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C6 wheel help please!

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Old Dec 21, 2010 | 05:16 PM
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Default C6 wheel help please!

Hi, I did several searches but can't seem to find answers to the options that I have, and hoped you good people could point me in the right direction with your honest opinions. So here goes!

I was looking to retire my '02 Formula Firehawk painted 17"X9"" wheels and store them and install some OEM Corvette C6 polished wheels.

I have two sets (8 wheels, 4 fronts and 4 rears) of OEM staggered polished C6 Corvette rims Front 18x8.5 Offset: +56 mm, Rear 19x10 Offset: +79 mm, I have not purchased tires as of yet. My '02 Formula Firehawk is slightly lowered, it has the Bilstein Performance Suspension system option, I believe it's 1.4" lower than a stock bird.

1st option= I believe the OEM C6 front wheels will install all the way around ok w/w/o wheel adapters possible 1/2" but I believe the tires will be too narrow of a look front and especially the rear, I think 18X8 rim can only handle a 245/40/18 tire max as compared to original Firehawk tires 275/40/17 all the way around, so I'm not too happy going this route, I don't really want to down size.

2nd option= I could go the staggered route and live with the 245/40/18 up front and bump up the rear to 295/35/19 with wheel adapters 1.25" in back and 1/2" up front?

3rd option= will the OEM C6 rear wheels even work in the front of my car with adapters as well as the rear with adapters?
If so what size adaptor for the front and what size tires all the way around would you go with, not even sure this option is possible and I really don't want to roll the back fenders?

What would you do with this scenario?
The more the input the better?
The wheels look like this:
C6 wheel help please!-c6-wheel.jpg
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Old Dec 21, 2010 | 08:57 PM
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I ran OEM C6 19x10 rims all the way around with 1.25" adapter/spacers. I ran 275/30/19 tires, but the rears could easily handle 285/30/19.

I didn't have them on long because the 30 series tire just made the ride WAAAY too rough and I couldn't get traction. I'm now back on C5 Z06 18x9.5 rims all the way around.

Here's a link to my original thread a couple of years ago:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-ti...ay-around.html

Also, you're correct that you don't want to run the 18x8.5's in the rear...it looks funny and I actually had trouble making them fit over the center hub when I test fitted it when I was trying to figure out which way to go.

If you do go with the staggered look, then you need to run 255/35/18 tires on the front and 275 or 285/30/19 in the rear. That'll keep the odd look of having bigger sidewalls on the front to a minimum as well as keep the ABS happy.

Last edited by BandDirector Blk98ZM6; Dec 21, 2010 at 09:04 PM.
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Old Dec 21, 2010 | 09:15 PM
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Check my sig, video and pics. 275/35/18 front and 295/30/19 rear. OEM C6 wheels.
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Old Dec 21, 2010 | 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by 1998Z28LOADED
Check my sig, video and pics. 275/35/18 front and 295/30/19 rear. OEM C6 wheels.
But putting a 275 tire on an 8.5" wide rim is pushing the boundaries of safety...yes, it can be done, but it's generally not recommended.
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Old Dec 22, 2010 | 09:47 AM
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Thanks for the replies so far, I did forget to ask about the type of adapters though; I've heard about the hub-centric type are they necessary for front or back or both or not at all.
C6 wheel help please!-hub-centric.jpg
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Old Dec 22, 2010 | 10:06 PM
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I personally didn't worry about my adapters being hub-centric. I ran regular 1.25" adapters all the way around without any issues.
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Old Dec 24, 2010 | 01:37 PM
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Default Non hubcentric, are you nuts?!

Originally Posted by BandDirector Blk98ZM6
I personally didn't worry about my adapters being hub-centric. I ran regular 1.25" adapters all the way around without any issues.
You are so out of your f"in mind. Hub Centric is a serious issue when it comes to anything above the width of 1/4" spacers. Your cars weight and torsion of the wheels and torque are all reliant on the lugs. When you jar a wheel on a pothole or a lipped obstacle or anything else in daily driving conditions you apply a sheer force against the "LUGS ONLY" and that is nuts!!
Without the hubcentricity you are giving the brunt of the blow to the weakest link on the susupension. The springs and the shocks "DAMPEN" the ride not remove the shock of the roads hazards. Do you value your life to your 5- 1/2" or less lugs? I'm sure less, as your probably running stock chinese purchased factory bolts anyway..
Please dont give this advice out to people who dont know better. Natural selection is not meant to be distributed as advice to others. Kill yourself sure, but dont promote stupidity.


