Hi all--

I've just come across a set of 1999 C5 wheels for a very good price, and
I'm quickly trying to figure out if they'll fit our '78. I've done as much
searching on this question as I can this morning, so I'm turning to you
guys for some (hopefully!) fast help.

The wheel size is 17" x 8.5" front, and 18" x 9.5" rear. I know from
reading as many posts on here as I could so far that 18" wheels in general
wouldn't appear to be a problem (providing the tire size is adjusted
accordingly, I realize).

But what I don't know is: would the wheel width be too much for a C3? Is
there a risk of rubbing at full lock in the front? Would I have to go with
new offset trailing arms in the rear to accomodate that width?

These are really nice looking wheels, and while I hadn't considered going
with staggered front/rear sizes for the '78, these are so attractively priced
that if they fit, I'd like to grab 'em while they're still available...!

Thanks for any/all advice on this--and sorry about the rush...

I can't answer all of your question, but I do know they will not just bolt on. The later(84 & up) rims have way more offset. You can put 84-96 rims on with adaptors that space the rim out. That's about all I could say...

Going to 16" C4/ZR1 type wheels I needed to get 4" spacers made to put behind them so I imagine you'll need somewhat the same thing.  I went with P235/60R16 tires and don't have any rubbing issues up front unless I'm at full lock and bounce across a bump.

Two key things to deal with. 
1 - front clearance.  8.5 width up front is just .5 over stock so if you don't go too wild with the tire width you should be ok.  Try and stay as close as possible to the original tire width.
2 - rear clearance over the caliper and parking brake cabling.  9.5 width is 1.5 over stock and most C3s have room on the outside to accomodate the extra width.  Just be certain that the inside clearances are met.  Spacers and/or offset trailing arms are definitely in your future.

Tire size (height) in the rear will be important to remember as well.  Keeping a tire close to the original height will mean you won't have to go through the hassle of recalibrating your speedometer.  And if you keep the front and rear wheel-to-tire proportions close to the same (the same amount of sidewall height) you should be ok on the front clearances.  A seasoned tire guy at a reputible tire store (not a 20-something kid at a discount chain store) should be able to help you sort out the height and width issues.  TireRack's website has good specs on tires so you could start out doing some homework there.

There are lot of folks out there with Plus-sized wheels and tires so you should find some answers in this forum.  They may be down there aways but they are there.  If you like the wheels so much go ahead and get them - you can always resell them if you can't get them to fit well enough to your liking. 

Joel and Jim, you guys are the best. Thank you very much for your
responses--and the speed with which you replied. I'm hesitant to make
this much of a radical departure from stock, but then again these wheels
are a real bargain. And they don't look half bad either!

I'll have to decide quickly which direction to go--I'm sure these rims
won't last on the market for long--but I couldn't have even contemplated
going ahead with the buy without your very valuable help. It's much
appreciated.

I realize this is an older post, but I have questions about adding C4 rims to my car, and Jim gave a lot of great information. I'd also like to know if SFVette got the 1999 rims for the 78.

My question is, on the Mid America site they have C5 style rims for the 88-96 C4. (C5 5 spoke style tires and rims that are a direct bolt on for the 88-96.)

Could I get these to fit on my C3? I'm thinking I would want four of the 17x8.5 rims (245/45 ZR17 tires), and not get the wider 9.5 rims for the rear. Is that doable?

Also, what kind of spacers would I need, and are they available? Jim, you said you had yours made. Where, and how much? (If you don't mind my asking.)

I'm a bit tired of the stock 72 look, and would like to stay with a vette style rim. I also see that Mid America has ZR1 style rims that are a direct bolt on for the C3, and I may go that route instead.

Just wanted to see what my options are, and how big of a deal it would be to add C4 rims to the car.

Bryan,

Bryan, to answer part of your question, no--ultimately I passed on getting the '99 wheels.

Instead, I found a set of 15" American Racing Equipment Vector SE wheels, with 255/60 Goodyear GT tires in almost brand new condition mounted on them. A local collector/hot rod builder had taken them off his '67 Vette. (A bit of 'continuity' which appealed to me).

I couldn't be happier with this setup. These are very much 'old school style' wheels--but that's exactly why I like 'em so much. They give the shark a very aggressive 'muscle car' look, but with a certain deep-dish distinctiveness that I find really attractive. Plus, I rarely see them on any other C3's; which isn't an important factor to me, but nevertheless a nice bonus. The matte aluminum-and-black color scheme should work well in the far-distant future when this car actually gets painted!

For me, there's just something so great about having all that fat black rubber filling the wheel wells--an advantage of going with the ARE's--so I'm very glad I did. (And I'm a long-time Goodyear fan, so I'm delighted with the tires too!)

Got any recent pics to share?

Thanks for your interest, Jim (especially since you were so helpful answering my initial question!)

Honestly, I'd be happy to post photos--but for some reason, I cannot seem to master how to get that done here. I've followed the instructions, and I'm reasonably competent with other computer-related functions--but this should-be-simple step continues to elude me.

Maybe I'm more 'old school' than even I thought!

Thanks for the help and information!

I haven't decided on which way I will go, and I appreciate the information both of you provided. You've given me a lot to think about.

I'm sure someone on here can help you with your photo problem.