chevy-dave

what is the largest tire size I could fit on a 15/8.5 rim to go on a stock 75?

75 Hot One

255/60R15 but it may require minor grinding some plastic for front tire clearance.

vetteguy75

I had 255 15r 60 on my '75 and they rubbed when I turned the wheel "lock to lock". Decided to go to 235 15r60 and it solved that problem real quick.

chevy-dave

thanks guys ,will proberly go with the 255/60 on the back and 235/60 for the front, or will the side wall difference look odd?

Stewart's74

I've got 255/60/15's on all 4 with no rubbing

Empatho

I got 275/60/15's on the back and 255/60/15's on the front with no rubbing on a 78

Eddie 70

I have the 255/60/15 BF Goodrich on mine. When I had the stock ralley rims, they did not rub. When I changed over to the TTII's, I picked up a rub in the front on tight turns. I just avoid tight turns now. Be careful when you put the bigger tires on the rear and check to make sure the tires will not come into contact with the parking brake mount.

UKPaul

Hi Dave,
Sounds like it's getting there? I've got 255/60 15 (BFGs) & they fit fine, but I've read somewhere that this size could need some mods to earlier C3's due to rubbing. What I do know is that the wider tyres affect handling in a bad way as they tend to follow tramlines in the road surface. It's not serious enough to make you want to jump out the car, it's just a bit of a pita on rough roads. The 225/50(???) that I used to have didn't do this (or, if they did it was so minor that I didn't notice).
The mix of sizes you suggested sounds good as I recently saw a pic somewhere of a C3 with that mix of tyre sizes. I reckon it looked good, but don't know how it handled.

chevy-dave

Hi Paul, yeah it is getting there.....slowly, still in paint shop should be out in two weeks, hopefully!
ordered a load of stuff from gulfcoast corvette for the interia so will be ready to put it back together as soon as it is home.
Wheels have been blasted,rims polished and centers painted just got to clear coat them then fit some tyres, the only ones I can find in that size are for 4x4s I'll have to give northants tyres a ring to see what they can do.
How is the garage coming on? Had some good weather for it.
I'll try and post some pictures of the wheels.........no I wont can't remember how to do it I'll send you an e-mail..!

UKPaul

Hi Dave,
I had an interesting chat with Corvette Kingdom at the Nats about tyres. A forum member here has fitted Pirelli Scorpion Zeros & is bowled over by the massive improvement in both handling & ride quality. The side walls are much stronger than his old BFG's, so they don't roll on the rims as much, & the tyre itself is softer so improves the ride quality (it's great talking to a Brit - I can spell "tyre" correctly ). CK are running Pirelli somethings (I didn't really look) & say the same about the ride & handling improvements over the original tyres (Cooper???). The tyres they have don't look bad as the tread pattern is "normal". They haven't got raised white lettering or any rinky-dinky pretty bits, but they look pretty good in a butch sort of way & seem to really fill up the wheel arch. Here's the interesting bit - they run thin tyres. I think she said that hers was fitted with 215's? The biggest she said they'd fit to a C3 are 225's as anything wider detracts badly from the handling on our roads. Judging by the difference in my 255's and those 225's I was running (that were on your wheels) I'd be inclined to agree & those guys have had 40 years experience of running Vettes on our twisty roads, so I'd believe what they say. The only complaint that the forum member has about his Scorpion Zeros is that the tread pattern looks very chunky & 4x4 style. He didn't like that at all, but the ride quality is such an improvement that he'll happily live with them.
It might be worth calling CK for a chat as she said they get the Pirellis at a good price as they bulk order them. There may even be a pic on their website, look out for a silver '74 vert with 80 - 82 front & rear bumper covers (& Steeroids... & Smart Struts... & OD trans - I really like that car, GM should've made 'em like that).
Garage is getting there (slowly) & the footings, foundations, sewer & drainage pipes are all done (& my bricklaying is as bad as it ever was!). Currently dumping several cubic yards of old concrete in & smashing it up with a sledge hammer. Not the sort of job for this heat & humidity & the neighbours are getting really pi$$ed off with the noise & bits of concrete shrapnel whisling past them Once that's done then the slab will go down & shortly after I'll finally get the Vette home in its own garage
Hope your paintwork comes out well, I always have a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I'm getting stuff painted (usually for a good reason ).

Graemeinvette

Hi Paul,
Funnily enough I was just talking to Scott at Corvette Kingdom about tyres for my beastie and he was suggesting the Pirelli's and suggested I speak to Tony (The Nobbler) about his. Sounds encouraging though if someone else reckons them. I have a wee while to make up my mind since the car is just going off to the painters this week, but judging by the comments you were given they sound pretty good. Cheers.

