Wheels, spacers, and lug nut question.......
12-14-2009, 06:45 PM
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Wheels, spacers, and lug nut question....... Hey y'all,
I'm a long time member of this forum in another section, LS4 front drives with my '06 Monte SS, but over the last year or so have been spending alot of time in the F-body section as I now have a '98 WS6 in the driveway as well. (photos of both below, I hope.... Trying the photobucket thing for the first time..... Sorry if the images don't come thru.......)
Anywho, I've been looking pretty intensely lately for the next wheel/tire combo for my bird. I have a set of C6 Motorsports on there now that I bought from Tomz Wheels a year and a half ago. I've got 18X9.5 up front and 18X10.5 in the rear with 285/35/18 Nitto NT 555's on all corners. For all intents and purposes, I really like the wheels. Only one thing.... The rears don't have any lip to them whatsoever and I really do like that "true staggered look with lip" out in back, so am now shopping for new wheels. I have some new canidates in mind, but I have a question or two.
I have been reading alot in this section getting ideas from what others have done before me and being able to see it before I do it. (Sorta cheating, I know, but what do ya do.....) I'm a long time wheel fanatic so have at least some knowledge on the subject. But what I'm running into questions about is, I'm fairly sure I am going to need to do spacers on the wheels to get them to come out flush wth the wheelwells like many of you have done already. Like now, I could use some spacers for the wheels I have as they do sit in the wells a bit more that what I like. I have seen a number of photos with guys running 275-285's up front with a 1" spacer and 295's in the back with a 1.25" spacer and that is the look I am after. But to do that, do y'all have to put in new longer stud bolts, just use extended thread lug nuts (as I have seen here on some treads), or both????
I've done considerable looking and I can't tell from those who have done this what mods were done to do this..... I did see a post from 808Z28camaro under the "Got OE Wheels?? We need your pics" thread talking about extended lug nuts he used with his C5 dd wheels that he got at a local speed shop, but don't know the size or any specifics. Have also heard of guys installing longer studs, but again, nothing was said on size. (I did see a thread talking about way too long of studs being put in and showed the pics and they did look stupid!!!!!!!!)
So, I am basically asking guys who have done this, how did you accomplish the spacers with getting the wheels back on and tightened down securely back on the hub. If you used lug nuts only, what size and were did you get them? If you did do longer studs, what size?? Or both????? I've spent some time at Autozone and Advanced Auto and have looked thru the books they have, but there is just SOOOOOOO much stuff, you need a bit of an idea of what you are needing to narrow things down.......
I've been down this road with my Monte a couple of years ago when I put on the American Racing wheels that are on there now. I wanted to bring the rears out just a bit more, so at a local wheel/tire shop where I lived at the time, we put a 1/4" spacer on the back but used stock studs and lug nuts. All seemed to be ok.. A few months later when I was getting new tires on the car a a different store, they brought me back in the shop as they were working on my car to show me that the rears with the spacers were only being held on by 3-4 threads per lugnut all the way around both wheels!!!!!!! It was only a wonder that I didn't loose one or both of the wheels while I was going down the road at some point. So I don't want to have a situation like that again!!!!!!!!
So, from anyone who has had to make these mods, info to what you had to do to accomplish this would be most appreciated. And specific info as far as sizes and where you came across the parts would be great too.....
I'm a long time member of this forum in another section, LS4 front drives with my '06 Monte SS, but over the last year or so have been spending alot of time in the F-body section as I now have a '98 WS6 in the driveway as well. (photos of both below, I hope.... Trying the photobucket thing for the first time..... Sorry if the images don't come thru.......)
Anywho, I've been looking pretty intensely lately for the next wheel/tire combo for my bird. I have a set of C6 Motorsports on there now that I bought from Tomz Wheels a year and a half ago. I've got 18X9.5 up front and 18X10.5 in the rear with 285/35/18 Nitto NT 555's on all corners. For all intents and purposes, I really like the wheels. Only one thing.... The rears don't have any lip to them whatsoever and I really do like that "true staggered look with lip" out in back, so am now shopping for new wheels. I have some new canidates in mind, but I have a question or two.
I have been reading alot in this section getting ideas from what others have done before me and being able to see it before I do it. (Sorta cheating, I know, but what do ya do.....) I'm a long time wheel fanatic so have at least some knowledge on the subject. But what I'm running into questions about is, I'm fairly sure I am going to need to do spacers on the wheels to get them to come out flush wth the wheelwells like many of you have done already. Like now, I could use some spacers for the wheels I have as they do sit in the wells a bit more that what I like. I have seen a number of photos with guys running 275-285's up front with a 1" spacer and 295's in the back with a 1.25" spacer and that is the look I am after. But to do that, do y'all have to put in new longer stud bolts, just use extended thread lug nuts (as I have seen here on some treads), or both????
I've done considerable looking and I can't tell from those who have done this what mods were done to do this..... I did see a post from 808Z28camaro under the "Got OE Wheels?? We need your pics" thread talking about extended lug nuts he used with his C5 dd wheels that he got at a local speed shop, but don't know the size or any specifics. Have also heard of guys installing longer studs, but again, nothing was said on size. (I did see a thread talking about way too long of studs being put in and showed the pics and they did look stupid!!!!!!!!)
So, I am basically asking guys who have done this, how did you accomplish the spacers with getting the wheels back on and tightened down securely back on the hub. If you used lug nuts only, what size and were did you get them? If you did do longer studs, what size?? Or both????? I've spent some time at Autozone and Advanced Auto and have looked thru the books they have, but there is just SOOOOOOO much stuff, you need a bit of an idea of what you are needing to narrow things down.......
I've been down this road with my Monte a couple of years ago when I put on the American Racing wheels that are on there now. I wanted to bring the rears out just a bit more, so at a local wheel/tire shop where I lived at the time, we put a 1/4" spacer on the back but used stock studs and lug nuts. All seemed to be ok.. A few months later when I was getting new tires on the car a a different store, they brought me back in the shop as they were working on my car to show me that the rears with the spacers were only being held on by 3-4 threads per lugnut all the way around both wheels!!!!!!! It was only a wonder that I didn't loose one or both of the wheels while I was going down the road at some point. So I don't want to have a situation like that again!!!!!!!!
So, from anyone who has had to make these mods, info to what you had to do to accomplish this would be most appreciated. And specific info as far as sizes and where you came across the parts would be great too.....
12-14-2009, 07:01 PM
#2
It all depends on the wheel offset how much spacer you're gonna use. Say you get some C5 wheels from OEWheels, 18x10.5 have 56mm offset. Even with a 295 thats still tucked. I have a LT1 TA and just recently put on 1" bolt on spacers and they look perfectly flush now. I had 7/16 spacers, but they were still pretty tucked. If you go 1" spacers you wont need longer bolts since the spacer will be bolt on. If you go 1/4"-7/16" you will need longer bolts since. Hope this helps a bit.
12-14-2009, 10:05 PM
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You'd be surprised.... The photo is very deceiving. When sitting level on a driveway or something, both the front and rear wheels/tires do sit in the wheelwells quite a bit.... Need fixing......
