Fitting COrvette wheels

[paulk68]

http://factoryreproductions.com/factory/pc/Corvette-C6-2008-Competition-Grey-c71.htm
I want to put these wheels on my 68 camaro. I know people run these late model corvette wheels with a spacer is that all that is required? The size i plan on running are 18x8.5 5x4.75+56. i am going to be using the ridetech tru-turn on the front. Any info would be great
thanks

[Rick Dorion]

You need adapters, not spacers, that will take you from the 5x4.75 OEM pattern to the 5x120 C6 pattern. I have the C5 rims on my Belair and bought adapters from motorsport-tech.com. For (2) 2.5" thick adapters, it was $200 with shipping. The 8.5" wheel you show is 7" backspace so you need to go from there to determine the adpater thickness you need. Perhaps others can chime in with personal experience. My Belair needed a 3" adapter on the front for that size wheel.

[Apogee]

Rick is correct that you'll need a bolt-on type wheel spacer, commonly referred to as a wheel adapter, however the C6 wheel pattern is also 5x4.75, so both the inner and outer lug patterns would be the same. Just for reference, I have a 45mm [1.772"] thick adapter on a similar wheel and similar car ('73 Nova)...but have yet to run it with this combo.

Tobin
KORE3

[Rick Dorion]

I may have ordered the wrong adapter spacing!

[Rick Dorion]

Did I err on the C5 spacing? I thought it was 5x120.

[bmiller]

Did I err on the C5 spacing? I thought it was 5x120.

I've ran C5 and C6 wheels and they are the small gm pattern 5x4.75

[Apogee]

Did I err on the C5 spacing? I thought it was 5x120.

Rick, all of the Corvette's have 5x4.75 wheel patterns, C1 through C6. The newer C4/C5/C6 have a 70.3mm [2.768"] center bore as well if you're running a hub-centric adapter.

Tobin
KORE3

[JKnight]

Did I err on the C5 spacing? I thought it was 5x120.

On the upside Rick, at least now you can comfortably run BMW wheels!

A 5x4.75 wheel will bolt onto a 5x120 lug pattern, but it puts an element of additional strain on the base of the lug. In theory, this could lead to accelerated lug failure. Many have claimed that they run 5x120 wheels on 5x4.75 lug pattern for many miles without failure, but as with anything, YMMV...

[Rick Dorion]

I know, I know. I got hub and wheel centric adapters from motorsport-tech. At least I only ordered the rears! I'll order the fronts and sell off the rears. The Belair still has bias ply tires on it on the original 14" rims. What a difference.

[214Chevy]

Glad you clarified the fitment JKnight. 5x4.75 bolt pattern is in inches. 5x120 is the same thing only in millimeters. 5x4.75 actually converts to 5x120.65 in millimeters. Many wheel manufacturers round that figure up to 5x120.7. The wheels will fit each other. The advertised 5x120 and the small .65 difference of 5x120.65 is such a small amount in millimeters it is overcome by the opening of the eye sockets on the lug holes on the wheels. That's why wheel manufacturers tell you to get specific acorn lugs to seat the wheel properly over the stud to adapt to the opening of the eye socket. That's also why the eye socket on many wheels is recessed to fit the lug properly and prevent the movement once bolted down. Before you bolt you wheels down, put it on the lugs and there will be a small amount of left-to-right movement. That's the .65mm difference I'm talking about. Now, if you have hubcentric wheels this doesn't happen because the hub is seated pefectly. That's a luxury you get when you pay for $5000, 3-piece wheels.

[Apogee]

Everybody seems to have an opinion, and here's mine...a wheel stud is intended to be in pure tension, not tension plus bending per basic fastener theory and best practices. By running a 5x120mm wheel on a 5x4.75 hub, or vice versa, you have a .012" [.3mm] difference in absolute position of the lug nut seat versus the wheel stud. The end result is a wheel stud with about 20-25% higher internal stress when torqued to the same level as a stud in pure tension, which equates to a 20-25% loss in factor of safety. If you're okay with this, as many are, then go for it, but to say that the two different patterns are the same thing and interchangeable is not accurate. Just because the consequently higher wheel stud stresses may not lead to failure in many instances, that still doesn't make it right.

Just my $.02,
Tobin
KORE3

[214Chevy]

Everybody seems to have an opinion, and here's mine...a wheel stud is intended to be in pure tension, not tension plus bending per basic fastener theory and best practices. By running a 5x120mm wheel on a 5x4.75 hub, or vice versa, you have a .012" [.3mm] difference in absolute position of the lug nut seat versus the wheel stud. The end result is a wheel stud with about 20-25% higher internal stress when torqued to the same level as a stud in pure tension, which equates to a 20-25% loss in factor of safety. If you're okay with this, as many are, then go for it, but to say that the two different patterns are the same thing and interchangeable is not accurate. Just because the consequently higher wheel stud stresses may not lead to failure in many instances, that still doesn't make it right.

Just my $.02,
Tobin
KORE3

Tobin, of course I don't know the engineering dynamics of stress versus pure tension and all that jazz about percentage loss. :poke: :poke: All I know is the wheel fits. Therefore it is interchangeable. Hahahahahahah!! Just giving you a hard time Tobin. :D :D

[Apogee]

Tobin, of course I don't know the engineering dynamics of stress versus pure tension and all that jazz about percentage loss. :poke: :poke: All I know is the wheel fits. Therefore it is interchangeable. Hahahahahahah!! Just giving you a hard time Tobin. :D :D

Fair enough and I appreciate the hard time, however I can make just about anything fit with a big enough hammer, but it's not necessarily something I would recommend. As with most things, it's ultimately up to the car owner to decide what they are or are not willing to run on their car, but the more educated that decision is when it comes to safety items the better, IMHO.:thumbsup:

Tobin
KORE3