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Thread: Wheels and tires for a 55 C4 conversion

  1. #11
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    Thanks for all the good information. The wheels will be special order due to the BS so I need to nail everything down before ordering.

    Mike

  2. #12
    Registered Member Custer55's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    Custer, the 86 C4 front and rear are 1" narrower than the 88-96 suspensions you have. That will affect the backspacing needed.

    I typically like the tire outside width to be 67 3/4" or less if the car sits low in front. I'm not sure how Newman sets his ride height. With the 61" front end width of the early C4 and a 245 tire you need a wheel offset of 1 7/16" or more to keep the tire width at that limit. On an 8" wheel that's just under 6" backspacing. So 6" should work fine.
    I missed that he has the 86 C4 suspension which is narrower so you are correct. An 8" wheel with a 6" backspace should be fine as the original wheels on an 86 were 16 x 8.5 with a 32 mm offset which works out pretty close to a 6" backspace.

  3. #13
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    This thread got me to thinking, and shopping for what setup I was going to try and make work. I finally had the chance to put one of the front 17 x 9 wheels off my C5 with a 50mm offset/7" BS on the rear of my tubbed 55 C4. They could move almost an inch outboard on the tight side of my car. There are definitely a lot of choices going with a 245/45-17 tire, but to me they look kind of like 14 inch tires. So, since I want somewhere near a 27 inch tall tire, which also increases the contact patch, I need to use 18 x 9 inch wheels front, and rear to get the biggest selection of tire sizes, and compounds. I will probably have American Racing custom make one of the 5 spoke wheels in a 18 X 9 near a 34mm offset/6.34 inch backspacing. I will use something plus, or minus around a 275/40-18 front, and rear. It's going to be quite awhile, even though I've already had fun driving the car a lot in my head. I'm pretty sure my Nomad sized Tahoe would handle like shit if I narrowed the rear, and put some 13 inch wide tires on it. No BS, narrowing a C4 IRS would never ever enter my tiny brain.
    Last edited by 55 Rescue Dog; 07-05-2019 at 06:12 AM.

  4. #14
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    You do have a tiny brain. A narrowed suspension and bigger tires is going to result in the same width across the tire patch, just bigger tires.

    And just how do bigger tires on the rear make the front tires slip? Or, for that matter, make the rear tires slip?

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick_L View Post
    You do have a tiny brain. A narrowed suspension and bigger tires is going to result in the same width across the tire patch, just bigger tires.

    And just how do bigger tires on the rear make the front tires slip? Or, for that matter, make the rear tires slip?
    It's a very complicated subject that you don't know much about either. Vehicle dynamics is an interesting subject, as to what the effects are between track widths, wheel offsets, geometry, and tire sizes. These links are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm going to rethink my tire/wheel choices. There is more to it than just wide tires.
    http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/...-size-matters/
    http://dawsengineering.com/linked_fi...lus_sizing.pdf

    Art Morrison refuses to narrow an IRS
    https://www.hotrod.com/articles/1984...ar-suspension/
    Last edited by 55 Rescue Dog; 07-05-2019 at 03:17 PM.

  6. #16
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    Another thing to consider about a tires load capacity. It's not just to support the weight of the vehicle at its static weight, but also the dynamic weight transfer of the vehicle during cornering, braking, and acceleration. The circle of traction is what it all comes down to. This article mentions some more things to consider when choosing tires for maximum performance.
    https://motoiq.com/the-physics-of-tires/

  7. #17
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    I finally had the chance to put one of the front 17 x 9 wheels off my C5 with a 50mm offset/7" BS on the rear of my tubbed 55 C4. They could move almost an inch outboard on the tight side of my car.
    First of all, you should be putting the wheels on with tires installed. The 50mm offset is going to make the track 59.31" with a late C4 which I believe is what you have. A nominal 275 tire at 10.83" is going to give you an outside width of 70.14". Most of these cars are around 71.5" across the wheelwell lips....mine are 71 11/16". That is unless your quarters are screwed up. So you should have 0.68" clearance between the tire and fenderwell lip on both sides. Go ahead and try to move them an inch.

