Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com

2010-2015 CAMARO RACING WHEEL AND TIRE APPLICATIONS

WHEELS:
If you've been racing your fifth-gen Camaro you already know they are a blast at the track. Bone stock, the Camaro SS in both the automatic and manual transmission versions will rip off low 13 second passes all day long. You've probably have had to figure out how to hook your ride on the stock tires. Feathering the throttle, walking out it out of the hole, we've all been there. After a while (and especially if you have increased your power level), trying to hook on stock tires become counterproductive. You end up leaving the starting line with so little power that you find it difficult to go quicker. But once you start doing some research you'll discover that there is strong aftermarket support for drag racers like you and me.

For example there are a number of companies that manufacture racing wheels... but wait. Let me explain why we'd even buy aftermarket wheels.

There are in fact 20" drag tires out there that will fit just fine on stock rims. They will work great and in some cases you can leave 'em on the car for a few thousand miles of driving. But 20" tires are stiff sidewall construction, which makes sense. Stock tires are designed for the average driver who wants decent handling, traction, and treadwear. But I digress. For drag racing we have other options. We have direct bolt-on options that we can buy and install on our cars.

So why go from a 20" wheel to say a 17 or an 18" wheel? From a technological aspect that feels like we're going backwards. Well when it comes to drag racing, we go down in wheel and tire diameter for several reasons:

-Increase in tire sidewall which means the 17 and 18" tires for example can absorb more of the force when you launch the car hard.
-Shorter diameter wheels and tires are lighter. You are reducing weight. Stock rear wheels and tires on a Camaro SS for example are approximately 68 lbs. That's heavy. The fronts are 62 lbs.
-Thinner "skinnier" front wheels and tires minimize contact patch, so you'll have less drag and rolling resistance.

Those are some of the main reasons that racers change their wheel and tire combinations.

So check out the rest of the info in the sticky and feel free to post up questions:

FAQ:
-There are a number of mass produced 17, 18 and 20" drag race wheels made by several aftermarket companies that fit the 5th-gen Camaro.
-To run 17's or 18's on the rear, you need to tie back the emergency brake cable otherwise it rub on the inside barrel of the rim.
-Up front you need to change brake pads or cut off the roller skates.
-If your car is lowered, 17" rims might not fit in the rear unless you run notched stock lower control arms or aftermarket ones like the ones made by BMR.
-CCW made 16" wheels that fit on our cars if you run V6 or aftermarket rear brakes.
-There are 15" wheels that are direct fit for the Camaro. In all cases you would need to change other components like brakes and suspension parts.
-You can retrofit V6 brakes front and back and run other OEM rims. You can for example run 17x9.5 factory C5 Z06 +56mm offset rims in back. GTO spares can fit up front.
-18" G8 wheels will not fit the rear of the Camaro, they will make contact with the factory Brembo brakes.
-18" CTS spare wheels will fit the front of the Camaro if you use spacers.
-We do not suggest running spacers in general, and definitely do not recommend running spacer with the rear wheels. If you are running stock studs and spacers you are reducing the amount of thread engagement.
-We suggest torquing your wheels on a regular basis.

Major wheel companies:
Weld Racing
Race Star Industries (RSI)
Complete Custom Wheels (CCW) - Now a subsidiary of Weld Racing
Bogart Racing Wheels
Billet Specialties
VMS
Jegs
+ some C6 Z06/ZR1 reproduction wheels for the rear

CCW:
-Was acquired by Weld Racing in 10/14.
-Makes wheels that fit our cars. I've seen 16's for the rear but I assume they make 17's?

Bogart:
-Makes 17" wheels that are direct fit, 17x5 for the front, and 17x10 for the rear.
-They also make 15's and 16's.

Race Star Industries:
-RSI makes 17x4.5 and 17x7 fronts. The 17x7s reportedly do not fit ZL1s. I do not believe the 17x4.5's fit on an ZL1 either.
-RSI offers an 18x5 front that fits the SS and the ZL1. Be careful when ordering as there are 2 18x5 rims and one is for the C6. Tire sizes are limited for this wheel.
-Currently offers 18x10.5 for the rears. Direct fit.
-RSI has released 17x9.5s for the rear.
-RSI has released 17x10.5s that fit 5th gen.
-RS 17x9.5 fit rear of 6th gen. Been told 17x10.5 as well, I need pic proof.
-RSI has a 15x10 that fits with MC kit and BMR kit.

Weld:
-Makes 17, 18 and 20" wheels that directly fit our cars.
-I believe ZL1 owners need to order high pad 17x4.5s, check with your vendor.
-17x5 / 17x10 combo is a popular combo.
-Also makes 15's.

Billet Specialties:
Front - Currently carry 17x4.5 2.0 backspace in their Street Lite series
Front - I believe the Win Lite 17x4.5s fit our cars, can anyone confirm?
Rear - I've heard that BS is working on 17x10 Street Lites, I have no update right now.
Rear - Also carry 15x10 7.5 backspace that fit with suspension and brake changes.

VMS:
-Makes 18" fronts
-Makes 17" rears

Jegs:
-Makes 17x4.5 fronts that fit

Reproduction Corvette wheels:
-Not sure if there is just one brand that sell the wheels (need to check).
-18x9.5 +40mm offset wheels, C6 ZL1 or Z06 style are direct fit wheels for the rear.
-18x10.5 +53mm offset wheels fit our cars, no spacers required. These wheels are hard to find.
-18x10.5 +56mm offset wheels do NOT directly fit unless you run a spacer. We do not recommend using spacers in the rear.

