wheel questions

[faddis]

are 18 by 9 inch rims too big for the front of a 96 camaro???

[cassie]

no

[fenderman]

18's are not too big if your tires compensate for the increase in rim diameter. Let me boil down the stock tire size for you.

235/55R16 <-- EDIT: 235 seemed a bit narrow but this is also the tire size listed on Goodyear.com for a 96 Camaro. Note that if you have the 96 Z28 that the tires are a bit wider and Z-Rated, but the height is the same.

235= tire width in millimeters.

235mm / 25.4 (to get to inches) = 9.25 in.

Your stock tires are 9.25" wide.

55= aspect ratio given as a percent of the tire width.

235 * .55 = 129.5 mm / 25.4 = 5.1" (per sidewall)

This means that your stock tires add 10.2 inches to the rim diameter, which is 16". The total tire height is 26.2". So a breakdown of everything I said from stock specs is:

235/55R16 is 9.25" wide x 26.2" high.

The "R" stands for radial. A "Z" is used in its place to designate the higher end Z rated tires. The 16 designates what size rim the chosen tire will fit. It is a measurement of the inner diameter of the tire (or the diameter of the bead)

An 18" x 9" rim will fit. But then, what about tire size? The 235 series will give you the stock width of 9.25". But the aspect ratio will change due to the bigger rim. You have roughly 26.2" to play with but dont forget the rim. So 26.2" - 18" = 8.2" / 2 = 4.1" per sidewall. 4.1" / 9.25" = .44 or roughly 45%. If you go with a 235, go with a 235/45. This will retain the stock tire height and width so you won't have to recalibrate your speedo but give you the 18" rim.

Tire size for 18" rim = 235/45R18 (or Z18 if you want Z rated tires) This will yield 9.25" wide by 26.4" total height.

if you want to upgrade to Z28 width, go for a 245/45R18 (or Z18 of course if you want Z rated tires) This will give you a tire that is 9.65" wide by 26.6" total height. <-- EDIT (10/22): Originally I posted 245/50R18... this will be 27.6" total tire height, which is off from stock height.

[ October 22, 2003: Message edited by: fenderman ]</p>

[slow]

why would you go with a 235 or 245 on a 9" rim?

9" rims from the factory come with 275 rubber.

Ryan.

[fenderman]

Because nowhere in my research did I come up with a 275 tire width for the 96 Camaro. I am not claiming that the 235's and 245's were the only option available, but according to several tire companies' websites the 235 and 245 are the only widths listed for the 96. Since I am interested in posting facts on what I KNOW will work and not my aesthetic opinion, I'm not going to start recommending wider tires that I have no clue about. That's all I need to do is steer someone to a set of expensive tires only to find out that when they make a turn their wheels rub against the inner fender well. Now because of your information, that brings another tire into the equation. 275/40R18 which will give you 10.8" wide by 26.6" total height. a 275/35R18 will reduce the total tire height to 25.58"

I believe in my post I gave sufficient information to figure out tire sizes beyond those that I listed. I figured maybe the 235's and 245's would be too narrow for some people's aesthetic tastes but I know for a fact those widths will fit and will clear the turning radius based on the information I found and am able to verify. Regardless, I posted how to calculate ANY tire for whatever your heart desires.

[ October 22, 2003: Message edited by: fenderman ]</p>

[slow]

i can agree with that, however, most 235 tires, are not for a 9" wide rim, in the research you did for the 96 camaro, you will most likely find a 8" wide rim, 235's will fit fine on a 8" rim, once you go to a 9" your really stretching the tire.

also, the 96 camaro Z28/SS had 275/40/17's.

Ryan.

[fenderman]

Well, Ryan I can only thank you for adding that info to the post since you had it and I obviously didn't. It'll make it more helpful for faddis when he goes looking for tires.

[ChillPhatCat]

See signiture... no rubbing...