly say they didn't do bad. Only pushed back the release date once.

hawksthirdgen

Gold will be available roughly 60 days

88ws6dave

Ordered mine Friday.

PAFORM350

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

ziggy89

Got mine all mounted up

parts man

Can't really tell if your car has been lowered, but did you have any rubbing in the front? My GTA is lowered and has bigger brakes just checking.

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Did you use the spacers? How thick are they?

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Looks great!

Need some details!

a) Total cost of wheels.

b) What tires did you buy? Size(s) and cost.

c) Driving impressions.

d) How about some more pics? I'd like to see it from the back, to see how it fills the wheelwell.

ziggy89

total cost was around 1300 for the wheels had to buy new center caps too. I put nitto nt05's on 275/40/17. so far haven't had any rubbing issues and I did use the spacer. didn't measure but they are around 1.5 times as thick as the stock spacer. so far they feel great. didn't sacrifice the ride like I thought it might so that's a plus. the car is not lowered and it has stock brakes. ill try to get some more pics before I head to work.

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the information.

What spacer did you use? On the front, or on the back?

What are your driving impressions?

ziggy89

Here's the other pics.
I used the spacers hawks sent with the wheels. Put them up front. As far as driving impressions so far they are great. Haven't had a chance to really push them in an autocross or anything like that bit for normal driving they did just fine.

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

I had no idea these wheels required spacers that are sent with them :/

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Boy, that pic from the rear is a little surprising. I would've thought a 9 1/2" wide wheel would fill the wheelwell better than that.

ziggy89

Its a small spacer. 1/8 inch maybe. And yes I thought they would fill the wheel well more but they are only a 9 inches not 9.5.

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Hows the finish on them? Especially between the spokes.

ziggy89

The finish is grea . Paint and the chrome look amazing.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

9 vs 9.5 isnt really a big deal... 275/40 is the only common size and it fits on both. There are some 285/40s out there... but that's a dying size that barely exists these days. The next step up is 315/35, and those are NOT going to fit on a 9.5" wheel.

I'd be shocked if any of you could tell the difference between a 17x9 and a 17x9.5 without having them directly next to each other.

I've got 17x9's, 17x9.5's, and 17x11's and I've had them all out next to each other. The difference is barely barely noticeable.

You guys are just getting used to seeing 18x10.5's everywhere.


Im a little bit weirded out by spacers being included, but that's probably to avoid having to make two different wheels for the front/rear. The factory uses a different offset front and rear and the fronts sit in farther. Look at some factory crosslace wheels and you can visually see the depth difference. This probably tries to offset that to some degree, or help the rears tuck in the fender a little better while being able to clear the tie rod end in the front. Just one of those quirks of our cars.

Theres a 315/35/17 in the back here. You can see the difference in size between my 17x9 and 17x9.5...



Not much difference here, guys. A 17x9 is going to be lighter while having the same tread width.

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Will a 315 fit on a 10" rim?

ziggy89

I see you also like your nittos lol.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Nitto is a cool company. They support the 315 size and make some nice, affordable DOT autocross tires for us domestic guys. The NT01 is a hell of a deal. It's not the best, or the fastest, but it's good. And mainly Nitto makes them in wide sizes for us. The domestic market may not be their primary demographic, but they certainly care about us, so I'll keep buying them. I also just happen to like how they've broken down their product line.


It probably varies by tire manufacturer how much they can be compressed to fit on a narrow rim, but I think for most of them 10.5 is the narrowest they will fit. Not many companies make tires in that size anymore anyway.

ziggy89

I like my nittos also. I've run a set of 555r on my 15 drag wheels and now the nt05s on these and I plan to hit a couple auto crosses and a track day with them. I wish they made the nt05r in 275/60/15 tho. The 555r isn't enough anymore so its time for mickeys.

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Infernal Vortex, would a 285/40 17 fit on these wheels, and wear properly?

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

You know, for years, I've waited for this wheel, and after thinking about it a lot, I decided I'd want them in 17", vs 18", for one reason .... ride.

