I've noticed that my IROC wheel hubs are stamped front and back on my 87. Has anybody encountered a problem with putting the fronts on the back and vice versa? I'm sure GM labelled them for a reason.

 

The fronts have a 0mm offset
The rears have a 16mm offset

The rear's WILL NOT fit the front, they scrape on the tie rod ends, the front's can be put on the rear without any issues.

 

I was thinking about putting front rims in the back. Will this put the rim closer to the fender lip? I just dont like how the rim sits so far back into the wheel well on the back.

 

I have a set of 17" irocs 0 offset on all 4 corners. looks good. the rear tires sit out a little further.

 

I swapped my fronts to the rear and rears to the front due to a front brake conversion. You can do it but you will need to install long wheel studs in the axleshafts to get the fronts to fit the rear. You will have to remove the axles to get the longer studs in. It looks pretty cool when its done though.

 

You have any pictures of that?

 

Like was said, the rears will scrape the tie rod ends and a metal corner on the strut - when put on the front. The fronts will stick out further when put on the rears - like having a 4th gen rear.

 

Front and rear studs are the same length. Front wheels fit perfectly on the rear without any modifications, just like they fit the front. Mine do.

And fronts on the rear stick out a noticeable 5/8" closer to the lip of the wheel well, too. Looks good.

But rears on the front do rub the tie rod ends, as already mentioned--hard enough to make you think the parking brake is on.

 

me too what a great idea huh... but the fronts are an inch skinnier than the rears on stock iroc wheels. for instance my stock wheels were 16x7 front 16x8 rear. not sure about the offset's though

 

um, no

atleast none that ive seen

 

This really is a PITA, when I have to get my tires rotated I have to have all the tires removed from the rims and remounted correctly right? How much have you paid to have this done?

 

HORSEFEATHERS!! The studs are the same length but the front rims will not fit the rear axle with the stock studs. Mine didnt anyway and I know I had the original studs. maybe something else is different, but I know my rear studs only had like 4 threads sticking through the front rim. You could bolt them on but I certainly would not drive it like that.

I know nothing of the stock rears hitting anything on the front suspension because as I stated above I have a front brake conversion that sets the front hubs out like 3/4 inch. I attached the best pics I have of the rear rims fitting the wheelwells. It is a subtle change but look at a pic of a stocker and then look at my car, you will certainly notice the difference.

 

Sure, the tire shop has done this to me twice, (putting the fronts on the rear and vice-versa) even after I told them that the rims were front and rear specific. Of course as mentioned already I wasn't able to pull the car out of the lift bay due to the rims interfering. It was as if the parking brake was locked up solid. I had them check under the car for a wheel chock, then I realized their error. They put the car back on the lift and yep, the rims were installed in the wrong locations.

Oh, by the way, I've got longer studs on my axles too.


Lon

 

LOL! A horse with feathers? Is that in the same category as an "Elephantfly?"

You've pointed out facts, but your own conclusion contradicts them. You're saying that the studs are the same length in the rear as they are in the front. So given that everything else on the front is the same as the rear(because the hub size and surface is also the same), simple logic tells you that same rim that fits safely and securely on the front without any problem, should also fit on the rear. Yet you're saying it doesn't fit... or that it might have, but you didn't trust it. But you trusted the fronts on the front before your swap, didn't you?

My conclusions match the logic. If everything's the same, which it is, then how could they not fit safely? Of course they do.

So ok, for you, I just went to the garage to verify that the lugs fit the studs to the same depth, that there isn't more stud coming through the lug in the front than in the rear. I pulled the plastic lug cap, and... they're the same--exactly. Everything in front measures and fits exactly the same as the rear.

And I know nothing about my car has been changed because I'm the original owner of this car.

 

I have no idea if the front and rear studs are the same lengths stock or not, i was merely trying to state that mine were stock length and the rears do not fit the front which was clearly stated by others in this post.

Do you have 16X8 wheels on your bird? that could be the difference.

 

Yes, I have stock wheels, (edit--insert 16x8)--my two original fronts and two fronts that I've picked up elsewhere. All four are exactly alike, and all four fit exactly alike. I also have my original B-W 9-bolt disc rearend.

But no one else here stated they had fitment problems with fronts on the rear. You're the only one. The fitment problems that everyone, including myself(edit--and you), have mentioned were for putting rears on the front, not fronts on the rear. Everyone else(who has posted here) who has swapped fronts to rear said it worked without any issues--which I've also said. Lon(sal) merely mentioned that he has longer studs on the rear, but nothing about fitment.

Wondering why your situation might've been different, I thought there could be a difference in stud length between your 10-bolt and my 9-bolt. But that couldn't be it because you've said, like I've said, that stud length was also the same, front to rear. So I guess it just came down to your not trusting that length stud in the rear, which shouldn't have been an issue because you'd trusted that same length in the front with those same wheels.

I know, this is starting to get confusing, lol. So one thing I think we can both(all) agree on now is that we've worn this out, lol.

 

if you look at the front wheels the lugnuts sit further inside the wheel because of the larger offset, the studs will stick though the wheel the same on the front or back.

are you sure you have stock wheels

 

I did state earlier that I too had problems with stock 16x8 wheels - tire shop put mine on backwards once too. As was said - fronts will work on the rears, but they stick out farther. Rears will not work on the fronts - they scrape the tie rod ends, and your wheel weights (from balancing) will get knocked off by the ear sticking out of the strut on the first rotation. Has nothing to do with how far the studs poke out - has to do with the backspacing on the rim.

 

well between the typos in my last post and my otherwise horrible communication skills, (ask my fiancee) I will re-state my experience.

It is universally accepted that the rears will not go on the front without hitting the tie rod ends or something like that. My car has the 13" brake conversion so I can run rears on the front with no issue.

The rear wheels would fit on the front hubs with no issue, but for some reason when I installed the front wheels on the rear axle the studs did not stick through enough, I saw it with my own eyes. It is starting to sound like my car is the wired one here. I understand the logic of what you guys are saying which is why I am the one that is confused now. The only issue I see is that I have an originally drum brake equipped 10 bolt that I have installed PBR 12" discs on. Since I have an 86 10 bold rear I am running stock 28 spline axles out of a firebird to go with my Torsen differential. I simply slid the rotors over the axle flanges and slid the rims on and the lug studs did not stick through far enough to safely use.

 

I have done the same as well. I run rears on the front due to a brake swap. I run the fronts on the rear with the factory studs, but I do have drums. In the future I will run all rears. I have never paid anyone to rotate my tires, because I have access to a tire machine at my work. However, if a customer were to come in the cost quite a bit.