wheel/tire recommendations?

1259 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Nate @ CorvetteGarage, Apr 12, 2001

streetracer

Discussion Starter · Apr 10, 2001

Hi again everyone! i am planning on purchasing HRE's for my car while I wait(should come in early june) Anyways, I am interested in going 19" all around with 275/30/19.5"f and 305/25/19.11" rear p-zeros. Besides the fact that I have a good chance of bending a rim and the speedometer being off,would any of you suggest this combo? Also, I am considering the18"f and 19"r set-up . BTW, by running those widths(9.5" and 11" sizes)Will it "stick out" of the wheelwell or will it be neatly tucked in? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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HarleyB

· #2 · Apr 10, 2001

I had 11" rears w/315s & 9.5" with 275s on my '89 Coupe. They were Fikse FM-5s. I called them about the Z06, and they are real good about fitment specs. They are coming out with a line of forged, CNC milled 1-piece wheels that will be le$$ than the 3-piece models. I say a 19" prototype, and it is much more "open" than ANY 3-piece could ever be. These are going to be the best looking wheels available. JMO

HarleyB

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bwhitmore

· #3 · Apr 12, 2001

Streetracer, I have the 18/19 combo on order. I opted for the 10.5" rim in the rear for exactly the reason you are talking about. After talking with HRE, they said that the 11" wheel would stick out a bit in back when the tire was mounted on it. Talk to Renee at HRE. At any rate, this might look a little funny, especially with a noticably deeper rim face in the rear. I would suggest considering the 10.5" rim unless you really don't mind the big difference front to rear, and it sticking out a little more. Also, with a 275 tire in front I would imagine that the rims, especially 19's, would rub the inner wheel well when turned all the way, but I don't know for sure. 265 would probably work best. My attitude is better safe than sorry, so I'm sticking with the factory rim width (9.5" F/ 10.5" R) and tire combo, and then compensating for aesthetics by adding one inch in overall diameter to the face. Whether you do 19's all around or an 18/19 combo is purely heresay, but I like the offset just because the car was built to handle this proportion. Good Luck. BTW, I don't have my rims, but I do have my tires, and they are huge, you'll be impressed!

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bwhitmore

· #4 · Apr 12, 2001

Hey, one more thing, Nasty C5 has a pic of his car on the corvetteforum under the C5 general discussion, he has the 18's all around with an 11" in the rear. He claims it doesn't stick out, but if he had a bigger tire than a 295 I bet it would. Personally, I think it looks okay, but the depth of the face front to rear looks kinda drastic...

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streetracer

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 12, 2001

Hey thanks HarleyB and bwhitmore for your reply! bwhitmore, I completely agree with you to rather be safe than sorry. I just don't want to spend that kind of money and regret not having a bigger rim in the front. The difference in price is not all that much, as you already know. BTW, your car is gonna look awesome with that combo! Like you stated in your previous post, it's also gonna be friendly on performance with those tires that you are going be to be running. I just hope I can make a decision soon. Thanks for the help guys!

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hcvone

· #6 · Apr 12, 2001

On my new Z06 I will have the rear mini tubbed to run 335's on 12" wide wheels, I will use 18's all around. /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

_________________
Carl V. *****Authorized Zaino Distributor*****
Huntingdon Valley, PA.
** 2000 Magnetic Red Convertible **
** Corvette Club of Delaware Valley **
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Nate @ CorvetteGarage

· #7 · Apr 12, 2001

I like the 18s all the way around. 10.5 or 11 inch in the back. 9.5 inch in the front seems to be the standard. With a 10.5 in the rear, the wheel sets in just a bit of the fender while the 9.5 in the front, is flush with the fender. Thats why I recommend 11 inch in the back. It too will be flush with the fender and looks nicer overall.
18s all the way around gives the customer more options for tire selection and keeps the speedo correct. Also, more tire between the wheel and the road. Less worry about pot holes and other things that could damage a wheel with less tire on the road. I admit, the bigger combos look nice. I guess it depends if you use your car everyday or if its a garage queen like mine! /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
NastyC5 542s look super nice and I gave him a great deal!
I too do not like the deep dish look of some wheels but I would not call his 11s deep.
Only my .02 cents worth! You cant go wrong with HREs! Wish I could afford them!

Nate

Nate

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