TIRES:
If you are reading this sticky, you might already know that there are a bunch of companies that manufacture drag racing tires. But if you are investigating drag tires for the first time, then read on.

Simply, drag tires provide better traction since they are manufactured with softer rubber compounds. Without going into profound detail here, let's just say that drag tires are softer, hook up better on the track and the street, and wear a lot faster than stock tires. Also some drag tires are street legal and some are not rated for street use by the DOT (Department of Transportation).

You might also wonder what bias-ply means. Well, this is an older manufacturing process used for constructing tires, and this process is still used today for drag tires as well as tires used for industrial applications. Simple rule of thumb, bias-ply tires do not handle as well as radials. As our cars come stock with radial tires, your car will ride and handle more like stock with drag racing radial tires. But bias-ply slicks are very popular, and don't discount their effectiveness. Their soft sidewall construction allow for more wrinkle and that in turn helps hook cars that are having traction problems at the racetrack. That being said, they are not as efficient, most are not street legal, and if you drive them on the street you will harden them. They will also wear out pretty quick. Most bias-ply drag tires are very smooth. So beware, if you are driving around on DOT or non-DOT bias-ply tires, you are basically driving around on bald tires. Be careful driving in wet weather.

So drag radials are very popular and work great. A good rule of thumb is you would add drag radials out back since we have rear wheel drive cars. If you decide to get even more serious, you might start researching skinnier front wheels and tires. The reasons for switching to big'n little combo are simple. Narrower tires have less contact patch and therefore have less rolling resistance. They are also lighter. But new user beware, you will experience diminished braking power at the end of a run at the track. You also cannot take corners as quickly if you are driving around with "skinnies" on the street. Your car will push more in corners.

Also a note about tire heights. If you mix and match tire heights, in some cases you will trip trouble codes because the factory computer freaks out. I've read that it can also lead to some weird pulsing from the ABS system, but I need to research that as I've never experienced that. But generally you will trip a code if you run tires that are more than inch difference in height front to back.

General:
-Make sure you understand tire heights. For example, 26" tall tires would be 2.5 inches shorter than stock. We do not recommend wheels that short, would suggest going no shorter than 27".
-Most of you should not run tires that are taller than stock, like 29" tires. If you make enough power to warrant running 29 or 30" tires you probably didn't need to read this sticky. :)
-We recommend getting a good tire gauge. Those $2 pen-style ones are not very accurate.
-Most of you should not drop rear tire pressure lower than 20 PSI with 17, 18 and 20" tires.
-Racers will sometimes increase front tire pressures to minimize contact patch. That said, you should never exceed the recommend tire pressure for a given tire.
-No factory "dinky" spare tire is legal for drag racing.

Major tire companies:
Hoosier
Mickey Thompson
M&H
Nitto
Phoenix
Toyo

Stock SS tires are:
Front 245/45R20 = 28.7"
Rear 275/40R20 = 28.7"

Stock ZL1 tires are:
Front 285/35R20 = 27.9"
Rear 305/35R20 = 28.4"

20" Tires:
Rear - M/T 305/35R20
Rear: M/T 275/30R20
Rear - Nitto 305/35R20 555R
Rear - Nitto 315/35R20 NT05R
Rear - Nitto 275/45R20 555R
Rear - Nitto 275/45R20 NT05R

19" Tires:

18" Tires:
Rear - Hoosier 325/45R18 (around 30" tall)
Rear: M/T 325/35R18 (27.x tall)
Rear - M/T 305/45R18 ET Street R
Rear - M/T 305/40R18 S/S
Rear - M&H 325/40R18 (10" rim)
Rear - Nitto 305/45R18 555R
Rear - Nitto 305/45R18 NT05R
Rear - M&H 275/45R18
Rear - M&H 28x10x18 slicks (bias play, not street legal)
Front - M&H 4.5/28-28 (DOT but bias ply)
Front - Hoosier makes 17" drag fronts
Front: M/T makes a 28x6.00x18 SR front radial that is DOT

17" Tires:
Front - M/T 28X6.00R17LT
Front - M&H 4.5/28-17 DOT (bias ply)
Front - M&H 4.5/28R17 Radial (new early 2016)
Front - M&H 4.5/28-17 radial (NEW in 2016)
Front - Phoenix 4.5/27-17 (bias ply, non-DOT, not street legal)
Front - Hoosier 27.5/4.5-17 Drag Front (none-DOT, not street legal)
Front - various brand 215/65R17 radials fit 17x7 rims. Search Amazon for Milestar MS932s, V rated. I have seen them listed for $90 each. They are a little wide for narrower rims.
Front - various brand 215-245/__r17 radials will fit 17x7 through 17x8 rims.

Rear - M/T 295/45/17 ET Street (~27.3 tall)
Rear - M/T 305/45R17 ET Street R
Rear - M&H 275/50R17 (28" Tall)
Rear - M&H Racemaster 325/45R17 (10" rim)
Rear - M&H 28x10x17 slicks (bias play, not street legal)
Rear - Hoosier 28x10x17 slicks (bias ply, not street legal)

16" Tires:
Front - There are several available.
Rear - There are several available.

15" Tires:
Front - There are several available.
Rear - There are several available.