In addition to their aggressive and stylish modern bodylines, one thing that has set the latest generations of America’s favorite muscle cars apart from their predecessors has been the shift to larger, more eye-pleasing wheels. From 18- and 19-inch, to the overwhelming industry favorite 20-inch, and even 21-inch in some cases, big has been in since at least the turn of the century. Of course, it takes a big wheel opening to fit these wheels and their likewise larger circumference rubber, and while thats of no concern to street performance enthusiasts who are utilizing factory diameter wheel and tire combos at the very least, it presented challenges early on for drag racers.
Check that front gap and the overall vehicle stance that we started with…it looks pretty sad and pathetic, doesn’t it?
The early fifth-generation Camaro, in particular, posed a problem for the earliest of drag racing adopters to the body, who found the common 24- to 26-inch diameter frontrunner tires to leave an unsightly amount of open air in the front wheel opening. Some even resorted to wholesale modification of the front fenders to improve the proportions of the front wheel and tire in the opening.
While it’s no doubt true that lowering the front ride height of the car will shore up some of that gap, getting the proper wheel and tire tire combination is the other half the equation to address if you really want the car to look balanced front to rear. If the front has slightly more or less gap than the rear — or vice versa — then to an obsessive-compulsive observer and harsh critic like a hardcore enthusiast, it might as well be a mile.
Our Project TrueSStreet is a 2010 model Camaro that rolled off the assembly line as a V6 model in that very first run of fifth-gen’s. Our early selection of front wheels and tire included Mickey Thompson’s ET Sportsman in a 26-inch diameter, wrapped around Weld Racing S77 18×15-inch wheels, with 200-lb/in AFCO springs installed on AFCO Big Gun struts. Out back, we chose 28×10.50-15S ET Drag tires and tubes mounted on Weld Racing S77 15×11-inch to put the Whipple-supercharged, 376-B15 crate engine’s 1,000 horsepower to the pavement. Once we got the engine and transmission and other essentials in and the car on the ground, our OCD alarm bells went off as the car lacked uniformity in the wheel-well front to back, thus creating a visibly displeasing stance.
We needed a bigger tire, and a little less spring rate to drop the…
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