The Illustrated Corvette Wheel Guide, Part 2

The arrival of the '68 Corvette represented the most dramatic styling change in the history of the car. The car's five-slot, stamped-steel Rally Wheels, however, were essentially a carry-over from the '67 design, though with an extra inch of width and thicker beauty rings. This 15x7-inch unit was the widest wheel to date for the Corvette. By 1969, the Vette was wearing 15x8-inch steel wheels with chrome beauty rings and caps. This design would remain the base Corvette wheel through the end of the C3 line in 1982.

For buyers who preferred a slightly tamer appearance, the '68 model offered the "Bright Metal Wheel Cover" option for just $57.95. The following year, the optional hubcap was renamed the "Deluxe Wheel Cover." This design remained a low-cost option from 1968 to 1973. The '73 model was the last Corvette to offer a full hubcap.

This style of wheel was first seen at the '70 New York Auto Show, when Chevrolet debuted the XP-882 mid-engine Corvette concept. Although the car never made it to production, its slotted-aluminum wheels became available as a $175 option in 1973. Availability was sporadic until 1976, at which point the alloy wheels became a regular part of the Corvette option list.

The '82 model year marked the end of the line for the C3, and Chevrolet cooked up a special, limited-run model to commemorate the car's passing. The '82 Collector Edition received a number of exclusive cosmetic tweaks, including cast-aluminum wheels styled to resemble the '63 knock-off design.

Like the C4 itself, the aluminum wheels on the all-new '84 Corvette cleaved to a form-follows-function design philosophy. For example, their integral vanes and side-specific configuration allowed them to function as exhaust fans to help cool the brakes. This 16-inch wheel/tire set was originally slated for the Z51 package, while base C4s were to get a 15-inch combination. But as it turned out, all '84 Corvettes received the upsized combo. The "V" rating on the tires made this the first time a Corvette had truly high-performance rubber as standard equipment.

For 1988, the base Corvette wheels were redesigned in a six-spoke configuration. Size was the same as on previous C4 wheels, at 16x8.5 inches. Z51 cars, meanwhile, received similarly styled wheels that measured 17x9.5 inches and featured 12 cooling slots. These were shod with Goodyear Eagle P275/40ZR17 tires, which were rated for top speeds of 149 mph and higher.

In 1991, the base model's six-spoke, 12-slot design was replaced with an eight-blade layout first seen on the '88 Indy Corvette concept and the '90 CERV III engineering study. The ZR-1 supercar, meanwhile, used a similar-looking wheel set but featured massive 11-inch units in the rear. These were fitted with Goodyear P315/35ZR17 tires-the widest rubber offered on a Corvette to that date.

One of the few complaints about the ZR-1 was that it didn't look much different from a regular Corvette. Chevy partially addressed that concern for 1994 by introducing a new set of nondirectional, five-spoke wheels for the car. The following year, the '95 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica wore the same five-spoke design, though in the standard 17x9.5-inch size.

The C4 production run went out with a bang in 1996, with two special, limited-production Corvettes offered for sale. The Collector Edition featured silver ZR-1-style five-spoke mags, while the Grand Sport wore a black-painted version of the same design (shown). The difference was that the Grand Sport wheels measured a full 11 inches in the rear, just like the ones previously used on the ZR-1. This change required that the cars be fitted with a pair of rear fender arches, providing a stylistic tie-in to the '63 Grand Sport race cars.