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Are these factory SS wheels the same as Zrl wheels? I've found some replica Zrl wheels 11" wide vs my stock 9" and am hoping I can get away with just buying the 2 for the rear and match the front.
Style, yes. Same as ZR1? I don't think exact. Backspacing I think is slightly different but not 100% certain. Replica ZR1 11" rears are made with the correct dimensions and requirements to fit our cars.
There's a slight difference in design/profile between the factory Camaro SS ZR1's and the aftermarket ZR1 rims, but to the casual observer, they won't notice the difference style-wise. They will notice the difference in width of the rear tires
The only problem with the 11 inch reps is most of them are a "deep dish" design and look a lil different then the factory wheels however as already mentioned the casual observer probably wouldn't notice
Everything above is technically correct, but there are some additions/caveats to that information.
The older reproduction SS/ZR1 style wheels used exactly the same spoke design as the factory SS wheels. These were made well into the mid-'00s. At some point thereafter, the design of the spokes changed just a bit, becoming more "squared off" at the edges and sides vs. the more rounded appearance of the originals and older reproductions. So the era in which the reproductions were produced will determine if they have the newer or older spoke design.
There is also the matter of "deep dish" vs "deep lug" in terms of the 11" wide version, and this was touched on above. Again, earlier reproductions (which were usually "deep lug" like the original ZR1s) used the same spoke design as your stock SS wheels, while the more recent "deep dish" version have all used the newer spoke design (more squared off) in my experience.
With all of this said, this spoke change is very minor and something that requires close examination to notice. Folks who don't know these cars like the back of their hand would probably never notice.
I had repops on my 2000 Z28 and factory ones on my 99 SS. I never noticed the difference but when those repops were made is unknown. Haha
Any pics to compare? Not doubting you at all, just curious to see.
Perfect exactly the info I needed. I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference except for a few with what seemed to be sharper edges. There was enough squinting tho to not be too sure
I had repops on my 2000 Z28 and factory ones on my 99 SS. I never noticed the difference but when those repops were made is unknown. Haha
Any pics to compare? Not doubting you at all, just curious to see.
No problem, always glad to share these little details whenever I can.
The first picture is a factory 17x9", +50mm offset SS wheel. The second picture is a modern repro "deep dish" wheel, so the lip is obviously very different due to the dish but this picture was a good angle for spoke comparison to the other. If you look specifically at the edges of the spokes you can see the difference (modern repro being sharper/more square vs. factory original being more smooth/rounded). Older repros matched the factory smooth/rounded spokes, so your repros were most likely from an earlier era if they were a perfect spoke match to the originals.
Originally Posted by Chevyy1212
Perfect exactly the info I needed. I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference except for a few with what seemed to be sharper edges. There was enough squinting tho to not be too sure
Hopefully the pictures above are clear enough to give you a good idea of the difference. Regardless of the width, I think all the current repros use that newer, sharper spoke design. The difference is small and probably not noticeable to most folks at a glance, but can be seen by someone who is very familiar with these wheels. Having said that, it's likely going to be even less noticeable if you're doing deep dish in the rear as the deeper lip will draw some attention away from the slightly different spoke design - even more so in chrome as there is no concern about color match or variance in how much of the lip is polished, etc.
Excellent. I'm quite certain my 2000 Z28 had early repops. They are a spitting image of my factory 99 SS wheels but dare I say the chrome was smoother. The chrome is beautiful on my 99's but they have almost an orange peel look at times. They are the factory wheels, too.
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Factory SS 17"? 
