I linked to these pictures in the "GTG this afternoon" thread, but here they are again.

Things I like:
Better fit than factory 16" wheels.
Made of steel so they won't fall apart at the Auto-x like so many other wheels have.
Bigger size (17" x 9") lets me use the tires I want (275-40-17 Kuhmo VictoRacer 700's) all the way around.
Good brake ventilation.
Dirt cheap.

The black wheels on a white car takes a little getting used to, but I sure like the way they drive.

But what do you think?

 

Looks like a Nascar rim. I like em. However I do think the wheel/tire combo looks a little small for the wheel well.

 

It works, it looks like the old school hardcore IROCs that ran so long ago, i really like it, they serve their purpose too right?

 

I'm VERY happy with how they work.
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Perhaps, especially in back...but they are the widest tires I have ever had on it and I like that all 4 are the same size.

 

Are those steelies? Great for rockcrawling 4x4s, or roundy-round, NASCAR style, but for any autox, too heavy to allow the suspension to work right.

 

A little heavy, but not as heavy as you might think. Only a couple of pounds heavier than the factory aluminum wheels. Also, my suspension is so stiff that it hardly moves anyway. Throw in that most auto-x tracks are pretty flat and I don't think that the weight will hurt at all.

So far it seems to handle WAY better thanks to the wider tires. I also no longer having to baby it to keep from warping/cracking the rims. Thats what happend to all of my previous aluminum wheels.

It seems that most aftermarket aluminum wheels are not up to throwing a heavy car aroung on race tires.

 

Being 17"s, the stiffer sidewall will certainly help out, handling-wise.

How heavy are they, minus the tires? GTA crosslace wheels are only 18 lbs. Can't get much lighter than that, that I know of..

 

They are about 30lbs. Definately not a "light" rim...but it's strength I', looking for.

 

30lbs each! Basically, double the weight of crosslace wheels! And, the strength of 88-up crosslace wheels, isn't an issue, unlike the center centers of the 87 crosslace wheels. They are pretty easy to distinguish 87s for 88-ups.

 

They are also too small. I can't fit enough tire on an 8" wide rim to make first gear even remotely usefull even from a roll (and I can do 65mph in first gear). The 17x9's are BARELY wide enough...I really need at least a 10" wide rim in back.

Although I like having the same wheel all the way around and the 275-40-17 Victoracors are sticky enough that I can use first gear...from a roll.

 

I've run the 295/50/16s, on a stock 16x8 3rd gen wheel, with no problems. There is a SA guy running the same tires I did, right now, on his TA. So, you could get a 295 on your 9" wheels. You could even go 305.

 

My 295/50s rubbed, that sux, that was the 16s, my 15s do ok, but there is allot of side wall flex with them, not good for esc on a handling perspective. But in a straight line....AWSOME.

 

I had 295-50-15's once upon a time. They were kind of floppy and rubbed going around corners. Tirerack only lists the BFG-TA in that(295-50-16) size. So that would be significant reduction in traction even compared to the 245-45-16's I WAS running.

As for bigger than a 275 on my 9" wheels...I am running the narrowest rim recommended for a 275. Anything bigger would require a wider rim in order to meet the manufacturers specifications. Plus the sidewall allready extends out past the rim, to get anything wider I would have to use a taller sidewall, inducing more slop and making the overall diameter more than I want.

I'm fairly certain that, for my purpose, I have the best tires that will fit on these rims. I am VERY happy with the results and can report a SIGNIFICANT increase in both straight line and cornering traction since the swap.

 

Say esc, just curious, what is your alighnment set at and by any chance does a stock panhard bar hold up for even one event for you? I know i bend them on the street playing around after a little time.

 

The stock pan hard rod was the first thing I changed on my car, more than 20 years ago. It was inducing a latteral wheel hop when drifting around corners, so it had to go.

As for the alignment...I can't say for sure. So many htings have changed since I last had it set, but at the time it was all the caster and -camber it would take and still be the same on both sides. One of the things I have to be carefull about is going back and retightening everything after an alignment. Most shops will torque everyhing to spec...but that won't hold in my car.

 

Stephen,
I am looking for 2 summer tires 295 / 50r16 for my Camaro. Do you know where I can find these tires? Thank !!!

 

Hi Miche25,

Wow, talk about back from the dead, almost 12 years since the last post in this thread.
As for finding specific tire sizes, I would probably just hit the big web sites like TireRack.com or Discount Tires (tires.com?).

Good luck.