TougeS2k

Chris-
It seems to me an upgrade on wheels are hard to find in the c5 offset and just because the OEM are so wide and light.

Chris S

True - but I have a line on a set of Forgelines w/ good tires at a great price. If that deal falls through, I'll prob. get a pair of rear OEM Speedlines and run a square setup.

AngryTurtle

Youre pretty much stuck with CCW if you want an upgraded track wheel.

Also does anyone else hate how the corvette forum is run with the vendors posting everywhere and every 5 mins.

Moddiction

Really been looking at the ls3 corvettes. Pricing really seems cheap on them now! 30 grand seems to get a really nice low mileage one! Might come down even more with the c7 out.

Just really wish tires weren't so insanely expensive for them. I drive a lot so would go through tires quite quickly I would think. $1600+ a set for the street would add up quick if they wear anywhere near as quickly as they do in my s2000.

Chris S

I have word from my local shop (and a fellow Z06 owner) that installing stiffer bushings greatly prolongs the life of the tires, b/c the OEM bushings allow too much wheel movement in undesired directions. They also said that bushings are one thing that separates Porsches from Vettes.....not suggesting they'll make it feel like a Porsche, but should close the gap quite a bit.

Also, check out C5 Z06 tire prices vs. C6 prices - you can save a lot of money while enjoying a more visceral ride.

Syn

Question on tires for anyone who may know--

I looked on Tirerack and it seems you have to move away from stock C5Z sizing to really open up your options. Even then, you're fairly limited. I checked size options on the more popular street tires and here was what I found nearest to stock C5Z widths (265/40/17F, 295/35/18R for reference) when staying with OE 17" / 18" rim setup:

Dunlop ZII and Hankook RS3:

255/40/17 front (narrower by 10mm)
285/35/18 rear (-10)


Ecsta XS:

255/40/17 or 275/40/17 front (-10 or +10)
275/35/18 rear (-20)
Also noticed a 315/35/17 if willing to drop to 17" rims in the rear. (+20)


BFG Rival:

255/40/17 front (-10)
295/35/18 rear (exact OE size)


All that said, it seems to me the Rival is the best bet. It's the only truly new-for-2013 tire that can match the OE rear width. So, is it worth dropping 10mm in the fronts in order to have these tires? I would personally rather do this than pay for the overpriced OEM tires. I also read that if you drop below a 30mm width difference from front to rear it can cause issues with the active handling--any truth to that?

For reference, the Rivals in the size above are $1006 on Tirerack. Not bad at all.

redlineracing

Yep...not many options in OE sizes...that why I run this on my 02Z.

F:275/35/18X9.5 R:295/30/19X10.5
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta rubber....IForged Seneka wheels

It's a standard DD setup.
\rlr
Carolina

TougeS2k

Honestly don't let tire cost impact your buying or not buying a Vette. Bite the bullet and unless its a track machine every week they'll last plenty of time!

Moddiction

Well I go through tires on my S2000 at least twice a year. Sometimes 3 for the rears. I think my alignment plays a big role in that however.

The C6 tires are very specific sizes though so quite expensive. I think oem tires are $1700 a set of 4. Some people run some budget summer tires it seems for around $800-900 a set. Some are happy but others say they suck. So I'm sure they are fine for normal street racing but would suck for really aggressive driving.

TougeS2k

3 times a year is a lot! Okay I feel your pain... I just went w bridge stone re760 sports for $897 installed. But my z doesn't see the track (yet) and I'm on stock ride height/camber