so how big of a difference is it in handling if your using the 16x8 iroc z wheels or the 15x7 z28s?

widest tire you can fit on either? is either better then the other for handling or or the trip? drag radials seem more readily avail in 15s or 16s?

 

Essentially that difference is the one between a Z28 and an IROC in terms of grip, which is quite a bit: 0.82g to 0.88g or something like that.

You can fit a 225 width tire on a 7" wheel and a 245 on a 8" wheel.

Keep in mind that there really isn't much choice in tires in the 245-50-16 size anymore, you may want to move up to 17" if you really want handling and have the budget to get them.

 

my brother has 265/55r15 on a set of mid 80s z28 wheels i was woundering if thats the widest?


ALSO, i do have the 9 bolt with disc brakes in my 85... will the 15s even fit over the brakes? because i know the back spacing or something is different on my 16s, they are marked front and rear...

 

You can still get some decent performance tires in the 245/50/r16 size if you know where to look. Go on tirerack and see whats out there. I ended up with a set of BFG sport comp 2's and love them. They grip well in the rain or dry and are fairly quiet too.

 

ooooo niceeee. but will the 15s fit over the 9 bolts disc brake setup?

 

which brake setup? If its the PBR aluminum brake calipers no they will not. If they are the delco rear disks then yes.

 

correct^ i litterally just test fitted 15" z28 wheels with 235/60r15s front and 255/60/r15s on the rear, fit great and didnt look to bad, ill b picking up a set of 5 gold ones tomorow, then to the speed shop to get some mt drag radials for the back since the set im buying has wimpy 215s all around

 

are these more desirable or more rare then the gold 15s? are they worth redoing? or just get another set later on

 

+1 on the BFGs About $530 a set shipped from tire rack. Got mine $480 on sale this summer.

 

Thats not a bad deal at all. right now i have those cheap pepboys "performance'' hankook ventus v4 or whatevers on it

 

Hold up. Whats with the, there isn't much choice in the stock Iroc tire size these days? I work at a huge Tire wholesaler in my state and I have 245/50/16 tires in many brands.

BFG G Force Procomp 2
BFG G Force Super Sport A/S
BFG G Force Sport Comp 2
Tiger Paw GTZ All Season
Cooper Zeon RS3-A
Cooper Zeon ZPT
Hankook H437 Ventus V2 Concept
Kumho Ecsta PA31
Kumho Ecsta AST KU25
General AltiMAX HP
Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500


And thats just what I can find off hand in stock or in the computer system.

 

but i dont want stock tire size, i wana go wider and maybe a LITTLE taller in the back, but i have no idea what tire size i would need, i know widths but not height.... a 255 or 265 would be really nice but idk if theres anything that would fit?

by the way how tall are the stock size in inches? flipping threw the summit catalog i found a few sizes that fit 16x7-9 inch wheels, the hieghts were around 25'',26'', and 27.5''

 

If you run the stock 16 inch iroc wheels, you can put a 265/45/16 on them. They are a little hard to find, ebay may have them, I get them from tire rack (which they only sell during warmer months). Kumho makes that size, haven't found too many brands.
A 265/45/16 is about 26.2 inches tall. And YES they do fit nicely on the rim, and nicely in the car.

 

Only 2 of those are summer tires. The rest are all season. And about half of the all seasons are H-rated tires. The days of GS-D3 and Pilot Sport tires for our 16" wheel cars are gone. The only performance tires left are the two summer tires (BFG Sport Comp 2 and Firestone Wide Oval Indy 500)

Now if you choose the 17" route, then all the good stuff opens up again. Not only the GS-D3 and Pilot Sport 2, but also the Continental DW, and Pilot Super Sport. The Super Sport comes on new Corvettes, Ferrari, and Porsche GT3.

 

Exactly what I was going to say.

Tires are the interface for your car to grip the road - you really want the best summer tire you can get to have the best grip. And the wider the tires too - problem being no viable options in anything wider than 255-50-16, forget about getting wheels in a wider 16" size too...

 

yea, im not really open to getting aftermarket wheels yet, im trying to keep the car as original looking on the outside as possible. trying to keep some sort of wheel on it that are stock to a third gen camaro, regardless of they year. Im not keeping it original to how this one exactly was but to how a third gen looks at first glance, no cowl hood, ect ect, i mean yea i am using a 91-92 front valance. so im okay with stepping out of my cars actual year range as long as its third gen related.


ill start looking into that 265 size yall posted



okay another question, im missing 2 center caps and the other 2 are pretty much done for, any idea where i can buy JUST the center caps for 85 iroc wheels?

 

I want to point out that wheels are probably the most easily changed part of a car and do not permanently alter a vehicle (except in extreme cases).

That being said, as mentioned before, 16" 3rd gen wheels look great (most were anyway), but the tire selection is a problem. No one wants to get stuck with limited upside in terms of tires to replace - so the exodus is on to 17" (and larger).

You can get 18" IROC wheels that would apear to be original, but would have modern tire availabilty as a plus...

 

18s would be a bit big wouldnt they? and iv never seen "new" iroc other then chrome, i kinda wana keep the gold and polished theme, since the cars getting painted black and gold with z28 stripes, original color scheme for a z28 in 85

 

I have the gold 15's on now and the 16's are way nicer. I picked up a used set of the Iroc 16's and had them refinished in gold for about $150 each and they just pop! I also have black with gold and I think they look good with the car. Tire size is always optional but I agree to keep stock rims. They were in my opinion one of the best looking factory wheel design from a manufacturer. Check out before and after.

 

yes you can buy just the center caps. I got mine on ebay, think they were 25 each. they offered them in different colors and lettering. And I'm having problems finding the 265/45-16s I run myself.....kumho says they are not making some until this spring.....jegs says they have some in stock...the kumho XS. They are a little difficult to find in the winter.
Also, I have a set of hand sanded, and polished 16 inch single line iroc wheels for sale with black vents if anyone is interested with two good tires (fronts good...265/45/16) here's what the chrome letter/black background center caps look like on the wheels from ebay.