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Wheels and TiresNeed help with wheels or tires? Got fitment issues? Have questions about tire performance and handling? Ask all of those questions here!
Over the last 15+ Years, New Vehicles have been transitioning towards Taller Side-Wall Tires.
An 2004 Corvette with 18" Rear Wheels, would originally had roughly a 275/ 35ZR18 Size set or Rear Tires.
Crossover SUVs and Sedans now have Taller Side-Wall Tires compared to 15+ Years ago.
Yes the Wheel sizes have increased, and Tire sizes have increased...
But what I am referring to is the Aspect-Ratio of the Tire Side-Wall.
A comparable Rear Tire for an 18" Wheel on a Newer Corvette, would be 275/ 40ZR18 or 275/ 45ZR18.
A decent amount taller than the 18" Tire from 2004 (275/ 35ZR18).
I even find Websites for New Tire Sales to incorrectly report Tire Sizes for Older Vehicles.
(Not that Auto Parts Websites have never incorrectly shown Parts for Vehicles before).
Tire Rack for example, shows a 275/ 40ZR18 Rear Tire for a 2004 Corvette... which is incorrect (at least on my Invoice).
I am wondering how many of you have moved towards the Modern Tire Sizes/ use a Taller Side-Wall Tire.
Let me know what all of you are using on your Third-Gen, and your thoughts on the Look and Performance (Ride Quality, Cornering, Traction, Etc) of Modern Taller Tires.
Please Post any Images of your Third-Gen that uses the Modern Tire Sizes.
I have contemplated the same thing and concluded that I either go wide or go tall but can't do both. Just can't tuck a generously wide tire inside the wheel well. So people end up with teeth rattling spring rates to keep the tire off the fenders with their flush mount look.
One thing I've noticed is the stock bump stops are set up for a 26-in tire. Go 28 and you'll rub the fender unless fully tucked.
I personally PREFER a taller tire. I think the aspect ratio of a stock 245/50/16 is like the golden ratio. Now, finding tires wide enough for modern power levels, as well as fitting brakes under a 16" wheel is another discussion entirely. Even when myself and others here started posting our first pictures of Hawk's 17" replica IROCs, I still felt that 16's LOOKED the best. Ride also suffers with a real low profile, although the difference between a 35 and 40 series may be tough to really feel.
Regarding your specific question though, what is it your after exactly? A modern 17" 18" or even larger wheel, with a taller aspect ratio? Pushing the combined diameter over the stock 25.5/26 "ish" size?
Here’s some pics of my sons 91. The wheels are 17x8’s all around with BFG G Force Comp 2’s in 255/40ZR-18 on all four corners. Nothing exotic but since it’s his daily driver, we wanted something that didn’t rub, had decent ride quality and filled the wheel wells better then the stock wheels. He’s got some UMI lowering springs for the front and rear that we’ll be installing after the holidays to drop it down about 1.5”s but in these pics it’s sitting on stock suspension.
Here’s some pics of my sons 91. The wheels are 17x8’s all around with BFG G Force Comp 2’s in 255/40ZR-18 on all four corners. Nothing exotic but since it’s his daily driver, we wanted something that didn’t rub, had decent ride quality and filled the wheel wells better then the stock wheels. He’s got some UMI lowering springs for the front and rear that we’ll be installing after the holidays to drop it down about 1.5”s but in these pics it’s sitting on stock suspension.
I think I am going to try a set of the taller/ Modern Tires on the Rear Wheels of my Car.
I am going to leave the Front Wheels with the lower-profile Tires.
I guess I have to probably adjust the height on the Weight-Jacks again...
I could’t go anything taller than a 40 series tire anymore. Too much flex.
even going from a 35 to 40 series tire was annoying when felt the loss in turn in response.
I'm the opposite. I can't stand the harsh ride of a short sidewall, and since I don't go autocrossing, there's no reason to put up with it. I also hate the appearance of the extreme low-profile tires that look like rubber bands on huge diameter wheels (like 20" & 24")...
The reason I went from a 235/35/19 to a 235/40/18 was to gain a bit of sidewall to better deal with regular roads, and pot-holes. A slightly softer ride was also a benefit. I also stepped down for slightly cheaper tires. An additional benefit that I got, was dropping 8lbs per rim when going from the OEM Forged to the FC04 flow forged. Saving 32lbs of rotating weight definitely also helped ride quality, and provided a net benefit for acceleration and braking too.
But, I immediately noticed how much more delayed the turn in response was from the car. If I purchase a track set for the car, it will be something like a 275/35/19.
My RS has 235/40/18's on it now, vs the 235/35/19's stock.
My GTA has 275/40/17's on it now. And for that car I'd probably step up to a 275/35/18 to get a better tire selection.
I also stepped down for slightly cheaper tires. An additional benefit that I got, was dropping 8lbs per rim when going from the OEM Forged to the FC04 flow forged.
Since you mentioned cheaper tires and then weight in back to back sentences, one thing to consider is the weight of cheaper tires. I was looking at a set of Continental Extreme Contact tires, which I love and have used before, versus maybe saving a few bucks and going with a Nitto. They were on my '16 SS and they were a good tire, figured they were worth a look. After research, I found the Nitto was about 4 pounds heavier per tire! That's a lot on a 25 pound tire! Most were similar. I think only the Conti EC and Mich Pilots were notably less weight. Food for thought.
I had 305/35/19 drag radials on the car before. Loved how the tire looked being 28” tall. Had 295/30/19 on it and looked paper thin especially compared to the 255/40/18 fronts
years ago i thought tall tires looked bad. Now i see any car with 25.7-26” regular tire they just look small. Modern cars are big body now so rims look better being bigger and tires have to match
but now all i roll on are 275/60/15 radials lol aint nothing else hooks power
The tire model was set, it was going to be a Michelin PS4S, no matter what size I got. The 18" was about 2lb heavier vs the 19" version. But I still lost plenty of weight going with the 18" rims.
@Zach/90\irocZ has been running taller 19 inch tires for many years of many sizes including 45 series. I'd search for posts by him.
Originally Posted by vorteciroc
Thank you @QwkTrip .
I will search for some of the Images related to Zach/90\irocZ.
Does anyone else here have any Images of Third-Gens with Modern sized Tires?
Does not matter if the Images are of someone else Car.
Thanks all!
yes I’ve ran few 19s not on here much but I’ll post another project with 19x11 and 10.5
not here much anymore but I peep in from time to time now I may start to be active again on here when I can if you guys have any questions let me know
i played around with a lot of wheels and from lowered to not lowered square not square etc
I prefer taller tires as I feel it has better proportions and fill in the wheel wells better with out having to lower car significantly to pull off look
Last edited by Zach/90\irocZ; May 2, 2022 at 04:11 AM.
When I saw the stunning car in the brand new thread I've linked below, I thought of this thread immediately. So I'm reviving this one because I believe the appearance of this car most closely illustrates, more than any we've seen, the point vorteciroc was trying to make when he created this thread a year and a half ago.
Here’s some pics of my sons 91. The wheels are 17x8’s all around with BFG G Force Comp 2’s in 255/40ZR-18 on all four corners. Nothing exotic but since it’s his daily driver, we wanted something that didn’t rub, had decent ride quality and filled the wheel wells better then the stock wheels. He’s got some UMI lowering springs for the front and rear that we’ll be installing after the holidays to drop it down about 1.5”s but in these pics it’s sitting on stock suspension.
