[JamesNoBrakes]

Never done this before, have gone with slightly bigger rubber on tires, but never set up a different wheel and tire setup:

So the stock rims are 20", radius of 10",

Front: 10" radius + ((285/25.4)*.30)=13.37"

Rear" 10" radius + ((305/25.4)*.30)=13.6"

These heights are what I want to match to remain at the same ride height and hopefully prevent any rubbing/interference issues.

So theoretically, with 19" wheels lets say I got with an SS 8.5" front 9.5" rear setup.

245s will mount to the 8.5s, so 245/40R19 would give me a tire height of 3.86", then add the 9.5" radius and I get 13.36", matching the stock front height.

265s will mount to the 9.5s, so 265/40R19 would give a tire height of 4.17", then add the 9.5" radius and I get 13.67", matching (pretty close) the rear.

So then the idea is to make sure the wheels have the right offsets. Will any camaro SS wheels work here, as in they are specifically intended for the C5 or C6 Camaro? I've been hearing that "any C5 or C6 rims will fit". Or do I need to work with and note the offsets to ensure the tires and wheels will fit laterally?

I know the brakes can be an issue, I'm thinking if keeping the wheels at 19", probably not.

I know running square on something like 255 can also be a good idea, but I believe due to the offset, you can't just bolt up a pair of 8.5" front rims to the rear.

As you can tell, I'm grasping a few concepts, but not all of them. Trying to come up with a decent winter setup, and although I've seen a few people talking about some 285 winter tires, that's just way too wide. On the other hand, if it's as simple as bolting on some "camaro" 19" rims and getting the right size with the proper height ratio to match up with the stock 20s, it doesn't seem to complicated.

[rorymick]

I'd recommend getting a set of 20" split spoke RS rims used off the classifieds on here. And running a winter tire in RS OEM sizes of square 245/40/20. If you don't want the benefit of rotating tires from having a square set-up then buy a used set of Gen 6 ss wheels and run winter tires in stock sizes.

I use Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8's on OEM RS rims. I don't have the power output you have but I've got a pretty stiff suspension setup. And so far so good.

[Ryephile]

You're on the right track. You can continue to read up on the subject with Tire Rack's extensive encyclopedia, and also look at what others here have successfully done for their winter setups.

On my 1LE for winter I have a square setup of 19x8.5 et15 with 245/45-19. The rolling radius is similar to the normal SS tires, and the lack of tire and wheel stagger means I can rotate to improve tire life. There was some concern early on that the lack of stagger would mess up the ABS/TCS/PTM, however exploring all those things last winter proved no problems whatsoever. Actually I found myself enjoying running Track/Dry in the snow; it provided just enough slip angle to have some fun while the PTM metered out the right amount of torque to stay in control.

Obviously in the dry you give up a boatload of grip, so pretty much all winter there's no point in going WOT in 1st and 2nd, and it'll get squirmy in 3rd too. What you give up in dry grip you gain in snow-cutting ability.

Given you don't live in the snow-belt, you can probably go with a wider winter tire to dial in more dry grip and lose some deep snow ability. A 255/40-19 would work well and there are good options in that size, for example.

Here's a picture of mine:
Weekend by Ryephile, on Flickr

[JamesNoBrakes]

Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking, I made a spreadsheet with the tire combos that would maintain stock height. It was looking like lower offset was better according to my research. I’ll post the spreadsheet later today.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Converted to pdf.

The spreadsheet was to let know what tires fit what and get an idea how it all relats.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

You're on the right track. You can continue to read up on the subject with Tire Rack's extensive encyclopedia, and also look at what others here have successfully done for their winter setups.

On my 1LE for winter I have a square setup of 19x8.5 et15 with 245/45-19. The rolling radius is similar to the normal SS tires, and the lack of tire and wheel stagger means I can rotate to improve tire life. There was some concern early on that the lack of stagger would mess up the ABS/TCS/PTM, however exploring all those things last winter proved no problems whatsoever. Actually I found myself enjoying running Track/Dry in the snow; it provided just enough slip angle to have some fun while the PTM metered out the right amount of torque to stay in control.

