johninar

I'm looking for a set of wheels for the Z.

What's the thought about these for occasional track day use?

http://www.houseofwheelsonline.com/corvette1.html

Z06 Black Motorsport wheels
model C114

Any issues with these? Comments welcome


Thanks,

John

turbo50mike

I've used my House of Wheels wheels on the track a few times when I first got started. Probably good enough for novice with some street tires, but once you get going with more speed and have slicks on, a more robust wheel would probably be a good idea.

GettReal

I'm not concerned about the extra couple pounds, but are the reproductions ok for the track? I'm about to pull the trigger on a set from House of Wheels (the C126) but want the track guys opinions on these. Will they be ok?

Gray Ghost GS

You will get mixed opinions on Chinese Repros vs. OEM wheels for track events. I also prefer OEM over reproductions - or go for quality aftermarket wheels, e.g., CCW, iForged, etc. However, you will find a lot of forum members using House of Wheels and TomZWheels with no issues. American made Repros are better quality.

More speed + race slick tires = more lateral forces applied to the wheels in the turns and esses, which can cause stress over time on less "beefy" or quality wheels. If you're looking for a good deal on OEM wheels, take a look at the Grand Sport wheels with 17x11 w/ 315 Kumho V710s at all four corners. Mike

Lancer033

with all above. Just fine for your typical track day crowd especially if we're talking rookies on street tires, but I wouldn't want to use them in a seriously competitive environment (weight) or for an experienced racer on slick tires (strength).

johninar

I guess I'm somewhere in between a novice and the rest of you guys.
I've got three years under my belt doing HPDEs, and feel my times on street tires (Kumho MX) were very respectible. I'm moving up to Hoosiers this year and would expect to push the car harder. It sounds like I should go with OEM's.

As always, thanks for the responses.

John

95jersey

why not use the new shiny aftermarket for the street and use your OEM's for the track?

GettReal

John, I hope you dont mind me sharing the info on this thread. I am putting the Nitto R2's on mine and I hope to push my card hard as well. Has anybody actually seen cracked or broken wheels from House of Wheels or other repros under track conditions. I finally found the exact size and look of a wheel but now I'm a little nervous.

johninar

That is certainly a possibility that I've considered. If I did that, I believe that I would like black wheels for my Millenium Yellow Z.


After raiding the kitty jar for this car and all the extras, I'm trying not to rock the boat too much with new wheels.

It would be nice to see the quality of these wheels in person.

johninar

Not at all, jump right in.

AU N EGL

Black wheels on Yellow looks

95jersey

I have run aftermarket wheels on the street/track for 6+ years now. First with my C5Z, and now on my C6Z for the street and use OEM for the track. The aftermarkets are suprisingly very good looking and they seem to actually be built pretty good. You have so many more choices as well. Stuff out of China is actually getting better. So, at least for the street, they are more than adequate, but they are DEFINATLY heavier and I can feel the difference compared to OEM. But for $500 for a set of 4, I am not complaining.

I went with black chrome for the street. They look AWESOME on yellow. Dark, yet subtle...I thought the pure black was too night rider 1980 personally.

Hazman

Check with Bob's House of Wheels. He currently has OEM rear C5Z06 rims for a great price. These make good track rims that allow you to run the same tire on all four corners.

johninar

Is that a big difference for a guy like me? Drawbacks?

Gray Ghost GS

That's a very popular and cost effective tire/wheel combo for the track. Allows you to rotate your tires to improve tire wear throughout the year - many tire options.

SouthernSon

true story - A couple of years ago I had the misfortune of an off track experience at the Nashville Speedway with a set of the wheels in question. I caught a lip on the leading edge of the rumble strip while car was 90 degrees sideways. Car was knocked 270 degrees back the other way and jammed the left rear wheel bearing. I had to replace the bearing but the wheel is perfectly straight with no issues. Yeah, they are heavy but they are TOUGH!

johninar

Thanks for all the great replies and especially all the PMs I received.
This forum is a great source of knowledge and experience.
I just kick myself for not starting this 30 years ago.

My decision is really based upon my wife's comments that "It sure would look good on the street with black wheels"
I've always liked the looks of AU N EGL's car/wheel setup.

So, with that in mind, I think for this year anyway, I'll use the OEM wheels for the track, and buy some black rims for the street. It will be easy enough to buy a couple of extra OEMs down the road and run the same size tire on all four corners.

rikhek

John,

Saw your wheel thread on wheels & tires. My unsolicited advice, FWIW:

1. Go with 4 - 18" Z06 wheels on all four corners. Using your current wheels you should be fine until you buy 2 more rears.

2. BIG mistake going with Hoosiers IF price AND wear are a consideration. They DO NOT last and are VERY expensive. They won't even have 20% the life of a DOT R compound. Also, for a stock car they don't give that much advantage. T1 guys actually racing benefit from Hoosiers or the Kumho V710, not us HPDE guys.

AND to get even the 20% wear compared to R compounds you need AT THE VERY LEAST 2.5 degrees of camber. Two and a half degrees isn't even near enough!!! Keep in mind, you CAN NOT get even 2.5 degrees from a stock suspension. From the Tire Rack advice section on Hoosiers:

Chassis Setup Recommendations

For optimum performance the tires will require around 3 degrees of negative camber. There will be a trade-off in maximum performance to maximize wear. Generally 1/2 degree less than optimum will result in the best compromise for wear and speed. Less than 2.5 degrees can result in excessive wear on the shoulder junction.

The tires should offer better performance with spring/shock rates that are higher than previous brands you may have run.

AND, to get even this minimum wear from Hoosiers at the needed suspension settings you WILL NOT be able to run that alignment on the street. You'll need to get it aligned before the track for the Hoosiers and once done realigned for your street tires. If not, you'll shred your streets like a hot knife through butter.

You should really consider the Toyo RA1 or Nitto NT01 R compounds. ONLY way to go for the driving you and I do.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it..........

I've worked on tire and alignment settings for close to 3 years and finally have it nailed down. If wanted I can send you the optimum Hallett alignment settings for R compounds that also work with street tires.

Not sure if you remember but I have a Z06 suspension on mine (i.e., shocks, springs and sways)

Rick Heck


P.S. Missed you a couple weeks ago. Thought I'd see that new yellow car out there....

WS-6SLEEPER

Hey Rick,

How about sending me the alignment specs you talked about for the R tires, also what R sizes you recommend for the 4 18' z wheels?

Thanks,

Ken (ws-6sleeper)

rustyguns

that's what i do