I live in Tulsa, OK, and I'm here to tell you, the roads here are terrible. I moved here in 1996, and the roads and streets were horrible then. Despite voters voting twice to raise taxes to fix the streets, they're actually worse now.

I moved to Atlanta in 2002, and bought my Firebird there. It has Michelin Pilot XGTs; 245/50 16s on the front, and 255/50 16s on the back. Driving around Atlanta, I felt the ride was firm, maybe a little rough, but not harsh. I moved back to Tulsa in 2005, and my teeth have been being rattled out ever since. I was afraid the thinner sidewall on an 18 inch tire would make things even worse.

I've been researching tires for these wheels, though, and it appears sizes are disappearing for them, just as they are for 16-inch wheels. Back in 2007, I was thinking about going with Ronal R15s, and was researching tires for them. There were half-a-dozen, or more manufacturers making 295 and 305 tires. Now, there are none, as far as I can see. there are a few 285s, and a few 315s, and that's it.

I wonder what happens in a couple of years when I need tires for these?

ziggy89

I wouldn't be scared about 275/40/17s going away it was a pretty common performance tire size for along time. Options might get limited but its not going to disappear. Not even the performance tires.

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, but I'm thinking more 285/40 17. I'd go 295 on the back, if I could find them.

alan91z28

These new wheels from Hawks are great. I have bought many Billet Specialties, CCW, Budnik and i have to say i am more excited about these than any of the others as IMO it is just hard to beat an original 3rd gen look, and i think Bruce has hit a home run on these wheels.

I mounted these up with Toyo Proxes R1R 275/40-17

All four of the wheels i received were very well packed and finished extremely well. The standard center caps fit great and the total wheel looks very much like a GM 17" version of the 16" 3rd gen mesh. A nice thing about the center cap is you can use different inserts, ie Z28 in place of WS6 if you are putting on a camaro like i am. (this is my ~600 rwhp LS3 / TVS2300 supercharged IROC as detailed in the LS engine swap section)

The front wheels use a ~7/32 supplied spacer. The back use no additional spacer.

Since spring is still trying to be sprung here in PA i haven't got to actually take a ride, but they mounted up great and look great! I can't wait to get some run time on these

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Very cool, Alan.

I always though the GTA wheel looked great on Camaros, too, and yours is proof of that.

Can't wait to get your driving impressions. Any chance of seeing a few pics from the back?

alan91z28

thanks, here is a close-up of a back and front, i didn't take any other ones today showing the full back profile

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Looks pretty sweet to me!

ziggy89

What spacer did you us in the back?

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

These wheels are meant for 275/40/17s. Thats the stock height, and that's what all corvettes and F-bodies with 17x9 or 17x9.5 wheels used. Im pretty sure that's what most other brands with 17x9s or 17x9.5's used as well. This is why all the other weird sizes are disappearing, but 275/40s are still super common. The options arent quite as varied as the sizes in 18s these days, but there's still plenty of options. You can shoehorn wider tires on them, but 275/40 is the most correct size and it's a VERY common performance car size. Everything from Camaros, to vettes, to Mustangs, to Porsches run 275/40/17s. The options may be a little limited, but they will be there for a VERY long time. 315/35 is a size that im a little worried about, but 275/40 isnt going anywhere for a while. I think 275/40/17 is a far more common tire size today, right now, even after its heyday, than 245/50/16 ever was.

All four 285/40/17's on tire rack need a 9.5" wide rim, btw, but I dont think thats a good reason to look for a 17x9.5.

If you HAVE to have a wider tire than a 275, you need to jump to 18s.

alan91z28

no spacer in the back, only spacer is for the front

thanks

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Come on, man. The wheel is designed for a 275/40-17, and you can't run a 285?

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

You asked my opinion, you got it. Think of it more like the 275/40/17 is the size you use to maximize section width on a 17x9.

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

You're right, I did ask your opinion, and I did get it. I just wasn't expecting the "go get 18s" comment. Put me off a bit. Still does.

