Yeah..I know..Yall prolly get tired of this ..But..here goes..just got a 67RS..Ive read most of these post but still didnt get the definite answer...anyway..I am 67yo and this is my first camaro and I want to put the largest wheels & tires that it can handle..It has 15" wheels now..I am wanting to raise the car some so it is not so low for the wife..It really looks as if has been lowered ( how can I tell ? )..
I seen the chart that Thor posted showing photos of cars and the sizes..
Looks like 16"x8" with 4.5" B/S is the most popular front and back on 1st gen.camaros..what is the # V40..V45..etc in front of the total number?
.OR..just tell me what to put on this camaro
Thanks

 

I wouldn't go any bigger than 18s. Are you looking for a staggered fit?

 

..well, kinda..where i can rotate I guess, prolly wont be riding that often though to where i should be that concerned on rotation ..what's your thinking?..also need to know what size tires..I want to be able to go to Summits; tell'em exactly what I want; then they will mount and balance for free

 

Well if you want to rotate you have to run the same rims and tires on all corners, I'd suggest a 18x8 and a 245/40R18.

 

What you first need to do is google your year car showing different diameter wheels to get an idea of what kind of look you want. Personally, I don't think 18" wheels look good on a 1st gen. 17" is pushing it, and 16" is the most I would go. But I prefer to keep more of the vintage look, and the difference between 15" and 16" is subtle. You also want to weigh over what you want to get out of your tires. Tires on larger diameter wheels will make the car handle better in the turns due to having less sidewall sway. But, less sidewall height also means a harsher, bumpier ride.

 

With tire technology these days low profile tires have a pretty good ride. I ran kumhos extca ast 225/40ZR18s (about 165$ per tire) on the 3.4 and had a great ride. And they were the best tires I've ever driven on.

 

...yeah I knew that just "misspoke"..thanks

 

ok..lets go to the issue of the car being a bit low, to us.. Is there a way to determine if it has been lowered or do people lower these camaros?
Fact is I want to raise it and thought bigger wheels or taller tires may help..I'm changing the silver ralley wheels anyway..It has the low profile "disc brakes" caps on it now (disc brakes on front only).

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess you probably didn't compare the ride quality difference of your car going from 15" to 18" tires though? Lower profile tires means less rubber between the wheel and road, which means less cushion. That's a physical aspect that can't be avoided, especially since tire technology these days also applies to higher profile tires.
How to tell if your car has been lowered? Post a side profile picture here, we'll tell you. Sure guys lower their 1st gens, some like em low, some like em high. How was yours lowered (if it was)? In the front, either lowering coil springs or dropped spindles. In the back, lowering leaf springs or spacer blocks between the leafs and spring perches.

 

V40 and V45 are models of wheels that Vintage Wheel Works produces.
They are extremely good quality wheels.

Personally, I prefer 16x8 on first gen Camaro's. Tire selection for that size is not great, but as far as looks, they can't be beat. IMO.