In Search of Rims for Race Days, Please Help

[Crazy Vega]

I've finally gotten the new axle shafts I needed to convert my car over to 5-lug from 4-lug. With 4-lug, I was pretty much stuck with the 13" rims I had, and some pretty tall sidewalls. I currently have a set of 15" wheels that will work well for the road, but now I'm on the search for a good set of rims (nice, simple ones) to hold some sticky tires for autocross events.

I've been to TireRack in search of wheels, and a couple other places as well. My problem is this; searching by vehicle would need me to tell them I'm looking for rims to go on a pickup, as that's where the axle shafts came from, so my selection is pretty poor on that front. Does anyone know of any sites that allow you to search by bolt pattern and wheel size? If anyone can point me in the right direction, you'll have my thanks.

[NotLaw]

might be better to just find another car that uses the same bolt pattern and wheel backspacing as what you need... i know Ford uses the 5 x 4.5 or somthing for most of its 5 lug cars, i would guess you are using either the ford 9 in or a chevy rear diff (10bolt?), right? i think chevy uses the same bolt pattern on most if its 5 bolt wheels can and truck,, but I dont know what the exact size is off the top of my head

at least, that is what i think i read or heard somewhere lol

[tigger]

GM's old 5 lug pattern was 5x4.75". Wheels off any light pickup, van, F-Body, Corvette, RWD sedan, etc etc will be the same pattern. GM used that pattern for everything. I don't know of any site that allows you to search by bolt pattern, but you can try searching under older Camaros, their back spacing should be similar to your Vega. Are you looking for aftermarket wheels, or just some stock ones to put some sticky rubber on?

[CraigB]

Just get a set of nice steel wheels for a dirt car. They are cheap and come in all sorts of patterns, widths and backspacing.

[Crazy Vega]

Originally Posted by tigger

GM's old 5 lug pattern was 5x4.75". Wheels off any light pickup, van, F-Body, Corvette, RWD sedan, etc etc will be the same pattern. GM used that pattern for everything. I don't know of any site that allows you to search by bolt pattern, but you can try searching under older Camaros, their back spacing should be similar to your Vega. Are you looking for aftermarket wheels, or just some stock ones to put some sticky rubber on?

Yeah, the axle shafts out of the S10 are 5x4.75". Aftermarket ones would be nice, but it seems most that would fit are too flashy in my eyes(or just pure evil) and overdone for the pure functionality side of racing. I've found a couple I think I'd like, but I have a feeling that they may be too wide on the front.
TireRack is suggesting I buy a set of rims with NASCAR embedded in the side... Just,.. no...

I'll take a look at steel wheels once I'm more awake.
*ponders having three steel wheels, and one alloy, glinting in the sun*

Thanks for the help, everyone

[Crazy Vega]

After all has been said and done, I've given up on the search for rims from some company/website. Though in my search, I did find a site that let me search by size and bolt pattern, which is what I'd been looking for when I started out. So, here it is for anyone who might want to use it.
http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_wheel...viewMode=brief

In the end, I decided to go for a set of '85-'87 IROC-Z28 rims, as they're the closest I've found to the style I was in search of, and they'll fit well.

[JipJopJones]

craigslist.org is your friend. I`ve bought rims off there before, and you can find some pretty good deals.

Are those the 5 spoked grey and black onesÉ If so, I love those ones, I was contemplating them for my El Camino, but decided to go with some classic slotted mags.

[sonza68]

ROTA has a decent selection and you can search by wheel size.

[Crazy Vega]

Originally Posted by JipJopJones

craigslist.org is your friend. I`ve bought rims off there before, and you can find some pretty good deals.

Are those the 5 spoked grey and black onesÉ If so, I love those ones, I was contemplating them for my El Camino, but decided to go with some classic slotted mags.

Yeah, I just need four front ones, since the rear ones would have too much backspacing to fit. Just for the hell of it, here's what it'll look like:

My normal road rims will be off of a Trans Am, the 15" 5 lug version of the 13" 4 lug ones I have on right now.

[Nocturnal]

Remember, unsprung weight is a big factor in racing. You want something as light as possible, but strong.

[Crazy Vega]

I'd found quite a few rims that would be lighter, but their backspacings were all too large, and I'd never be able to even get the wheel onto the car without cutting out parts of the wheelwell. Then, any that might have had a chance were way too expensive. Also, I believe that these will be lighter than the rims for my street tires. Doing the swap I'm doing means buying two sets of rims and tires, new axle parts, completely new spindles, etc. I know there'll be a dent in my wallet, I'm just trying to keep it from being a huge one.

[Nocturnal]

By ''backspacings'', are we talking about offset? If so, I know your pain. My wheels are ET0 (stock is ET40), but I simply rented an arch (fender) roller and dialled in some negative camber, now the wheels clear the bodywork without issue.

Either way, good to see you using the car properly!

[Crazy Vega]

The distance from where the wheel meets the hub to the edge of the rim closest to the middle of the car. I'm stuck at a max of about 4.5". About a year after first getting the car, I noticed that the previous owner had already rolled the fenders It seems that this car has been racing all of its life. But now it's going in more than just a straight line. As far as the camber, I can't really adjust that with a solid axle, and I don't think the front has a whole lot of adjustment there. It's not really engineered from the start for racing, but it works pretty well. At least it doesn't have leafsprings on the rear.

[GRtak]

Junk yards can be your best pal in this type of situation. First parts are cheap and they know what part will swap. Plus if you can drive the car there(or tow it) you can test fit it, if the yard personnel allow it.