JohnS Z28

iTrader: (1)

Well after a long winter, finally getting my camaro out and ready, took a tire with a leak around the bead to a discount tire to see what it was,turns out chrome is peeling and apparently cant be fixed without a sandblast and completely re-dipping them for $300~, not worth it in my opinion.

1) judging from the pictures, are these fixable? Theyre 17" stocks and cannot find a single replacement to save my life, checked ebay, car-part, etc.
2) of course i happen to have fresh tires on them as this happened -.- the reading on the side is 245 50z r16 97w, I asked and they said that theyll mount the tires on anything 17x8.5 that i bring in (measured them too, theyre 8.5" wide), but from what i researched 245mm=9.5" width? or am i just crazy?

So assuming these tires are for 8.5" these are my options..
http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels_3/...or-Camaro_4/C6

http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels_3/...ine-17x8-5-SET

appreciate any input, thank you!

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

There is some conflicting info in your post that is a bit confusing. But here are some things to consider:

- You mentioned that you have 17" inch stock wheels, but the pictures you posted are of 16" stock wheels. Keep in mind that when you measure wheel diameter, a 16" wheel will actually measure more like 17" across the face from lip to lip.

- You mentioned that your tire size is "245 50z r16 97w". The r16 portion represents a tire that is made for a 16" diameter wheel. This means that these tires can only be mounted on 16" wheels and absolutely will not fit on 17" wheels.

- As for wheel width measurement, a wheel's rated width is correctly measured from inside the area where the tire beads meet the wheel, not from the outer edge of each lip. This would explain why you got a measurement of 8.5" wide on a wheel that is rated at 8" wide.

- The wheel you posted pictures of is a factory 16x8" wheel that was optional on V6 and standard on Z28 Camaros from the '97-'99 model years. If you keep an eye on the classifieds section (or even post a Want to Buy ad in the Parts Wanted section), you can find wheels like these from time to time. In fact, you can get a whole set for less than the $300 that you mentioned to repair this wheel. They also made these wheels in a silver painted version, which will not peel like chrome. A complete used set of those would likely be even cheaper than the chrome version.

- 245/50/16 is the correct factory tire size for those wheels. Yes, 245mm does equal about 9.65" wide. This is ok to use on an 8" wheel. Tire width is always going to be somewhat greater than the rated wheel width it is desiged for.

Hope that clears some things up. Whatever you do, don't buy either of those 17" wheels that you posted links to if you want to reuse your current 16" tires.

JohnS Z28

iTrader: (1)

alright man appreciate you clearing all that up, i guess this is why i thought they were 17" optional, and now that im searching the correct thing im finding results haha

ALSO im attending school for an associates in automotive right now and they have everything you could imagine, would this rim be RE-usable if it was sandblasted/cleaned up? because i can get them powder coated black for free..

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I guess that would depend on how bad the damage is to the aluminum under the chrome. I've had this problem before too, on a different GM car with factory chrome wheels that were exposed to lots of bad weather. At first, the issue is just the loose chrome plating that's causing the tire not to seal at the bead, but over time it gets worse and the aluminum becomes damaged/errodes underneath. So if it's gone on for a while, the wheel might need more repair than just stripping. If it's only the surface that is damaged, then you could probably get by with a simple stripping and refinishing.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

My Firehawk wheel are much worse than that. I took a 3m roloc disc and cleaned the bead area up the best I could. Then use bead seal, which is basically liquid rubber, on the rim and they sealed up just fine. I will be getting new wheels this summer because mine are such bad shape.

You can have the chrome stripped off but by the time you do that have either polish them or have them rechromed it would be cheaper to by a new set of wheels.

99monguse

If you really like the rims, I would have the GM factory ones refinished...as they are going to be higher quality than a replica, in my opinion, not that there's anything wrong with replicas.

tjwashow

iTrader: (2)

you could just buy mine i am not using anymore. what do you think? They are in good shape 150 bucks pm me if your interested.