Am I the only one longing for 18" rear wheels??

[SRTRICK]

Am I the only one longing for 18\" rear wheels??

I really miss the possibility of running competetion tires on my car, particularly due to the total dominance of Corvettes in the scca solo II SuperStock class. There isn't any way to run with them without the Hoosiers, or at least Michelin Pilot sport cups. If anyone hears anything coming up that would right this, please let everyone know about it. I checked with Hoosier and they were certain about not including any 19" sizes in their new A3so4 line coming out for next season. I am going to look into a couple of possibilities that would allow fitting 18's on the rear, but it doesn't look easy due to the parking brake, and that move takes one out of stock anyway, putting the Viper back in A Street Prepared.

 

[SRTRICK]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

Evidently I am the only one.

I checked with Kinesis about their 19" center 18" o/a size wheels & they can't make them up for the 13" wide Viper rear as they don't have that deep a backside available & they really were not designed for race applications. Their owner is checking out the inside diameter of their usual 18" wheel, but he didn't sound hopeful.

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

I'm not exactly clear on what you're saying. Are you saying:
18 inch wheels that are 13 inch wide won't fit on an SRT-10?
19 inch wheels don't come in widths of 13 inches?

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[kverges]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

I'd like 18s! I have race tires/wheels for my GTS that I'd sure like to be able to use on the SRT.

 

[SRTRICK]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

DDV - Kinesis makes an 18" wheel that uses their 19" centers with a rim that has less drop than a normal 18" would. These are the ones they can not make in a 13" width because they do not have an appropriate back section that is wide enough. Not many cars use a wheel as wide as ours so there isn't enough demand for them to make up a special back section of that particular style just for the new Viper.

The Parking brake actuator appears to be so close to the inside of the wheel that there doesn't seem to be enough clearance to use 18s. The only possibility is if the particular drop and thickness of the rim might make it just able to clear, but it looks really tight. There is also evidently an issue with a sway bar linkage, but I was told that that would clear with a small addition of some outward offset on the wheel, or 1/2" extra width to the outside only.

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

Hey, thanks for the additional info/clarification. I guess with wheels just getting bigger and bigger (not wider), it's not worth the time/money for manufacturers to specialize in areas that there is such small demand. Personally, I think that wheels are getting too big, thus becoming nonfunctional and unsafe. It would half to be far more safe to race with 18" wheels than 19" wheels, and definitely 20" wheels! I'm no expert on the matter, but this IS what I think, based on what I have read. So, maybe with a bit of time, more manufacturers of wheels will step back, and work more on 18" wheels, after the "big wheel" fad dies down.

Same with the SRT-10 Viper's particular "parking brake actuator" problem. Someone's bound to make a kit to fix this, right? Granted, it will probably be a while, but how can they not? There have got to be more out there that prefer to race with 18" rather than 19" wheels, for the obvious benefits. Or am I just totally wrong and entirely off track here?

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[SRTRICK]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

I'm hoping you're right about the parking brake modification. Sounds like something Sean Roe might want to look at.

 

[Viperzilla]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

for more info on the wheel size debate, check out the last Autobile Magazine's special Wheel and Tire issue. It confronts the issue of plus sizing, and how much is too much.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Re: Am I the only one longing for 18

Looked very close at the parking brake caliper today. The issue is the portion that holds the cable. It looks to be all part of the same casting so may take a new caliper to provide enough clearance. Doesn't seem insurmountable.