G

UKPaul

Hi Graeme,
I was planning on fitting some modern rubber on mine when (if) I wear out the BFG's. Never considered going as thin as 215's but may now, even if they do look a bit puny from the rear. Rather that than this:
http://www.corvetteclub.org.uk/album_pic.php?pic_id=695
the poor bugger
Is everybody except me getting their cars painted at the moment?! What colour are you going for (bet it's not Tartan!)?

Graemeinvette

Hi Paul,
Yes I saw that guys tale on the CCCUK forum, pretty bad.

After much thought I am going with the original colour, Marlboro Maroon which I reckon should show the chrome off quite well. Its currently an unemaginative F**d Maroon.

We are actually talking (Scott and I ) about me going to collect it in September, which will make it 18 months without the vette!!! I'm really getting excited!

UKPaul

What freaked me about that guy's tale was that he considered the salvage guys "friendly chaps", even after they'd dropped the car twice (I'd be dropping their heads on my fist if they'd dropped my Vette on its roof & later dropped it onto its wheels with such force that it messed up the suspension. "Very friendly chaps"? What's this man been taking?!), the person that caused the accident was also a nice guy & his passenger may now sue him, yet he still calls him a friend. Who is this guy, some sort of Saint?!! I'd be going ballistic after what happened to him Some people are just too mellow for their own good! The grand finale was telling the cops that he was speeding!!!!! And then he does the same thing again in print on the CCCUK website - a Lawyers dream come true! OMG
I asked Scott about yours & he was confident that it would meet the deadline (but he didn't say which deadline! ). What I was going to ask was if I could go up his place and swap out your nice, new, shiny crate engine for my old L81 lump, but he was looking a bit busy at the time. Maybe I'll call him next week....
Hope it's finished early, or that we get an "Indian Summer", & that any teething problems are minor ones. Make sure to get lots of pics & post them up when you get it back. And take care around any retired Funeral Directors looking to drum up some trade

mike229

When I had ralley's I had 275/60/15 on back and 255/60/15 on front with no rubbing.

When I went to my Ansen 15x8.5 wheels, the 255/60/15 on front did not rub - it GRINDED!!! Smoke and all!!!

So I put 235/60/15 on front and no rubbing!
I moved the 255/60/15 to the rear - no problem

Keep in mind mine have 3.5"BS - if you have 4" BS, you may be ok.

See some pics of this combo...

Graemeinvette

Saint wasnt the word I thought of wiith that guy D****head yes but saint no!

Scott has asked me to stay around for a few days when I collect it and put the first 500 miles on it so that he can give it its first oil change. We are looking at week commencing 18 Sept so if you are around we could perhaps meet for an ale or two?

G
(Sorry about the thread hijack guys!)

Rockn-Roll

My 75 has the aluminum rims, and BFGoodrich T/A radials 255/60-15's on front and back. I did have to grind the parking brake bracket just a little, and even then it digs a trench in the sidewall of the rear tires...but not enough to loose a tire (yet). I might be able to grind another 1/16" off without risking a bracket failure.

I tried 275/60-15's on the rear and they wouldn't even turn due to squeezing against the trailing arms...and they stuck out a bit over the fender, so during high speed cornering like at auto-cross it would probably damage the fenders. On the other hand, I have not had any trouble with the 255/60-15's on the front except for a slight rub on my side pipe covers, which I corrected with a little loosening of bolts...re-adjusting, and a little grinding.

If you are looking for tires take a look at my spread sheet: http://ecs.csus.edu/~woodst/TireRack...kTires2003.xls. A couple of years out of date, but still valid for the most part.

chevy-dave

Hey! Paul,Graeme if it is'nt a private party count me in with a bit of luck mine should be on the road by then .
rockn-roll, I cant open your spread sheet any chance of e-mailing it to me.
Mike, thats the look I want, I bought some after market wheels of UKPAUL and have'nt measured the back spacing yet, but am looking for the biggest I can get on the rear, like Paul said if we go too big on the front the $hitty roads over here make for an interesting ride when they start to grab your wheels in the tram lines.
I had a 7 series bmw that I put some really big tyres on and it wasn't pleasant at all, had to take them off in the end because the wife refused to drive it
Paul, tell me about pi$$ing the neighbours off mine have got a dog that barks at you every time you walk out of the front door, so when they went on holiday I threw it under a bus.....no just kidding what I did was put up a six foot fence on the boundry out the front so the demented thing can't see me now, they have been back seven weeks now and are still not talking to me.......they have put the house up for sale now, I will really miss them
Dont think I could put up with 215 tyres these cars are screaming for fat rubber, don't think it would look right with them on, I will compromise some handling for looks beings it is not going to be a daily driver.
How do you guys check these big tires to see if they are going to hit or not, very expensive if you go "trial and error" before getting it right, don't think the tire guys over here would put up with putting tires on trying them then take them off again to try another one.

