Im wanting to upgrade my rims to go with my new paint and before i do i want to know if it would be benifitial to upgrade my spindle so i can use a newer bolt pattern. Is there enough of an aftermarket to support my eventual upgrade from stock brake calipers and rotor size if i found a set of rims i like in 17 or 18 inches?

I do about 4 autox a year and might want to do a HPDE event eventually and the stock brakes are horrendous and overheat almost immediately. I plan on upgrading rotors, pads and lines soon but would eventually want a larger rotor and contact patch. I also want to move to a 17 or 18 inch rim for easy access to high performance tires, i.e. 275/40 17.

Thanks for the help

 

Spindles don't have "bolt pattern".

If you're talking about the wheel lugs, your car is 5 on 4.76" (commonly known as "5 on 4¾"), the same as newer cars. Only thing that's different between older ones and newer, is the "offset" or "backspacing", whichever way you prefer to describe it. The mating surface of older wheels is very near the center of the wheel, from inside to outside; newer cars have wheels more like FWD, where the mounting surface is MUCH nearer the outside. But all you need for that, is "adapters"... they'll have a new set of lugs on the same pattern, but will add thickness, without stressing the existing lugs themselves.

Be aware also, that if you participate in sanctioned events, altering the brakes may put you into a different class. Read the rules carefully first.

 

Be aware also that adding the above mentioned adapters are not allowed in some autocross/racing bodies, due the the additional stress that is applied in the hard cornering forces applied to the during the hard cornering.

All you really need to do is to upgrade your stock brakes & can upgrade to a larger diameter wheel to accommodate bigger rotors, if you get rotors thare bigger than what your current wheels can accommodate.

What brakes & wheels do you currently have?

 

ok, so here is the deal, I have an '89 corvette that I track regularly and do at least 4 AutoX a day. I know all the rules and there is no way to be competitive with my current setup because PO did engine transplant. I guess I was assuming the 84 used a different bolt pattern because I can not buy rims for my 87 corvette and have them fit my 89 because something changed in 88.

When I say spindle I was refering to the conversion that I have read is required to put C4/C5/C6 brakes and rotors onto these camaros. I currently run c5 brakes on my C4 Vette. I was assuming that the bolt pattern was different. So let me drop my assumptions and phrase it differently.

1. I want new rims. I want to run at least 245/40 17" or 245/35 18" Tires (possibly 275/40 17 on rear). Is there a good aftermarket my 1984 Camaro to where I would not have to spend over 1K to upgrade to a better caliper and bigger rotor? Wilwood is too expensive and frankly investing in a set would be like polishing a turd. I don't want to be competitive, just be able to have fun driving it at autoX and not boil fluid halfway through lap 1 at Road Atlanta if I want to do a HPDE.

2. On my Vette I moved to my C5 caliper and got all the conversion + pads and rotors for under $700 and it took about 2 hours to install both sides. Does this exist with the 1984 Camaro?

3. I would love the option of putting my R6 275/40 17 from my vette onto the camaro before an autoX, is that an option without spacers?

 

Nothing changed in 88.

Camaro wheels will interchange directly from the introduction of the name (67) up through 92. They then changed in 93. They will also interchange with Vette wheels through the C3. Vette wheels changed to the different offset when the C4 was introduced; 84 IIRC.

You don't have to change ANYTHING to run larger wheels on your 84, except the wheels. There's plenty of larger wheels at the wheel store.

I think you have successfully outsmarted yourself and convinced yourself that this is "hard" or something. It's not. It's really quite simple.

You can put later model wheels on your 84 (93-up F body ones, or 84-up Vette ones), with spacers (aka adapters). Bolt pattern is actually the same; only the offset (backspacing) is different. In fact, I have 97 or 98 Vette wheels on my 83 ATM, with the OE stock brakes on the front and about 91 or 92 brakes on the rear, using 2" spacers. Bolts right up. Although, I'd love to have better brakes up front, too; just haven't got around to it yet.

If you read the sticky at the top of this page, it tells all about how to put later-model brakes on these cars. The most popular option is the LS1 brakes (98-2002 F body), since it's BY FAR the most common in the world at large; but the C5 brakes are identical in every dimension. You'd need EXACTLY the same brackets and machine work and rotors, you'd just install C5 calipers on top of all that instead of 4th gen F body ones. You seem to have the brakes and the wheels confounded in your mind, which is all wrong and is doing nothing but confusing you.

 

http://www.bigbrakeupgrade.com/

http://www.bigbrakeupgrade.com/

3. I would love the option of putting my R6 275/40 17 from my vette onto the camaro before an autox, is that an option without spacers?[/quote]

There are lots of aftermarket wheel options for direct fit wheels, but it can take some real looking to find them. BMWs have an ALMOST identical lug pattern so you can run those, just watch the bs for the fit.

I have 17x9 ROH Snypers up front that are direct fits for a 3rd gen. ROH discontinued them years ago & started making them in 4th gen fits only. I bought all 8 of mine used. I have 17x11 out back, but I had to have them widened & had to trim some wheel well metal. If your upgrading your brakes like it sounds like you are? You'll likely end up in SM, correct? If so? That opens up the option to do rear wheels like I did (cutting to fit them). But up front with major surgery your not gonna get much wider. I've seen 315s up front but that was a full-on CP car.