Currently running 19" at all 4 corners on 1.25 "HUBCENTRIC" spacers. 295/30 rear, 285 front no rub unless at full lock in front and it only rubs the inner fender plastic at the outboard side of tires. The rear qtrs are rolled otherwise you will cut the **** out of your sidewall with a 295. If you run 285 all four corners you will not encounter an issue. Recommendation to anyone doing this is to run a 275 front. you dont need that much width in the front, you will be annoyed on rutted roads and or find you need to maintain alignment to tighter tolerance.
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Old Dec 24, 2010 | 11:52 PM
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I'm attaching a pic of the 1.25" eBay adapters I ran. They're every bit as "hub centric" as a stock wheel...not to mention the lugs are cone shaped and center the spacer just like they center the wheel when they bolt the wheel to the rotor. The studs aren't any longer than the stock studs. The spacer bolts to the rotor using the stock studs and and then you bolt your wheel to the spacer and once again, the lugs are cone shaped to center the wheel.

If you choose to run longer studs and just put a 1.25" spacer on the longer studs, I'd agree that "hub centric" would be a major issue...but with the type of adapter I'm talking about, I'm just saying I didn't have any issues when I ran them and they guy I sold them too hasn't had any issues with them either. It can be a hot topic on here on running "hub centric" or not, and you'll find lots of guys on both sides of the fence....I sometimes wonder if people realize the difference between spacers that you need to install longer studs to use and the adapters that bolt to the rotor and then the wheel bolts to the adapter...


Last edited by BandDirector Blk98ZM6; Dec 25, 2010 at 12:00 AM.
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Old Dec 25, 2010 | 01:56 PM
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Thanks again for your replies, I did some further research on "Hub Centric" adaptors and I found this info:

http://bernardembden.com/xjs/hubcentric/index.htm

What I take from this is, when considering the use of a wheel adaptors, it is important to note the wheel and the hub is an integral part of structural integrity or load bearing of the wheel to the hub on the car. When you dismiss this your likely to compromise "integrity" and safety due to forces in acceleration and cornering. The "Hub Centric" adapter is designed to replicate the structural integrity of the wheel to the hub when using an adaptor.
The cost difference, is only about $10.00 per adaptor which is too little of a difference to risk safety using a Non-Hub Centric type in my mind.
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Old Dec 25, 2010 | 09:49 PM
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But that's a different type of adapter than what I used. You either have to use longer studs or take a chance without them, but in any case, I agree that hub centric is important when using that type of adapter.

Actually, though, that style isn't really an adapter...it's a spacer. I would think the difference between an adapter and a spacer would be that the adapter bolts to the wheel and then the wheel bolts to the adapter. A spacer simply bolts between the wheel and the rotor using the orginal or longer studs. If it's put that way, then I would think that "Hub centric" IS important when using a spacer, but when using an adapter (like the one I'm referring to), it may not be AS important.

In my opinion, this is just a spacer since it just goes between the wheel and hub using the stock or longer studs and hub centric IS important if you use a spacer:



BUT, this is an adapter. It bolts to the wheel hub, but then gives you a completely new set of studs to bolt the wheel to:



These 2 are DIFFERENT although they look similar...

Also, keep in mind the first picture isn't an F-Body...I think it's actually a Jaguar. The F-Body hub doesn't come anywhere close to sticking out that far as seen in the 2nd picture that is an F-Body.

Last edited by BandDirector Blk98ZM6; Dec 25, 2010 at 11:22 PM.
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Old Dec 26, 2010 | 06:36 AM
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not to thread hijack here but I'm about to buy these: http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels-fo...viewsTabAnchor

and I need to know what size spacer i need and where I can go about getting them?
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Old Dec 26, 2010 | 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by 97 FiReBiRd
not to thread hijack here but I'm about to buy these: http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels-fo...viewsTabAnchor

and I need to know what size spacer i need and where I can go about getting them?
Those look to be replica's made to fit F-Bodies...so you wouldn't need a spacer or adapter.

The spacer or adapter is only needed if you're running OEM C6 rims.
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Old Dec 26, 2010 | 01:19 PM
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BUT, this is an adapter. It bolts to the wheel hub, but then gives you a completely new set of studs to bolt the wheel to:



These 2 are DIFFERENT although they look similar...

I think you may be missing the point of the raised area in the center. The first pic is of a front hub and the second is of a rear axle, I'm no expert but the terms adaptor and spacer are used loosely; adaptors usually change from one bolt pattern to another and spaces out wheel and a spacer is only to space out the wheel. But in both cases the hub centric I think is important as it make either type attach like the original wheel to a rear axle or a front hub. In short it's the raised area in the middle of either adaptor or spacer that adds to the structural integrity of the wheel to the hub. See below an adapter/spacer with raised area.
C6 wheel help please!-5lugspacers.jpg
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Old Dec 26, 2010 | 03:23 PM
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Originally Posted by 383C5Supercharged
Do you value your life to your 5- 1/2" or less lugs? I'm sure less, as your probably running stock chinese purchased factory bolts anyway..
Please dont give this advice out to people who dont know better. Natural selection is not meant to be distributed as advice to others. Kill yourself sure, but dont promote stupidity.
I understand the point...hub centric is a superior design. I've always understood that. However, the above quote is mainly what my responses have been to address. 383C5Supercharged seemed to think I was talking about a spacer that would then only leave me with a 1/2" or less of stud and without a hub centric design, was a serious safety issue since the lugs were already under a larger than normal stress load with the spacer installed.