Obviously in the dry you give up a boatload of grip, so pretty much all winter there's no point in going WOT in 1st and 2nd, and it'll get squirmy in 3rd too. What you give up in dry grip you gain in snow-cutting ability.

Given you don't live in the snow-belt, you can probably go with a wider winter tire to dial in more dry grip and lose some deep snow ability. A 255/40-19 would work well and there are good options in that size, for example.

Here's a picture of mine:

Looks like you got these in the 15mm offset?

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...tandard+Brakes

And according to my calcs, 45 ratio is quite a bit taller than OEM?

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

Looks like you got these in the 15mm offset?

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...tandard+Brakes

And according to my calcs, 45 ratio is quite a bit taller than OEM?

Yes those are the wheels. The rolling radius for the 245/45-19 is right on par with the normal SS tires. Remember the 1LE tires are shorter than the SS. Don't get caught up with unloaded diameter, look at rolling radius, or revs per mile.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

Yes those are the wheels. The rolling radius for the 245/45-19 is right on par with the normal SS tires. Remember the 1LE tires are shorter than the SS. Don't get caught up with unloaded diameter, look at rolling radius, or revs per mile.

That's what I was worried about, because I was thinking the 1LE would sit lower and have less suspension travel, therefore less tolerance for a height above OEM and not able to run those huge (tall) tires like I had on my old SS, but if it's working, that's what matters.

[BigSky]

Tagging along here. Does one need to worry about the new wheels clearing the calipers of the 1LE? If so, how do you know if they would fit? First time owning a car that you can't drive in the winter on OEM tires.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by BigSky

Tagging along here. Does one need to worry about the new wheels clearing the calipers of the 1LE? If so, how do you know if they would fit? First time owning a car that you can't drive in the winter on OEM tires.

I've been using winter tires for many seasons now, but I haven't bothered to get another wheelset to run them on. I had a WRX with summer performance tires and boy, did that ever suck in the snow, it had AWD, but it doesn't matter when your tires are for summer. I did run on Pirelli Pzeros on my C5 SS in some pretty cold temps, in colorado and alaska, but in alaska I kept it inside the garage for the most part in winter and in the lower 48 I lived at high altitude in AZ where the snow would sublimate in a matter of hours. The thing about running winter tires is that it lets you run summer tires at all other times, which gives you maximum traction and fun. All seasons are fairly pathetic on some cars, but when you are looking at narrowish all-season run-flats, the choice becomes much clearer. A good set of non-run-flat summer tires is fun as heck. Around here, there are a lot of winter tires in circulation, take-offs and people selling ones with lots of life left on em, so you don't necessarily have to spend an arm and a leg, unless you want to. It dramatically increases your safety and control in the winter-time though.

The better your summer tires are, the more you'll need the winter tires if you live somewhere that dips down into freezing temps, but good winter tires can make even the nastiest winter conditions seem like nothing. You'll be wondering how the heck you are getting that kind of traction on ice.

I just want to be able to switch them out at home, rather than pay a shop $80 to do it. It's not that steep to me, but if I can do it at home when I want, all the better.

Someone else will have to chime in, but I believe that 19" rims aren't going to be a big deal for the brakes. If you choose to go down to 18, then you might have some issues, as some rims will rub and some are ok. I just bought very similar ones to Ryephile, almost the same model, exact same offset and width, so I doubt I'll have any issues there. 285/305s are going to be tons of fun in the not-ice season (hasn't even snowed here in anchorage yet!), but I see no point at all to getting crazy wide winter tires, even though they make them. They'll suck for pretty much everything in the winter and ice often hides potholes and other dangers. No reason to push it and risk the nice wheels.