[bpflibsen]

You can absolutely get by without the camber plates. Follow the mod in the link below and you can a little more over stock. Some have been able to get close to 3.0* by doing this.

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526353

[MatthewAMEL]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

My 19x11s w/305/30/19 RE71s... The wheels are et35 and I use an Apex 26mm spacer up front. I plan on using 315s, got a half-used set of RT660 to try out next.

Gotta be honest, I find a 26mm spacer alarming. I've never heard of anyone tracking anything close to that.


You haven't had any issues?


How much do those things weigh?

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

Gotta be honest, I find a 26mm spacer alarming. I've never heard of anyone tracking anything close to that.


You haven't had any issues?


How much do those things weigh?

They are perfectly safe as long as everything is sized properly and you are maintaining net offset (wheel offset minus spacer thickness) similar to the original offset the car was designed for. People get into trouble when they push the centerline of the wheel way further out (reduce net offset a lot), which increases loads on the wheel bearings. Of course you also have to make sure you have long enough studs to still have adequate threads for the lug nuts. Otherwise, no problems. I get way more nervous about the bolt-on wheel adapters, which add lots of extra stress risers and opportunities for manufacturing defects.

Assuming they are machined from aluminum - which they should be - spacers aren't very heavy in the context of any typical Camaro6 wheel/tire combo. Even if they added a whole pound of unsprung weight (which I seriously doubt), that's still less than 2% of a typical wheel/tire combo.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Msquared

I get way more nervous about the bolt-on wheel adapters, which add lots of extra stress risers and opportunities for manufacturing defects.

Same here, Matt. Best thing you can do with the bolt-on kind - short of throwing them in the trash - would be to press out their built-in spacer to wheel studs and run them as slip-on spacers with the attendant longer hub to wheel studs.

At least Apex's 26mm spacer appears to be of the slip-on variety. The extra set of holes looks like it's more for weight reduction than anything . . . don't both the 5th and 6th gen Camaros take 14mm wheel studs?


Norm

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

Gotta be honest, I find a 26mm spacer alarming. I've never heard of anyone tracking anything close to that.


You haven't had any issues?


How much do those things weigh?

In this case I don't see any issue... I'm also a ME so also have some formal training on these kinds of assemblies.

I think there can be issues in some cases, so I do see your point. If you add a lot of extra offset vs stock and use much larger/wider/heavier wheels and tires with a lot more grip... like putting 265 width autox tires on a 90's Honda Civic, yes you may have issues due to more leverage as well as more stress on the wheel studs.

On the Camaro application the offset is about the same as a ZLE and the wheel studs are seeing similar loads, also the spacers retain the centering function so the wheel studs won't see shearing loads.

The spacers weigh about a lb or so, it's not much and the overall weight of the wheel/tire/spacer combo is still a lot less than stock.

Also, APEX sells this setup and recommends it, they aren't going to do that without assessing their potential liability.

I do think you have to be careful... We recently almost had an incident, a wheel broke off of an old VW Scirocco running slicks probably 4x as wide as the stock tires. The car almost flipped, gas leaked, the wheel/tire nearly hit a GT4 in grid. In this case the stock rear axle broke! So yeah, modifying old 90's econoboxes can be sketchy as no part of the car was ever intended to see the stresses of big tires and more power.

[MatthewAMEL]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

In this case I don't see any issue... I'm also a ME so also have some formal training on these kinds of assemblies.

I think there can be issues in some cases, so I do see your point. If you add a lot of extra offset vs stock and use much larger/wider/heavier wheels and tires with a lot more grip... like putting 265 width autox tires on a 90's Honda Civic, yes you may have issues due to more leverage as well as more stress on the wheel studs.

On the Camaro application the offset is about the same as a ZLE and the wheel studs are seeing similar loads, also the spacers retain the centering function so the wheel studs won't see shearing loads.

The spacers weigh about a lb or so, it's not much and the overall weight of the wheel/tire/spacer combo is still a lot less than stock.