When I was shopping for my adapters, I bought mine for like $65 shipped per pair...Hub centric adapters seemed to run about double that. Yes, hub centric is a superior design, however when dealing with an adapter like I'm referring to, I was simply stating a fact that I've used them and had no issue with them and I wouldn't hesitate to run them again if had a need to.
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Old Dec 26, 2010 | 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by 97 FiReBiRd
not to thread hijack here but I'm about to buy these: http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels-fo...viewsTabAnchor

and I need to know what size spacer i need and where I can go about getting them?
They are replica's so they will bolt right up to the car. I didn't see the size but if there bigger than 9.5in wide then you may have to BFH mod the rear inner fenders and maybe roll the fender lip. Yeah you may get some people on here that say "they will bolt right up to the car without having to do anything to the car" but lets face it, a LOT of things on these cars is a car to car basis thing. You may get them to fit without having to touch the inner fenders and the fender lip but the next guy may have to re-build the entire rear end of the car, not literally, but it would kinda seem like it though with all the work they had to do just to get them to fit. Hope this helps.
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Old Dec 28, 2010 | 12:47 PM
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After reading this once again.. (Yes, back for more...) I see you still seem to not understand the fact that you bought "spacers" or "adapters" that are not hubcentric.
Your wheels need to fit over the units and the center portion of your unit has to be inside the bore of the wheel center in order to be hubcentric. If you remove your spacer/adapter you will see a 1/4" approximate raised section on the hub of the rotor (RING). Your adapter/spacer also must have this in order to be "Hubcentric".
Meaning that your adding hubcentricity to the wheels that is bolted to the adapter. I'm not sure I can be any clearer than that. You my friend have bolted a spacer that relies on the lugs to hold the wheels on the car as well as take the sheer of the wheels jar and movement. IN A WORD: DANGEROUS.
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Old Dec 28, 2010 | 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by 383C5Supercharged
After reading this once again.. (Yes, back for more...) I see you still seem to not understand the fact that you bought "spacers" or "adapters" that are not hubcentric.
Your wheels need to fit over the units and the center portion of your unit has to be inside the bore of the wheel center in order to be hubcentric. If you remove your spacer/adapter you will see a 1/4" approximate raised section on the hub of the rotor (RING). Your adapter/spacer also must have this in order to be "Hubcentric".
Meaning that your adding hubcentricity to the wheels that is bolted to the adapter. I'm not sure I can be any clearer than that. You my friend have bolted a spacer that relies on the lugs to hold the wheels on the car as well as take the sheer of the wheels jar and movement. IN A WORD: DANGEROUS.
Actually, my first comment was that I didn't worry about my adapters being hub centric. I understand what your point is. However, I, along with several other members here run, or have run, non hub centric spacers without problems. If you hit a pothole or something else hard enough to sheer 3-5 lugs, then a lost wheel probably isn't going to be your only problem....this has been a LONG standing debate with opinions on both sides. The absolute best answer is to just NOT run spacers at all and get a rim that fits your application.
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Old Dec 28, 2010 | 07:54 PM
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[QUOTE=BandDirector Blk98ZM6;14289131]Actually, my first comment was that I didn't worry about my adapters being hub centric. I understand what your point is. However, I, along with several other members here run, or have run, non hub centric spacers without problems. If you hit a pothole or something else hard enough to sheer 3-5 lugs, then a lost wheel probably isn't going to be your only problem....this has been a LONG standing debate with opinions on both sides. The absolute best answer is to just NOT run spacers at all and get a rim that fits your application.[/

FINALLY SOMETHING WE AGREE ON. LOL
Unfortunately, in order to get C6 wheels on its a must.
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Old Dec 28, 2010 | 08:07 PM
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With hubcentric spacers and original 18/19 size wheels with 295 30/19 rear 265/35/18 fronts. Curently, weeks after this photo running 19's all four corners.
Pics coming soon.. Note panted brakes, (NOT SHOWN INSTALLED)Eibach sports.., and all poly suspension.
Windows 5%, and no mods otherwise. Just Zaino. Daily driver. C6 Z06 playtoy..!

Also, this car for sale @ $7,500 everything mint. Intereior and ext.
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Old Jan 27, 2012 | 12:18 PM
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It doesnt matter spacer or adapter you need a hub to support the stud in the picc of the adapter you are putting it all on the studs.......
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