    There are definitely a lot of choices going with a 245/45-17 tire, but to me they look kind of like 14 inch tires. So, since I want somewhere near a 27 inch tall tire, which also increases the contact patch, I need to use 18 x 9 inch wheels front, and rear to get the biggest selection of tire sizes, and compounds.
    What does a "14 inch tire" look like? You can get them in almost any diameter depending on series and width. There are plenty of taller tires in the 17 inch size. If you go with a 9" wheel you need at least a 275 tire in front to fit right. I thought you were supposedly a tire expert.

    I will probably have American Racing custom make one of the 5 spoke wheels in a 18 X 9 near a 34mm offset/6.34 inch backspacing. I will use something plus, or minus around a 275/40-18 front, and rear.
    Good luck with that. The outside of the tires are going to be 70.14" across and will surely rub unless you hack the fenders like you did on your camaro, or raise the front end a few inches. That will really help your center of gravity. LOL.

    I'm pretty sure my Nomad sized Tahoe would handle like shit if I narrowed the rear, and put some 13 inch wide tires on it. No BS, narrowing a C4 IRS would never ever enter my tiny brain.
    Your tiny brain can't even understand what your mouth is saying. What a stupid comment. How many narrowed Ford rears use wheels with deep offsets? How did that affect the tire track? I narrowed my C4 rear to 60" which is the same as a stock tri5. I did it partly to get a little more wheel dish, and partly to facilitate tire removal. But I understand that's hard for your tiny brain to comprehend.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  8. #18
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    Another thing to consider about a tires load capacity. It's not just to support the weight of the vehicle at its static weight, but also the dynamic weight transfer of the vehicle during cornering, braking, and acceleration. The circle of traction is what it all comes down to. This article mentions some more things to consider when choosing tires for maximum performance.
    https://motoiq.com/the-physics-of-tires/
    Blah, blah, blah. Your tiny brain must be working overtime today. Cars work fine with the tires that are available, and nobody really looks at load ratings. They're not going onto a dump truck.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  9. #19
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Member #:115
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    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    I'm pretty sure my Nomad sized Tahoe would handle like shit if I narrowed the rear, and put some 13 inch wide tires on it.
    What a stupid comment.....do you realize that a Nomad is the same size as your sedan? The only difference is the extended roof, replacing the trunk. The weight is only 200 pounds different due to the added glass and metal for the roof. How does the tire track change if you narrow the rearend and change the wheel backspacing to offset it? It doesn't.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  10. #20
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    It's a very complicated subject that you don't know much about either. Vehicle dynamics is an interesting subject, as to what the effects are between track widths, wheel offsets, geometry, and tire sizes. These links are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm going to rethink my tire/wheel choices. There is more to it than just wide tires.
    http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/...-size-matters/
    http://dawsengineering.com/linked_fi...lus_sizing.pdf

    Art Morrison refuses to narrow an IRS
    https://www.hotrod.com/articles/1984...ar-suspension/
    So you post old, irrelevant articles and articles that babble on like you do and say nothing? I read the Hotrod article and it's almost 20 years old. I don't know who the guy is at Morrison who made those claims, but there's absolutely no data or analysis to support them. Lots of guys narrow C4 rearends including Tray Walden at The Street Shop. He routinely narrows them 4". The "tuneruniversity" article says essentially nothing useful.

    You go on and on and make claims that something will get messed up if you do this or that, but you can't even fit a wheel to your car correctly, as I demonstrated. You never provide any numbers, data, or any analysis at all to support your claims. Your input is essentially irrelevant, especially after all the times I've proven you to be dead wrong.

    Go ahead and "re-think" what you're going to do....again. Some day you might stumble on a solution that works.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

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