Opion on wheels for firebird

[blackfire93]

I'm thinking about getting Z06 replicas for my 93 formula. I'm not sure if i want 17x9.5 all the way around or 18x9.5 all the way around. what do you guys think looks better? What is your favorite wheel for the 4th generation firebirds? thanx for your input.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I like the 17" wheels better. The tires for the 18" are so short they look funny to me. Also the 18" ones are more likely to get damaged by the road and I think they cost more.

[DeWynter]

I'm voting for the 18" they look good and with 245/45/18 rubber they are the same size as a stock 245/50/16. They look good, just remember to buy tires with the ruber dished to protect the rim(rubber actual is wider than the rim) from curbs and stuff. As for price I paid C$194.00 per tire for the 18s so they are about the same price as 17s.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I'm voting for the 18" they look good and with 245/45/18 rubber they are the same size as a stock 245/50/16. They look good, just remember to buy tires with the ruber dished to protect the rim(rubber actual is wider than the rim) from curbs and stuff. As for price I paid C$194.00 per tire for the 18s so they are about the same price as 17s.

245 is the minimum tire size for a 9.5" wide tire. The tread width is 7.9". The tread would be 1.6" narrower than the wheel. That would have the effect of the middle of the tire being narrower than the rim. It would be very susceptible to wheel damage if it were to hit a curb. This tire is 25.8" tall so it would not require a speedometer correction. Note, it would have 1.2" less of rubber on the ground than a 275 series tire.

275 is for a 9-11" wide wheel. It would have a tread width of 9.1" this would make the tire have some swelling on the side of the tire and give some protection to curb damage. However this tire is 26.7" tall and would require speedometer recalibration via flashing the computer.

However a 275/40-17 tire is almost the exact tire height at 25.7 as the factory 245/50-16 at 25.8". It would require no speedometer correction and have 9.1" of rubber on the ground.

That rubber dishing you are referring to is called rim protector or rim guard. http://www.bridgestone-eu.com/articles.asp?ID=523

[PUREPWR]

If ur going with z06 wheels get 18's. For some reason with z06's 17inch wheels look like 16 inch rims on cars and 18 inch z06's look like 17's on cars. I That what i thik. I dont know if u get what i mean. When they are mounted they look an inch smaller than what they are is what im trying to say. Ever thought about black wheels?
tom

[DeWynter]

245 is the minimum tire size for a 9.5" wide tire. The tread width is 7.9". The tread would be 1.6" narrower than the wheel. That would have the effect of the middle of the tire being narrower than the rim. It would be very susceptible to wheel damage if it were to hit a curb. This tire is 25.8" tall so it would not require a speedometer correction. Note, it would have 1.2" less of rubber on the ground than a 275 series tire.

275 is for a 9-11" wide wheel. It would have a tread width of 9.1" this would make the tire have some swelling on the side of the tire and give some protection to curb damage. However this tire is 26.7" tall and would require speedometer recalibration via flashing the computer.

However a 275/40-17 tire is almost the exact tire height at 25.7 as the factory 245/50-16 at 25.8". It would require no speedometer correction and have 9.1" of rubber on the ground.

That rubber dishing you are referring to is called rim protector or rim guard. http://www.bridgestone-eu.com/articles.asp?ID=523

So what your saying is my eyes are all *&%$#ed up and I can't see what my 18" wheels and tires look like on my car? I tell you that my Rims and my Rubber are in a perfect strait line up and down to each other. My rims mesure exactly 9.3" inside edge to inside edge which is average for a 9.5" wide rim. I have federal ss595 directional tires that mesure 245/45/18 and they are a perfect match in overall hight to my factory wheels(may not be the same for all cars as different rim size and width+rearend gears affects this). In all actuallity my Tire width is actually just a slight bit wider than my rim. I dont mean to sound offensive, but I have these rims and tires and I know what they look like and I know I shopped for weeks before buying. I hate cars with treads that are narower than the rim. I also didnt want to have the tires much wider than the rim as this is not good for handling(side wall flex) and increases the chances of getting a flat or ruining a tire from being low as its hard to tell if you have a low tire on such big rims. and just for the record a 245/45/18 is a 9.8" wide tire 8.7" tread.
245/45ZR18 96W 676 26.6 250 9.8 8.0 7~9 220 8.7 10 7.9 13.7 44
275/40ZR17 98W 652 25.7 280 11.0 9.5 9~11 246 9.7 10 8.2 N/A 44
245/50R16 97V 652 25.7 250 9.8 7.5 6.5~8.5 232 9.1 11 8.5 N/A 36
Sizes
Calculator

[RyanB58]

As soon as I get a grip on some money, I will go with a dark graphite wheel, 18 x 9.5". Black looks bitchin also with the chrome trim ring. The Zo6 wheels are sweet, but it seems like lots of people are going with that setup. Either way, go with the 18", because "they aint 20s, but ya keep em clean!!!" Just a little quote from Next Friday

[fastTa]

Definitely get the 18's. They look so much better on an f-body. E-bay always has incredible deals on the 18x10.5 / 18x9.5 combos, or the 18x10.5 / 17x9.5 combos. I like the polished ones myself.

Here is a set of polished 18/17 combos for only $490: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...926348149&rd=1

Doesn't get any cheaper than that!

