When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a 93 anniversary corvette and put the wheels stamped left side and wheels marked right side on said sides because i thought it needed to be that way,but, watching Mecum the last few years I have noticed, unusually on the front wheels are opposite. Reason? or does it make a difference? Brake cooling? I like the the aesthetics, and thought it looked better all facing the same way. Probably just making a mountain out of a mole hill. Thanks
Like most owners of the C4 eventually the tires are replaced or rotated, in doing so the directional rims get flip flopped, on the forum here if you post a picture of the car, someone will point it out, because i'm sure someone pointed it out to them, the real cost of the mis-match comes if the tires are directional, now you have to have the tires re-mounted with the correct directional rims, and to be honest I really don't think a street car gains much advantage in braking power due to this slight infraction.
Be that as it may, it's how the wheels were designed. they are directional.
There is a local owner I encounter every so often who has the fronts reversed and the rears correct. It catches my eye every time I see it, but it's their car and their business. I've got more important things to worry about. (But yes, to be honest I DO grit my teeth a bit every time! )
The wheels were designed as a ducted fan, to remove air out from under the car at speed and you can see how this works if you look at the spokes of the wheel and the angle they make. If you have the wheels on the wrong side, they are blowing air in under the car. This has to do with traction at speed and they should be rotating in the right direction so the car doesn't "float".
They are also stamped Right and Left inside the rim.
Like said above, they are usually reversed when getting new tires and the installer makes the mistake of either mounting the tires wrong on the wheels or mounts the wheels on the wrong side of the car.
There is a local owner I encounter every so often who has the fronts reversed and the rears correct. It catches my eye every time I see it, but it's their car and their business. I've got more important things to worry about. (But yes, to be honest I DO grit my teeth a bit every time! )
Cringeworthy ‘96 @ Mecum this week.
How can anyone not see the front rims are on backwards.
Jumping on this old thread to vent:
I had a guy tell me this weekend "nice car but your wheels are on wrong". He claims to be a trained wheel specialist of some sort. (He had been drinking so I tried to tune him out and ignore him because I don't like arguing with drunks.)
He was going on about how GM designed them to suck air in to cool the brakes. With that logic, why did GM put them on "wrong" for every C4 leaving the factory then? lol
The wheels were designed as a ducted fan, to remove air out from under the car at speed and you can see how this works if you look at the spokes of the wheel and the angle they make. If you have the wheels on the wrong side, they are blowing air in under the car. This has to do with traction at speed and they should be rotating in the right direction so the car doesn't "float".
They are also stamped Right and Left inside the rim.
Like said above, they are usually reversed when getting new tires and the installer makes the mistake of either mounting the tires wrong on the wheels or mounts the wheels on the wrong side of the car.
i track my zr-1 hard all the time. ive often wondered if this design actually achieves something.
sawblades wheels
)
