Rim Advice Needed
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Rim Advice Needed
Hi everyone, I recently decided that i was going to upgrade my brakes with the SSBC Xtreme Plus Calipers and found they needed 16" rims minimum.
I was just wondering if anyone knew of any problems with increasing the rim size, also if anyone knows of any rims that look relatively stock it would be greatly appreciated for help.
I was just wondering if anyone knew of any problems with increasing the rim size, also if anyone knows of any rims that look relatively stock it would be greatly appreciated for help.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
Likes: 3
From: Savannah GA
Get some Hawk or similar performance brake pads, a set of braided flexible lines and be certain your other stock components are totally up to snuff. One thing a street driven Corvette does not need is larger calipers. If you want a different look, experiment with paint colors. I seriously doubt any performance gains would be noted simply by changing calipers alone. Swept area (rotor and/or pad area) is only one factor determining brake effectiveness. Coefficient of friction and heat transfer come to mind easily... I am not a brake engineer but suspect the calipers you think you need require more than just bigger wheels to fit and work optimally.
Last edited by markids77; Jul 17, 2009 at 10:39 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,812
Likes: 2,029
From: eastern NC
There really shouldn't be any problems with changing wheel size to 16" as long as you get the correct backspacing to fit. 16" opens up a few more options for performance tires, but you'll need to go to 17" to get better options for performance tires. Lots of folks have made this change on their C3's and like the look.
If you're happy with the tire wheel combination you have, another option is to go with these Wilwoods from Vansteel. You can retain your current brackets and rotors as they bolt on as a direct replacement. The only real change is in the flex lines, they are slightly different than the stock ones.
http://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?fu...&SubGroup=1962
"WILWOOD DISC BRAKES Introduces New D8-4 Replacement Calipers for 1965-82 Corvette’s. Wilwood’s front and rear D8-4 calipers are a direct bolt-on replacement for OE calipers on 1965-82 Corvette’s. Forged billet aluminum bodies, stainless steel pistons and competition style high-temperature seals put an end to the rust, bore pitting and seal failures that plague the original caliper design. D8-4 calipers mount in the original location over stock rotors, use the same style OE D8 brake pads and OE master cylinder. Save weight and gain reliability with the D8-4."
They're offered in red, black or clear coat finish.
Good luck with your decision... GUSTO
If you're happy with the tire wheel combination you have, another option is to go with these Wilwoods from Vansteel. You can retain your current brackets and rotors as they bolt on as a direct replacement. The only real change is in the flex lines, they are slightly different than the stock ones.
http://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?fu...&SubGroup=1962
"WILWOOD DISC BRAKES Introduces New D8-4 Replacement Calipers for 1965-82 Corvette’s. Wilwood’s front and rear D8-4 calipers are a direct bolt-on replacement for OE calipers on 1965-82 Corvette’s. Forged billet aluminum bodies, stainless steel pistons and competition style high-temperature seals put an end to the rust, bore pitting and seal failures that plague the original caliper design. D8-4 calipers mount in the original location over stock rotors, use the same style OE D8 brake pads and OE master cylinder. Save weight and gain reliability with the D8-4."
They're offered in red, black or clear coat finish.
Good luck with your decision... GUSTO
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Oh awesome yea those look great. Thanks for the help i guess I'll probably be getting those. I was just wondering if you knew how the caliper would withstand in storage for 4-5 months seeing as I'm in Canada
