Corvette Wheel Offset & Back Spacing
With so many different Corvette wheel designs on the market, finding the perfect set for your Corvette is not always as easy. At Zip, we take the guesswork out of the equation by listing the exact Corvette year a particular wheel set will fit. Of course this is assuming you Corvette has not been modified with aftermarket brake packages and/or body conversion kits. If your Corvette has been modified then you should be sure the wheels you are ordering are going to fit properly. To do so, you just need to understand wheel spacing terminology and use basic math skills. Let’s go over how to measure your wheels.
Wheel Back Space
Wheel back Spacing is very simple and is often confused with the offset. To determine a wheel’s offset you must first find the wheels back space. The back space can be measured in inches but should be converted to millimeters before proceeding to find the offset. To find the back space place a straight edge across the rear of the wheel and measure to the mount pad. The distance equals the wheels back space, which in this case is 6.75″. Multiply the back space by 25.4 to convert the back space to mm (6.75″ x 25.4mm = 171mm).
Wheel Offset
Wheel offset is the distance between the centerline of the wheel to the wheel mount pad. It is measured in millimeters and the outcome can result in a zero, positive or negative measurement. To have a zero offset, the wheel mount pad must be even with the centerline of the wheel. A positive offset means that the mount pad is shifted past the centerline towards the face of the wheel, while a negative offset means the mount pad is shifted past the centerline towards the rear, or the brake side of the wheel. To determine the offset of a wheel you must first measure the overall width of the wheel. Lets say the wheel measurements are 18″ x 9.5″. Now convert the width to millimeters by multiplying the width by 25.4mm (9.5″ x 25.4mm = 241mm). Next divide the wheel width by 2 to determine the wheels centerline (241mm/2 = 121mm). With the centerline and back spacing of the wheel determined and converted to millimeters simply subtract the centerline from the back spacing for the offset (171mm – 121mm = +50mm).
Remember, we take into consideration every wheels backspace and offset before we offer a particular wheel for your Corvette. Each wheel set is listed for certain year applications because they are designed to fit properly to those models and are not guaranteed to work on Corvettes with modified body panels, suspension, brakes, etc.. For more information on which Corvette wheels are right for you feel free to Contact Us today.
I would like to know the stock wheel offset and backspacing for a 2001 C5 Z06 Corvette. 17 X 9.5 front and 18 X 10.5 rears.
Pete,
The offset of the stock wheels on a 2001 C5 Z06 Corvette is 54mm in the front and 58mm in the rear. We do not have a set here to measure the backspacing but you can determine this by following the steps above in this post.
What is the stock wheel offset for a 2007 C6 Corvette? The front wheel is a 18X8.5 and the rear wheel is a 19X10.
Larry,
The stock 2007 C6 Corvette wheel offset is 56mm in the front and 79mm in the rear.
How did you weld an aluminum suspension to a steel car? Offset depends on many things like where the fender lines are etc. You will have to measure for this. None of the stock offsets for the Corvettes are going to work with what you have. You can go to a wheel manufactures website and they should give you instructions on how to measure for the offset or backspace and which measurement they prefer. You can also view our past post about Corvette wheel offset and backspacing here.
I would really appreciate knowing the stock offset for a 1998 C5 Corvette. Front wheels are 17×8.5 rear wheels are 18×9.5.
The stock offset for a 1998 C5 Corvette is 56mm both front and rear.
I was hoping you guys could tell me what the smallest offset that a stock base model Corvette C5 can have for the front wheels? I’m in Europe and am having a hard time trying to find anything that will fit a Corvette for a reasonable price. The Corvette wheels I found are 18×8 with an offset of 35mm. I have my doubts but am hopeful.
We have always used the correct offset wheels for C5 Corvettes therefor I do not know the smallest offset that you could use. We have several Wheel Sets for a C5 Corvette that will fit and they are affordable.
Hello,
I was wondering if you know the offsett of a 1990 Corvette ZR-1 they’re both 17×9.5.
Will the zr1 rims/tires fit a grand sport convertible? I know they are 1″ diffrent in rim size but was thinking of swapping to the zr1 ones.
What is the offset for a 2010 C6 Corvette 18X8.5 and 19X10 wheels?
I’m planning to widen my stock 02 ZO6 wheels to 12″, put on flared quarter panels (extend out 1.25″), and use a spacer to push the wheel out flush for the extra 1.25″. Will 12″ be too much (stick out past quarter)?I would think it’d work but I have no idea how much the 12″ stock wheel would need to clear the wheel well. I just don’t want any rubbing, and don’t want the wheel/tires to stick out past the quarters. Thanks for any help at all. I’m currently out of the country on work and have limited resources for contact, so email would be best or i’ll check back here. Also, want to put 345′s on the wheels, or 335′s if the 345/12″ combo won’t work, fyi
Appreciate your time
Here you go, Gary:
18×8.5” front wheels = +56
19×10” rear wheels = +79
Check out all of our C6 Corvette Wheels here.
Hi Jeremiah-
This is really a question for the folks that are going to widen the wheels, and sell you the flared fenders.
If the people who are making and selling these Corvette Wheels, fenders and spacers can’t answer these questions, maybe you should re-think if they are your best option. It may be better to put the fenders on the car, and then work out the math for the wheel width, backspacing and offset, as opposed to spending your money and hoping for the best. Good Luck!
I can fit Corvette salad shooters 16×9.5 all around in S10 extreme 99 with spacers 2.50 front and 3.00 rear????
Yomar:
We have never put a set of these wheels on a S10 and cannot advise on the fitment. You may wish to check with a S10 forum or message board, or your local tire and wheel shop. In our opinion, a 3″ spacer would be dangerous.
Shiraz:
Yes, for either a C4 ZR-1 and GrandSport, or a C6 ZR1 and Grand Sport.
But you can’t mix and match between the two generations.
Why 3″ spacer would be dangerous??? Let me know please…
Yomar-
We believe that a 3” spacer is dangerous. We would never sell or install something like that. The technical reason is that wheel studs are not what hold a wheel on, they provide a clamping force and the hub face of the wheel to the face of the disc rotor becomes the mechanical bond for the tow. When you have a 3” spacer, you are now applying those forces to a wheel stud that was not designed to hold a force like that and they will end up shearing off.
Hi James:
The 90 ZR1 uses a 17×9.5 in front with a 50mm offset. The rear of a ZR1 uses a 17×11 with a 36mm offset.
Check out all of our C4 Corvette Wheels here!