30 years ago, I had 7" Corvette rally wheels on my 70 Chevelle, and ran L60 15s for years with no problems. The stock tire size for those wheels was F70 15.

I ran G60 14s on my 74 Formula's stock rally wheels for years. They were designed for F70 14s.

My 89 Formula came from the factory with a 8"wide wheels, and 245/50 16 tires. When I bought my car in 2003, it had 255/50 16s on the back with around 10,000 miles on them. I've put close to 15,000 miles on those tires, and they've worn evenly. They're shot now, but I think 25,000 miles out of tires that have done as many burnouts and 1/4 mile runs on test and tune nights, and as many runs on autocross courses, or laps around Hallett as these have is pretty good wear.

The tire rack comparison tool shows the 255s are 0.39" taller, and 0.39" wider than the 245s.

Plugging in the 275/40 17s and the 285/40 17s shows the 285s to be 0.81" taller, and .039" wider than the 275s. Based on my experiences, I think it's outrageous to make such an emphatic assertion as you have over tires that are less than half an inch wider, and less than an inch taller.

88ws6dave

How was the balance and runout of the wheels ?

unionbill

Finally the wheel I've been looking for! alan91z28 and ziggy89, did you use the factory cone seat lug nuts with the plastic cap?

alan91z28

i happened to use black chrome acorn lugs that i have been running with my irocs as they stay a lot nicer than the black plastic, but yes standard cone metric lugs work fine

my wheels mounted and balanced up great. i had them use internal weights and they had no trouble at all. the shop that i use for all my wheels thought they were great looking and mounted up / balanced great

thanks
alan

ziggy89

Running stock lugnuts but no plastic caps. I've got 2.5 inch studs on all four corners.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Total tire height is remaining relatively constant. As wheel size increases, sidewall height decreases, limiting the flexibility and stretchability of the sidewall.

If you need to use 285's, you need a 17x9.5 wheel. But again, I wouldnt recommend it because that's a dying size and it wont be available long term. If you want to buy wheels knowing you'll only ever be able to buy one set of tires for them that you want, then go ahead. I just see wheels as a long-term investment.

I mean you can get 17x11's, I did. But I was just really disappointed at the tire selection for them. That's why I suggested going with 18's. There are a LOT of 18x10 and 18x10.5 wheels out there, and they can all fit 285 and 295 tires and there are a LOT of tires available in those sizes. Across tire rack and discount tire direct there are 8 tire available in 285/40/17. Half of those are $400+ per tire. One is a snow tire. Two are barely street legal competition tires. 3 of the 5 on tire rack are closeout or backorder. Only two or three in the whole bunch are reasonably priced street performance tires, and there are much better tires available in 275/40/17... more performance and more grip at a better price with the slightly narrower tire. But at the end of the day it's your call. Im sure you can find some shop that's willing to try to fit them, and they may even succeed. I just dont think it's a worthwhile or noticeable endeavor for the trouble it causes, and I think if you want the wide tire look, you're better off getting an actually wide wheel.

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Just got my set, so I thought I would post comparison pics.Got an extra set of Classics version.Really impressed with hawks product here.I like how they PCed the back/inside.Never thought I would be able to tell 1" diff, until side by side, but I was surprised how big they looked in the box.Weight comes in at 22lbs Vs 16 for Classics wheel.Overall very pleased!

Only three "diamond" holes (Hwk) vs four (CI)

CI has a step on the back part.May be thicker too.

Hawks vs Classic.

Spacers, bout 1/4".Anyone know if longer studs are needed if used?

seanof30306

iTrader: (4)

Wow, those are awesome. Clearly, Hawk's put a lot of effort making these faithful to the original.

Can't wait to see pics of them on your car.

I'd really love to see them side-by-side with a Ronal R15

Question: the spacers are for the front, right? If so, does anyone know if you'd need them if you've done a C4, or C5 brake upgrade? Those are supposed to be a bit wider, so it made me wonder if that would eliminate the need for the spacers.

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Im gonna try it w/ out the spacers first.1LE rotors push the wheel out 1/2 more than stock.So maybe I can get away w/ out using them, we'll see.