Wheel width

[coburnaburna]

I'm getting ready to put a set of 1999 stock corvettte wheels on my car. I know the dementions of the wheels are very wide. 18n's in rear and 17's up front. I believe they are 10 inched wide in the back. Am i still gonna be able to run a 235 or 45 in the back or does this wheel call for a wider tire?

[FunkZ]

Re: Wheel width

I believe those are 17x8.5 F and 18x9.5 R.
A common tire choice would be 245/45R17 F and 275/35R18 R but of course you can go a size in any direction without any major problems.
Check the manufacturer's recommended wheel width for the tire size/brand you are planning to use.

[crushedout]

Re: Wheel width

Its still early but I believe the following is true.

Our stock tires have 129mm sidewall (215/60R16 or 235/55R16) and the rim being 16 inches is 400mm to give it a total distance from tread to tread of 658mm. I had 225/60R16's on my car which gave it a 670mm distance and I rubbed the inner fender well when I made turns. Every inch of rim is 25mm so you need to take that into account. I guess the rear would depend on how strong your shocks are back there so you dont bottom out into the rear wheel well. I am unsure how wide our tires can be, before sticking out of wheelwell, if this matters to you.

I just researched all of this a couple weeks ago when I got new tires and wanted wider, this is where I'm getting my numbers.

So if I'm not mistaken your front rims as 17's would be 425mm leaving you 233mm for both sidewalls so you would look for a single sidewall of 116.5 or so. I guess I would go with 255/45R17 in front and this would give you 114.75mm per sidewall for the total tire to be 654.5mm. Not that much of a diffrence.

285/40R17's would give you 114mm per sidewall still really close, better handling, but more pricey.

As far as keeping stock total diameter in rear, with 18's you would need 104mm per sidewall and I would go with 295/35R18 in rear which is 103.25mm per sidewall. Those are some expensive tires though. 200-400 each on tirerack.

Hope this helps put you in the right direction and please research this as I am going off memory and may be off. If my numbers are off please dont chastise me. :spank: Just trying to help

[coburnaburna]

Re: Wheel width

Yea this helps. I dont know if i can continue to afford to put shoes on her though after this set. If i stay with say a 245/45/ zr18 on the back am i gonna lose power due to lack of width?

[crushedout]

Re: Wheel width

Well your not going to "lose" power, but obviously you wont have as easy as a time hooking up if you had wider tires. I have 245 on my 16's and have no problems but it does matter on tread pattern and what not. I guess it also depend on how much power your putting down. I'm pretty stock for now so I dont want to steer you in the wrong direction. No matter what though, if you came stock with 215 or 235, 245 is better.:tup: Good luck with whatever you decide

[Lurieh]

Re: Wheel width

I wouldn't suggest a 245/45/18 on a 9.5" wide wheel. Here's what I usually suggest:

1) Decide what brand/model of tire you want.
2) Decide what size tire you want. Wide, skinny, tall, short doesn't matter at this stage.
3) Check the recommended wheel width for the size you have chosen

The reason I suggest this is that most manufacturers will not recommend a tire in 245/45/18 for a wheel width greater than 9". You'll be stretching the tire to wide. A 255 width will work, but you can go anywhere from 255-275. You can choose the best price/performance point from there.

[coburnaburna]

Re: Wheel width

I guess i shoulda specified which of my camaro's they are going on. they are going on my 00 z28. As far as power goes ive got hedders, Catback system , lid, CAI, FAST intake, and Ported heads. Ive never been dynoed but id guess around 330hp or 40 hp. Now don't get upset gurus, that's just a non-educated guess. I know how people get all touchy about the horsepower stuff. I guess i would understand though if i just had my six cylinder without my z.

[Lurieh]

Re: Wheel width

I guess i shoulda specified which of my camaro's they are going on. they are going on my 00 z28. As far as power goes ive got hedders, Catback system , lid, CAI, FAST intake, and Ported heads. Ive never been dynoed but id guess around 330hp or 40 hp. Now don't get upset gurus, that's just a non-educated guess. I know how people get all touchy about the horsepower stuff. I guess i would understand though if i just had my six cylinder without my z.

In that case, anything less than 275mm width will result in laughing, pointing, and revocation of your z28 owners privileges.

[Kidcamaro98]

Re: Wheel width

i have stock c5 vette rims on mine that came off my buddys 97 vette....they are 17's up front...9 inches wide and 18's in back...10.5 inches wide...i measured them up the other night. they are wide as hell...i get better traction then my stockers but still spin. The backs dont rub unless you take a corner sharp and when the suspension squats the inside of the tire scrapes the fender wall very lightly.