18" factory Iroc rims??? or after market

[flathead youngin]

Hey guys, newbie here......

I had an 87 camaro right after I graduated HS.....loved the car but sold it down the road. I grew up admiring 3rd gen camaros and always dreamed of owning an iroc......it was THE car to me...

anyway, I'm looking for one.....no hurry, looking for the right car at the right price.

there's a REALLY sharp convertable on ebay right now. he says it has 18" Iroc rims. I messaged him asking if they were after market. From his response I gathered that they were factory. What years did these come on or are they indeed after market rims......they look JUST like the earlier single bar rims....


ok, i think i need to host it.......i'll do that in the reply...
i'll see if I can attach a pic...

[devestator_x]

They make aftermarket IROC rims in larger sizes. They look just like the originals but in 18" and chrome. The largest factory rim was 16". Hawk's third gen ahs the aftermarket irocs for sale at about $1000 for 4.

[flathead youngin]

hey, thanks for the quick response.....he just called them "iroc rims"....well, that could be taken either way...

1k is a lot of jack, but there's a lot of work in polishing a factory set......

thanks, this gives me some ideas.....

it'll probably be a 6 months to a year before I lay out the jack for one, but I keep looking and learning what I want....

[smellyfella]

i have yet to see a set of crhome wheels that look good on a car that has no other chrome...

[camarothatcould]

Hell yea. I seen that one the other day. Too bad its a vert

[89Blues]

I think the car looks amazing. You guys think 18's are too big? Is it a loss in performance by switching up into 18's?

[Lucas]

I think the car looks amazing. You guys think 18's are too big? Is it a loss in performance by switching up into 18's?

Depends on what you consider "performance"

For drag, yeah probably
Road course/ canyon carving, no
ride quality, yeah.
Braking, depends on the wheel/tire combo.

[89Blues]

Draging is not of high importance but how hard is the ride with 18's you think?

[flathead youngin]

i REALLY don't like big bling rims either, but IMHO, i don't think they look too big because of all the black and how they're nicely tucked up into the wells......


how much power can you build in a convertible car without hurting the integrity- realistically and safely

what about a T top car?

EDIT: with welded frame connectors

i'll try a search, i'm sure it has come up before......dumb newbies!!!

[camarothatcould]

T-top car a must for a 3rd gen. Just gotta get some Sub Frame Connecters and probasbly weather stripping pending condition of it.(meaning our t-tops leak alot)

[AJ7]

if your planning on 400hp+ i wouldnt go t-top or vert....

[Lucas]

With welded sub frames connectors, or subframes and a cage, it doesnt matter weather its a t top or vert. Bolted subframes are useless. With over 400 horse you will rip the car in half whether its a hardtop, t top, or convertable if you dont have sub frame connectors

Dont forget, verts require vert specific subframe connectors. The "normal" sub frame connectors will not fit.

[SuperBean]

T-top car a must for a 3rd gen. Just gotta get some Sub Frame Connecters and probasbly weather stripping pending condition of it.(meaning our t-tops leak alot)

Go ahead and buy some weather stripping that crap leaks like a mofo.

[dcjredline]

Road course/ canyon carving, no

YES. The heavier wheel will hurt you BIG TIME. Having stickier tires on the factory (or smaller) rims is the way to go for ANY racing straight line or road course. Why doesnt NASCAR use 25" when they do a road course if thats the case? A bigger wheel can be an advantage but not if they are much heavier like CHROME usually is. Stick with the factory 16" and get a better tire. I cant remember the formula but 1 lb on the wheel is something like 40-55 lbs in the car. So these RICERS that take theyre interior out and put on 20 lb heavier rims are just making things WORSE!!! Because they have no idea.

[SuperBean]

Road course/ canyon carving, no

YES. The heavier wheel will hurt you BIG TIME. Having stickier tires on the factory (or smaller) rims is the way to go for ANY racing straight line or road course. Why doesnt NASCAR use 25" when they do a road course if thats the case? A bigger wheel can be an advantage but not if they are much heavier like CHROME usually is. Stick with the factory 16" and get a better tire. I cant remember the formula but 1 lb on the wheel is something like 40-55 lbs in the car. So these RICERS that take theyre interior out and put on 20 lb heavier rims are just making things WORSE!!! Because they have no idea.

Correct, sprung wieght and rotating weight are horrible for drag racing. Those wheels do look good though.

