damon_Z

I'm thinking about buying brand-new 35th Anniversary SS rims for my 2002 SOM Z28 and getting the rears widened from 17x9 to 17x11. My car will be lowered with the Strano lowering springs and I will have UMI's double-adjustable panhard bar. Will there be any downsides to widening these rims? Will they become weaker? Will I have to roll my rear inner fenders and/or do the big freakin' hammer (BFH) mod? Thanks in advance for the info.

Thule

i hafe bin wondering about the same thing

Fulton 1

iTrader: (9)

Having the OEM wheels widened is just fine and you should be able to do 2", however you need to be aware that all of the width will be added to the inboard side of the wheel. This means that you must also use a wheel adapter/spacer in conjunction with the widened wheels to allow them to fit properly.

For widening I highly recommend contacting James at Weldcraft in Michigan - they're good guys and do high quality work. Figure on paying around $200 per wheel for widening a painted or polished wheel (more for chrome) and an additional charge for grinding down the weld beads.

JGKadell

iTrader: (4)

You can do it to a silver standard SS wheels and then strip it and mask it for a pair to try making 11s out of.

dirtybird22

I have GTA wheels and whenever my tires i have on them now wear down im gonna have this done. Any more companies that do this ( preferabbly futher down towards nc ) im gonna have the rears widened and then have all 4 re-done completely. Re polish the lip and re powdercoat the centers, might go with a little bit more of a shiny finish

WayFast84

wewt, you have the exzact same idea as me, except i want the outside chromed, caps chromed

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Old thread, but perfect link.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/360927/4

SiL3NtXWS6

iTrader: (17)

offset/backspacing or whatever will be off. As already stated, you will need a spacer/adapter or a spacer/longer studs.

SJM Manufacturing Inc

iTrader: (5)

You'll still be using the stock wheels, setup will be overly heavy affecting performance and handling. Backspace will be wrong, you'll have to bandaid everything.

Stick with a new wheel, get lighter components which enhance handling, braking as well as other improvements.

ls2 bait

iTrader: (11)

those rims are so f'n nice. if it wasnt the fact that by the time u buy a set and have them widened it cost as much as a high quality wheel id already have a set.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Oh, come on! People run 17x11 all the time. There's nothing wrong with it. Works fine.

Judas

there is nothing wrong with having rims widened. There is an extra cost of getting a space to correct the offset. Spacers aren't cheap.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

You can get a pair of 1"-1 1/4" hub-centric spacers for about $60.

If you want something unique it's going to cost a little.

dirtybird22

does anyone know anyone else that does a good job down towards NC, i guess if i have too i will ship em too michigan, no problem i still have my original wheels

99blancoSS

iTrader: (115)

Listen to the advice of the wheel maker. Spacers are a bandaid. Either look for a pair of 17x11's or buy a set of wheels from thomzwheels.

Having a to buy a factory rim just to have it altered so you need to use spacers is just not a good plan. Not really cost efficient either. Good luck

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

No one here is talking about spacers. We are refering to adaptors.



They bolt onto the hub just like a rim does and then the rim bolts onto it.

SJM Manufacturing Inc

iTrader: (5)

lol Jason, I set them up all the time for folks. You obviously didn't read and understand my post.

I don't believe I called out spacers or adapters...just "bandaid". Those pieces up above probably add a GOOD 4-5 lbs per wheel . Who wants to add essentially 10lbs of unsprung weight to their car??? There is NO positive reasons to do what is being considered except for the fact that someone likes to say "I had the stock wheels widened". If you are dead set on the style wheel you have and want to keep it...then do it. There are mainly negatives to doing so (which I outlined briefly).

No need for a debate. The poster wanted to know if there were any downsides to widening stock style wheels...Many of you guys don't seem to realize the negative effects of overly heavy unsprung/rotational components added to the car. It seems there is an ever-long quest of changing springs, LCA's, torque arms, sub-frames, rotors/pads etc to increase performance. Many spend TONS of money on these mods...then they try to throw everything out the door and install very heavy wheels/tires on the car which considerably affects handling and braking.

unSStoppable

iTrader: (1)

thats really cool. It'll be unique and if its worth it and safe to do then i say go for it.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Steve, what can you do if you need to space a wheel say 1/2"? It's too small for an adapter and pretty big for a spacer with longer studs. What would be the correct way to do it?

SJM Manufacturing Inc

iTrader: (5)

I dont' think there is a correct way, to each his own I suppose. Choose a different wheel or different wheel manufacture. Why consider purchasing something if it just wasn't setup correctly for the car.

If you've already had a wheel from a previous car or setup that you like, or if wheels were given to you for free... there are not many options. I wouldn't put myself into this type of situation unless I was passionate about the wheels and nothing else satisfied me. If it was something that you couldn't afford and you're settling, have some personal control and save for what you really want.

Consider altering rear-end specs when purchasing a new rear.