changing wheels
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,528
Likes: 752
From: South Dakota
They changed the suspension starting with the '88 model year.
The later wheels have a different offset that sits more inboard than the early wheels. The offsets for the stock wheels are shown below.
The '90 wheels will fit. (They are also my favorite C4 wheel.) They will be inboard and may not look exactly right, but some people run them without any spacers. A 3/4" adapter/spacer will bring them outboard the right amount. Several people use a 1" adapter that works fine too.
I used a 1 1/4" spacer and they worked ok on the rear(although all the way out to the edge of the fender), but were a little too far out on the front with the 9.5" wheels. On mine with the 1 1/4" adapter with the 8.5" wheel they worked OK and they were all the way outboard as far the fender edge.
Good luck.
OEM Offsets:
84-87 base
8.5" 32mm
84R-87 Z51
9.5" 38mm
88-96
8.5" 56mm
9.5" 56mm
ZR1 rear
11" 36mm
Grand Sport rear
11" 50mm
The later wheels have a different offset that sits more inboard than the early wheels. The offsets for the stock wheels are shown below.
The '90 wheels will fit. (They are also my favorite C4 wheel.) They will be inboard and may not look exactly right, but some people run them without any spacers. A 3/4" adapter/spacer will bring them outboard the right amount. Several people use a 1" adapter that works fine too.
I used a 1 1/4" spacer and they worked ok on the rear(although all the way out to the edge of the fender), but were a little too far out on the front with the 9.5" wheels. On mine with the 1 1/4" adapter with the 8.5" wheel they worked OK and they were all the way outboard as far the fender edge.
Good luck.
OEM Offsets:
84-87 base
8.5" 32mm
84R-87 Z51
9.5" 38mm
88-96
8.5" 56mm
9.5" 56mm
ZR1 rear
11" 36mm
Grand Sport rear
11" 50mm
Last edited by QCVette; Dec 30, 2013 at 10:16 AM. Reason: Added ZR1 & GS offsets
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte North Carolina
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,528
Likes: 752
From: South Dakota
The stock '84 uses 255/50/16 tires that are 26.1" tall.
The 17" tires used on the later corvettes are
275/40/17 -- 25.7"
255/45/17 -- 26.1"
285/40/17 -- 26.0" or 26.1"
So the end result is that if you are using the stock late C4 size tires they are the same diameter or less than the stock early C4 size tires.
You should be fine. They will fit the same as any of the '88 to '96 C4's for tire height.