[86sleeper]

Road course/ canyon carving, no

YES. The heavier wheel will hurt you BIG TIME. Having stickier tires on the factory (or smaller) rims is the way to go for ANY racing straight line or road course. Why doesnt NASCAR use 25" when they do a road course if thats the case? A bigger wheel can be an advantage but not if they are much heavier like CHROME usually is. Stick with the factory 16" and get a better tire. I cant remember the formula but 1 lb on the wheel is something like 40-55 lbs in the car. So these RICERS that take theyre interior out and put on 20 lb heavier rims are just making things WORSE!!! Because they have no idea.

Correct, sprung wieght and rotating weight are horrible for drag racing. Those wheels do look good though.

Thats why I'm gonna use my stock 16"s instead of my 18"s at the track.

[D's89IROCZ]

Even stockers are heavy ass pieces . At least get some skinnies for the front

[gflo383SC]

I have 18's and the handling difference from the stock 16's to these is a pretty big difference.

i agree drag racing they would suck, there's no sidewall to flex.

there heavy but i didnt think they were that much heavier than stock.

I have T-tops and i make alot more than 400HP, it depends on how you tie the car together.... i have SFC and an 6 point cage. the cage made a HUGE difference in stiffening the car throught the corners.

i am getting sick of chrome, i would like the 18s in a factory look/finish. its been done by someone before and looks great.

but i think 16's look too small on 3rd gen irocs. (unless there set up for drag/straight line racing.... then 15's do the trick.


my opinion, a turbo GNX is a straight line car, a camaro is made to handle... so i enhanced its already great capabilities.


everyone is entitled there own opinions of course, I think if you like the way something looks, GO FOR IT! and good luck in your search for an IROC-Z

[Aweasel]

Even stockers are heavy ass pieces . At least get some skinnies for the front

heh heh, my gtas are 15lbs a piece, the stock 91-92 wheel was 25lbs.

[flathead youngin]

hey, fellas, i really appreciate all the help........i know newbies like me can be a real PITA asking all the same stupid questions....


like i said, i had an 87 camaro with T's but that's a far cry from a real iroc.......well, at least from a styling and performance standpoint....but that planted the bug.......

thanks for the subframe info and wheel info......i've still got some learning to do before i make and moves.....and some things to sell and money to save!!!

[Jim85IROC]

For those of you that are interested in 17 or 18" IROC wheels, I just recently became a dealer for Oasis Wheels, who manufactures IROC wheels in a 17x8 and 18x8.5" width. They are available in chrome and polished, but I'm also going to work with them to try and get some made with the stock type appearance. If enough guys are interested, I can try to set up a group purchase for the wheels, which may help increase my chances of convincing these guys to offer a stock paint scheme on them.

[Lucas]

Road course/ canyon carving, no

YES. The heavier wheel will hurt you BIG TIME. Having stickier tires on the factory (or smaller) rims is the way to go for ANY racing straight line or road course. Why doesnt NASCAR use 25" when they do a road course if thats the case? A bigger wheel can be an advantage but not if they are much heavier like CHROME usually is.

I should have clarified, if road course is your goal then get a bigger wheel but spend the money to get one that doesnt weigh a ton. There are plenty of lightweight wheels out there, just arent the cheapest things in the world.

And FYI, NASCAR states what size wheel and tire is run. Thats why all the teams use the same steel wheel and tire. They would be running larger wheels, not much though.

[89Kicker_IROC-Z]

For those of you that are interested in 17 or 18" IROC wheels, I just recently became a dealer for Oasis Wheels, who manufactures IROC wheels in a 17x8 and 18x8.5" width. They are available in chrome and polished, but I'm also going to work with them to try and get some made with the stock type appearance. If enough guys are interested, I can try to set up a group purchase for the wheels, which may help increase my chances of convincing these guys to offer a stock paint scheme on them.

The Oasis brand ones are the ones I have.

chrome 18s looked good IMO so I got em, I couldnt care less what someone else thinks since its my car in the first place.

[Th3rdGen On ZR1s]

the car is no doubt a winner...but i'm kinda iffy about the ebay auction. what state does it say the guy is from? there is a guy from New York that PRETENDS to have a black convertible Iroc with chrome 18" Iroc wheels. but really the only black convertible exactly like that belongs to a guy on thirdgen.org and i informed him of the imposter (this dude was using the same photos as the real owner) anyways...i'm not saying that someone is faking an ebay ad, but that looks exactly like the one that someone is pretending to own

[D's89IROCZ]

Good tip !!!!!!! I can;t stand **** imposters poser pussy wannabe tools