Mod questions!
Discussion
Hi, All!
I wanna mod my vette a bit, but I'm struggling to find the answers I need. Can anyone here help me?
1) I want some new wheels. Problem being that I don't like "american" style wheels - I like chunkier "european" wheels. Does anyone know of any wheels I can buy in the UK (19" front, 20" rear) that would fit the bill?
2) If not, does anyone know the offsets etc that the vette needs for the wheels?
3) I want to put C5R style non-pop-up headlights on my car. The ones in the US aren't e-marked, which means that there *could* be problems when it comes to MOT time - does anyone know a way around this? Has anyone seen any non-popups on a C5 in the UK? Did they look any good?
Thanks in advance for any help!
I wanna mod my vette a bit, but I'm struggling to find the answers I need. Can anyone here help me?
1) I want some new wheels. Problem being that I don't like "american" style wheels - I like chunkier "european" wheels. Does anyone know of any wheels I can buy in the UK (19" front, 20" rear) that would fit the bill?
2) If not, does anyone know the offsets etc that the vette needs for the wheels?
3) I want to put C5R style non-pop-up headlights on my car. The ones in the US aren't e-marked, which means that there *could* be problems when it comes to MOT time - does anyone know a way around this? Has anyone seen any non-popups on a C5 in the UK? Did they look any good?
Thanks in advance for any help!
You ought to find the specs for the US wheels rather than the european ones as the european ones have less offset in order to keep on the right side of some German regulations about wheel to arch clearance. BTW I like these wheels www.lingenfelter.com/lingenfelter/product.asp?dept%5Fid=55&pf%5Fid=506
Vetteheadracer has fitted some nice fixed HID lights to his Z06 so I'm sure he'll chime in about cost and where to buy. The swap was done after SVA had been completed. I think it unlikely that you'd have any MoT problems as long as the lights are pointing down and to the left at the time of the test.
Vetteheadracer has fitted some nice fixed HID lights to his Z06 so I'm sure he'll chime in about cost and where to buy. The swap was done after SVA had been completed. I think it unlikely that you'd have any MoT problems as long as the lights are pointing down and to the left at the time of the test.
I think HRE and CCW wheels suit the C5 the best, but then those are American (American wheels for an American car). I'm sure BBS make nice alloys that would suit the C5.
The non-popup lights I've seen I've given mixed reactions. Some look nice, like the spectre werkes lights and the Breathless Performance lights, but a few I don't like. I'd say the looks would depend on what else you have done to the car (paint scheme, body mods etc).
The non-popup lights I've seen I've given mixed reactions. Some look nice, like the spectre werkes lights and the Breathless Performance lights, but a few I don't like. I'd say the looks would depend on what else you have done to the car (paint scheme, body mods etc).
these are the C5-R lights that I fitted to my Z06
www.westcoastcorvette.com/shop_online/prod_detail.cfm?id=748
I also fitted 2 sets of HID lights from
www.hidfactory.com
The lights were fairly easy to fit and they are straight plug ins (no cutting wires). You can adjust the lights to meet UK MOT rules!
Regarding the wheels, BBS don't do a wheel in Europe to fit the Corvette. However, you can get some very nice OZ ones. (about £400 per corner).
www.westcoastcorvette.com/shop_online/prod_detail.cfm?id=748
I also fitted 2 sets of HID lights from
www.hidfactory.com
The lights were fairly easy to fit and they are straight plug ins (no cutting wires). You can adjust the lights to meet UK MOT rules!
Regarding the wheels, BBS don't do a wheel in Europe to fit the Corvette. However, you can get some very nice OZ ones. (about £400 per corner).
When the lights arrive the covers are clean. You can leave them clear or spray the insides any colour you like. There is a line marked on the inside to show you where to spray to.
Regarding the offsets etc for vette wheels, give John or Paul at North Hants Tyres a call on 01252 613261 they are experts in vette wheels. They even have a set of Chrome Z06 wheels in stock
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Monday 22 March 21:55
Regarding the offsets etc for vette wheels, give John or Paul at North Hants Tyres a call on 01252 613261 they are experts in vette wheels. They even have a set of Chrome Z06 wheels in stock
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Monday 22 March 21:55
As said you will have issues with offset/inset but have a look at the Elite website or visit them in Rainham, Essex. I was looking recently at a 20"x 8.5 & 20" 9.5 Technomagnesio wheel (I think it was called Detroit) for my C3. I couldn't use it as there was not enough offset for mine but they are a helpful bunch there and new 20" wheels are comming out every month
I am reliably informed that the "offset" is measured differently depending upon whether you are in Europe or the US.
In Europe the "offset" is distance from the outside of the hub to the outside edge of the rim.
In the US the "offset" is the distance from the outside of the hub to the inside edge of the rim.
Example: You have a 12" wide rim - from the outside edge to the hub is a depth of 2" (2" Offset in Europe or 10" offset in US).
PCD = Pitch Circle Diameter or Stud pattern as we call it.
Thanks to Chris at NHT for the idiots guide to wheel fitments!
In Europe the "offset" is distance from the outside of the hub to the outside edge of the rim.
In the US the "offset" is the distance from the outside of the hub to the inside edge of the rim.
Example: You have a 12" wide rim - from the outside edge to the hub is a depth of 2" (2" Offset in Europe or 10" offset in US).
PCD = Pitch Circle Diameter or Stud pattern as we call it.
Thanks to Chris at NHT for the idiots guide to wheel fitments!
Leaving aside the technical stuff on offset the point with the C5 is that in Europe to pass type approval a car's wheels must not stick out the side beyond the bodywork, measured at a particular point. US wheels on C5 stick out a fraction too far to pass this test so Euro cars have a slightly different wheel (though visually identical) which doesn't stick out so far. This is achieved by placing the flange that bolts to the hub in a slightly different position relative to the rest of the wheel which pulls it in a bit - ie a different offset. The regulations for SVA approval are not as strict so US wheels are not a problem for personal imports.
DIY headlamp alignment is simple. Find a flat drive or car park with a garage door or wall you can drive right up to. Switch on MAIN beam lights and mark the centre of each beam on the door/wall with sticky tape. Reverse back in a straight line and if the lights are correctly adjusted the beam centres will stay on your marks. If not, adjust as required. Once this is set you should find the dip beams drop down correctly (and to the left for UK lights). I've used this method for years with no problems at MOT.
DIY headlamp alignment is simple. Find a flat drive or car park with a garage door or wall you can drive right up to. Switch on MAIN beam lights and mark the centre of each beam on the door/wall with sticky tape. Reverse back in a straight line and if the lights are correctly adjusted the beam centres will stay on your marks. If not, adjust as required. Once this is set you should find the dip beams drop down correctly (and to the left for UK lights). I've used this method for years with no problems at MOT.
Regarding the coilovers, you will need someone that knows what they are doing as you will need to set up the correct camber relating to the height that you are intending to run the car at. I am going to do this myself, but at Geoff Jeal's as he has the required equipment to set up the alignment etc.
I would not trust anyone to do this unless they know what they are doing, otherwise you will at best f@@k your tyres and at worst kill yourself the first time you come to a corner!
Send Geoff (blackzr) an email to get a quote for doing this (he is about an hour from Surrey).
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Monday 29th March 11:38
I would not trust anyone to do this unless they know what they are doing, otherwise you will at best f@@k your tyres and at worst kill yourself the first time you come to a corner!
Send Geoff (blackzr) an email to get a quote for doing this (he is about an hour from Surrey).
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Monday 29th March 11:38
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