Snowed In--Thinking of some ????????

[Heyspike]

Just thinking of some questions, while the ice melts in front of my garage! I'm due for some tires this spring and instead of a brand name debate I was wondering what am I limited to in tire size and wheel size? I have an 86 with convertible with 255/50/16 on 16 x 8 wheels. Is there any good reason to go with wider tires or bigger wheel or can that even be physically done? I would like to put a set of black wheels on but haven't seen any in that size.
Thanks, John

 

[rrubel]

There are a couple aftermarket companies that make pretty much any size/style wheel you want for the early C4's. Going to a 17" wheel is called plus-1, and an 18" is plus-2. Note that our cars have a different offset (depth of wheel from inside edge of wheel to inside of the wheel's hub) than the later C4's so if you want a set of late-model wheels you'll need to buy a $200 set of spacers (which is what I did to install some 96 wheels on my 86). I've seen the black 5-spoke wheels in our offset for about $900/set; I have the URL at home and will post it later if no one else does.
[RICHR]

 

[Heyspike]

Do the 17's or 18's rub anywhere? How about the speedometer does it affect that? What tire size did you put on?

 

[Heyspike]

What is the widest tire to fit on the 16x8.5 wheels?

 

[rrubel]

My 17's don't rub but I got the spacers. If you stay with one of the recommended plus sizes then the speedo isn't affected because the rolling diameter changes by millimeters - not enough to affect anything. I used a GPS system to determine that my speedo is right dead on after the wheel change.

Mad-mic has similar-sized wheels on his 87, and they don't rub WITHOUT the spacers (they're supposed to fix changes in handling due to the wheels being mounted further inboard; Mad-mic says there's not a lot of clearance by the muffler either).

I'm using 255/45 ZR17's in front and 275/40 ZR17's in the rear.

Be darned if I can find that wheel seller, though.

Can't answer the widest-tire part... although if you go with 17's you can put 9.5" wide wheels on the car (that was standard pre-93, and optional post-93).

[RICHR]

 

[vettl83]

If your looking for the A molds check out www.afswheels.com they have them in the correct offsets for your car. They offer silver, black, polished, and chrome for finishes. Purchased a set for my ZR-1 a couple of months back. I am totally pleased with the fit and finish plus their customer service is excellent. 84 CF 91 ZR-1

 

[FourAndAHalf]

Just thinking of some questions, while the ice melts in front of my garage! I'm due for some tires this spring and instead of a brand name debate I was wondering what am I limited to in tire size and wheel size? I have an 86 with convertible with 255/50/16 on 16 x 8 wheels. Is there any good reason to go with wider tires or bigger wheel or can that even be physically done? I would like to put a set of black wheels on but haven't seen any in that size.
Thanks, John

Go to www.fikse.com they offer wheels for all c4's i think... they come in a lot of different finishes... they are a bit pricey though... im looking at the fm/5's in black

 

[Heyspike]

RRUBEL----What size are your wheels?, Sorry for all the questions, but this is all new to me and I want to get it right the first time. The tires need to be replaced and I'd like to go with a bigger tire and black wheels.--Thanks, John.:confused

Found my way around the AFS web site--Most questions answered---Thanks.:duh

AFS--Nice wheels:cool
Looking at the ZR1--Black or Red with 275/315 Dunlaps.
It's a real nice package.

 

[rrubel]

I've got what became the stock wheels in 93. 17x8.5 front, 17x9.5 rear. If you can find them, get 9.5's all the way around - your tire selection is better, I think. Mine were free, though, so I had NO problem with the different widths (ZR1 and other packages came with the 9.5's in front; GM felt that the narrower stock track would help make steering easier on non-performance models).

I can shoot you a picture if you'd like. AFS, btw, is the company whose web page I couldn't remember the other day. I think they have GS/Z06 wheels in our offsets as well...
[RICHR]