[Nightrage]

Hopefully you can see the "attached image". I can't remember where i saw those rims of if they would even fit our cars. I usually don't care about rims. As long as they aren't spinners and they aren't overly huge, they're fine with me. Those REALLY caught my eye though

[95z28]

I actualy am geting the ones from rk sport . . polished lip. and rivets . . . SOOO SEXY !!! ill get a pic

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Look I didn't mean to offend you. All the information I quoted is from www.tirerack.com .
for example

mfg Size Tread Width

BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD 245/40-18 7.9"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...m=44YR8GFTAKDR

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 245/40-18 7.7"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...rtnum=44ZR8S02

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 245/40-18 7.7"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...um=44YR8F1GSD3

According to http://www.federaltire.com/ yes the SS 595 does have a 8.7 tread width. That is a lot wider than anyone else has by a whole inch.

You did not state that you were refering to Federal tires and since I have never heard of them before I couldn't look up their specs. You state what rims you have but not what tires you have. I looked up several tires sizes and all of them had tire widths between 7.7" and 7.9". jeez. BTW someone needs to teach them how to spell tires. I think it lost something in the translation. "tyres"

[blackfire93]

If ur going with z06 wheels get 18's. For some reason with z06's 17inch wheels look like 16 inch rims on cars and 18 inch z06's look like 17's on cars. I That what i thik. I dont know if u get what i mean. When they are mounted they look an inch smaller than what they are is what im trying to say. Ever thought about black wheels?
tom

I have thought about getting the black ZO6's with the rivets on the edge, but i think that black on black is maybe just a little too much black. It would look awesome if it were black on red. thanx for the suggestion though.

[Injuneer]

I'm voting for the 18" they look good and with 245/45/18 rubber they are the same size as a stock 245/50/16. They look good, just remember to buy tires with the ruber dished to protect the rim(rubber actual is wider than the rim) from curbs and stuff. As for price I paid C$194.00 per tire for the 18s so they are about the same price as 17s.

You might want to check your math. It's "all *&%$#ed up."

Your own data table indicates the 245/45-18 is approx. 1" larger in diameter than the stock 245/50-16. A +2 tire on the stockers would be a 245/40-18

You would use a 275/35-18 on an 18x9.5" wheel = 25.6".

245/45ZR18 96W 676 26.6 250 9.8 8.0 7~9 220 8.7 10 7.9 13.7 44

275/40ZR17 98W 652 25.7 280 11.0 9.5 9~11 246 9.7 10 8.2 N/A 44

245/50R16 97V 652 25.7 250 9.8 7.5 6.5~8.5 232 9.1 11 8.5 N/A 36

18's make the stock disc brakes look way too tiny. Exposes the wheel rim to greater risk of damage. Makes ride harsher. Has reduced straight line traction vs. a 16" or 17" wheel due to larger radius of gyration. Tires generally cost more. Stock live rear axle can not take advantage of the more stable sidewall.

18's for show.... anything smaller for go .

[DeWynter]

Look I didn't mean to offend you. All the information I quoted is from www.tirerack.com .
for example

mfg Size Tread Width

BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD 245/40-18 7.9"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...m=44YR8GFTAKDR

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 245/40-18 7.7"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...rtnum=44ZR8S02

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 245/40-18 7.7"
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...um=44YR8F1GSD3

According to http://www.federaltire.com/ yes the SS 595 does have a 8.7 tread width. That is a lot wider than anyone else has by a whole inch.

You did not state that you were refering to Federal tires and since I have never heard of them before I couldn't look up their specs. You state what rims you have but not what tires you have. I looked up several tires sizes and all of them had tire widths between 7.7" and 7.9". jeez. BTW someone needs to teach them how to spell tires. I think it lost something in the translation. "tyres"

Sorry my post was not the nicest tone. Im not offended, and dont mean to offend you. Its just that I spent many days shopping for tires to fit my car that were good preformance and looks. I see R*** rockets around here all the time with tires that look like what you mentioned (tred narower than rim) I'm not a fan of that. I did not realize that other tire makers were so much narower than federal. because in reality a 245mm wide tire is = 9.645669291338583 inches. Sounds like a case of rip off by tire companies.

[DeWynter]

You might want to check your math. It's "all *&%$#ed up."

Your own data table indicates the 245/45-18 is approx. 1" larger in diameter than the stock 245/50-16. A +2 tire on the stockers would be a 245/40-18

You would use a 275/35-18 on an 18x9.5" wheel = 25.6".



18's make the stock disc brakes look way too tiny. Exposes the wheel rim to greater risk of damage. Makes ride harsher. Has reduced straight line traction vs. a 16" or 17" wheel due to larger radius of gyration. Tires generally cost more. Stock live rear axle can not take advantage of the more stable sidewall.

18's for show.... anything smaller for go .

My mistake in typing and brain as I have 245/40/18 (just went outside to look at the tires)
245/40ZR18 93W 651 25.6 250 9.8 8.5 8~9.5 220 8.7 10 8.2 12.5 44
I also have C4 HD brakes which are 12.5 ish in size so "My" brakes dont look to small but I can see this being a problem on stock cars. I have little if any loss in ride comfort by going from my stock 16" to the 18". Before anyone my suggest I may not have the experience in driving these cars I have had one since I was 17, 5 in total. 84 TA(Sold), 86 Firebird(rearended), 85 Camaro(sold then wrote off), 89 Camaro(sold), and now my 89 Formula WS6. I will say that my formula has been the most stiff riding car of the bunch, but its not bad, and I had the stock 16" rims on it for almost 2 years before I got the 18" ones. I have had many people actually tell me they were surprised that the car rides as nice as it does concidering the size of rims.