Also, APEX sells this setup and recommends it, they aren't going to do that without assessing their potential liability.

One of the reasons I love this board. I really appreciate the responses. I agree that Apex is a reputable vendor. I have a set of their wheels now, but would LOVE to go 305 square with the ability to rotate. My wife and I are planning on OLOA in 2022 and this would be a big help.


I see what you are saying about the results of the spacer retaining close to factory spacing. Did you only have to go 1" longer with your wheel studs?


Again, thanks to Matt and Dave for those great responses.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

One of the reasons I love this board. I really appreciate the responses. I agree that Apex is a reputable vendor. I have a set of their wheels now, but would LOVE to go 305 square with the ability to rotate. My wife and I are planning on OLOA in 2022 and this would be a big help.


I see what you are saying about the results of the spacer retaining close to factory spacing. Did you only have to go 1" longer with your wheel studs?


Again, thanks to Matt and Dave for those great responses.

Yes, about 1" longer... ARP was out of stock so I used a Dorman stud, it might be about 30mm longer. They are easy to install, just get a stud installer and a throw-away open-ended lug nut to install. Just take the caliper and rotor off and you'll find enough space to install them.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got these lug nuts, it's hard to find good ones these days it seems. So much junk out there! The knurl on these covers the studs when you're not using the spacer. Looks better than the short ones imo.

http://1320performance.com/index.php...tegory&path=95

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

...also the spacers retain the centering function so the wheel studs won't see shearing loads.

Small correction here: studs with properly torqued lug nuts never see shearing loads, whether there's a hubcentric wheel/spacer or not. All shear force is taken by the friction between the wheel's mounting surface and the hub face. The studs' only function is to supply the clamping force that creates that friction. If your studs are seeing shear force, then the lug nuts were either not tightened nearly enough, or they were over-tightened to the point that the studs permanently stretched and no longer supply enough clamping force to hold the wheel in place.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by Msquared

Small correction here: studs with properly torqued lug nuts never see shearing loads, whether there's a hubcentric wheel/spacer or not. All shear force is taken by the friction between the wheel's mounting surface and the hub face. The studs' only function is to supply the clamping force that creates that friction. If your studs are seeing shear force, then the lug nuts were either not tightened nearly enough, or they were over-tightened to the point that the studs permanently stretched and no longer supply enough clamping force to hold the wheel in place.

Agreed, although I think in some of the cases where spacers caused a problem shear may have been involved.

I only mention it as a feature of the Apex spacers, they are made specifically for the Camaro. The primary function is to center the wheel to prevent vibration, but they would also prevent shear in cases where something else went really wrong.

[Msquared]

Originally Posted by DaveC113

Agreed, although I think in some of the cases where spacers caused a problem shear may have been involved.

I only mention it as a feature of the Apex spacers, they are made specifically for the Camaro. The primary function is to center the wheel to prevent vibration, but they would also prevent shear in cases where something else went really wrong.

Fair point. I think the biggest issue that bad spacers could cause would be poor/false/inconsistent clamping force caused by a non-flat spacers. That could either be a spacer that is warped or one that is not consistent in its thickness...or both. So quality definitely still matters.

[MatthewAMEL]

For lugs, I already knew I was getting new studs, you don't like the dorman lugs?


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-713-685t

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

For lugs, I already knew I was getting new studs, you don't like the dorman lugs?


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-713-685t

I bet they're the same as the 1320 lugs for less $, I missed those... gotta special order them though.

[yourmomshouse]

Stumbled back on this thread. I ordered the camber plates with my wheels from Apex to run 305/30/19 square ET35 more than a year ago. Everything arrived quickly except for the ARP studs. Consequently, I haven't been able to install the wheels. Its been over a year. Insane.

[DaveC113]

Originally Posted by yourmomshouse

Stumbled back on this thread. I ordered the camber plates with my wheels from Apex to run 305/30/19 square ET35 more than a year ago. Everything arrived quickly except for the ARP studs. Consequently, I haven't been able to install the wheels. Its been over a year. Insane.

These work:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1