Graemeinvette

Hey Dave no probs the more the merrier, Tony (The Nobbler) is going to pitch up with his 71 B/B, so it could end up being a little informal vette fest!

But back to the tyres, I emailed Scott yesterday and he is asking waht size tyres I want and suggesting 215x70's. Now I take his point about the "tram Line" effect on White marker lines etc but you also have to consider other handling aspects and to me running a high HP heavy car on 'skinnies' is just asking for trouble unless you intend to tiptoe round every corner, which I dont. I was running 225x60's but they looked a little low in the arches so I think that 255's would just about do it and bring the rolling radius back to stock. Once I have the car back home I intend to order some Vinteque Billet Rallye Alloys from the Nostalgia wheel Co. in 18x8 for the front and 18x9.5 for the rear so I am not so fussed about what goes on the 15" Rallyes.

UKPaul

Graeme & Dave,
A meet in Sept sounds good
I'm not surprised that Scott has recommended the 215's after talking to Di. All my knowledge of tyres applies to bikes, so cars are a bit of a mystery (they wear out, you buy a new ones!). If a thinner tyre is fitted then the contact patch will be smaller, but won't that give extra grip due to the higher contact pressure????
The 225's I had on mine (that Dave's now got) seemed to handle well, even though they're nothing special. The 255/60's look far better (esp from the back), fill the wheel arch, grip seems good (not spun it yet!), but it's just the tramlining effect that I don't like. It's not as bad as all that, but it wasn't there before, so if you've fitted Steeroids to improve the steering then maybe it would be a backwards step? The 215's that Scott is suggesting look good from the side in a big, beefy, butch sort of way, & definitely fill up the wheel arch nicely. Don't look good from the rear though. Maybe you could get Scott to send a couple of pics of Di's car (worth looking at anyway!). The rear view reminded me of a mate's Charger: a powerful looking car sitting on roller skates.
Another option is the route Gator81 has taken. He's fitted 255/60 Pirelli Scorpion Zeros. The tread pattern isn't pretty, but the improvement in handling over his old BFG's (same size) is awesome. He can take his favorite "test" bend at speeds well over the speed that the old BFG's started letting go. This could be because the BFG's were old (as he said), but the Pirellis have an extra couple of plies (plys?) in the side walls, so are much more rigid. As a bonus, they give a much softer ride, which has got to be worth considering. I was considering the Scorpion Zeros in 255/60 after reading his impressions, but after talking to CK I might go for a thinner tyre. It's confusing! Looking at how the BFGs are wearing I probably won't have to make a decision for about 10 years
The rolling radius of my 255/60 BFGs is very slightly greater than the 225's that were on it when I got it & the only reason I changed them was that I got such a good quote for the BFGs (North Hants Tyres are 5 miles away), they look good & I guess I'm just a tart when it comes to my Vette (the daily driver is a different story - the guy at North Hants thought I was a builder when he saw it. I'm a software engineer! ).
I really like the look of wide tyres at the rear & thinner ones on the front (ala Funny Car) but get conflicting views on the effects that has on handling. Unfortunately I haven't got the spare cash to try it out & see for myself. Pehaps we could write to Top Gear & ask their opinion on the best tyres for a Vette?
Have you got a rear sway bar fitted? Mine, as stock, doesn't have one but has a 1 1/8" one up front. Again, talking to Gator81, adding a 3/4" rear sway bar will let me take corners a lot faster & flatter but, as he says, if you overcook it then it's BAM! & you're *** first into a ditch (or worse) with very little warning. Without a rear sway bar I can feel the rear rolling & there's plenty of warning when the tyres are starting to lose the battle. As the rear is a lot easier to control than the front, & there's plenty of warning (which I need with my reactions!), I consider the loss of some potential cornering speed a fair swap for the chance to get out of a potentially nasty situation (like that C3 above upside down in the hedgerow ).
Here's a revelation: the roads in California are just as grim as ours in places. Holes, patches that look like they've just dumped spare tarmac on the road, areas of missing tarmac, humps, bumps, dips, it was just like home (even down to being clogged up with BMWs & Volvos)!
Dave,
Those wheels look great
The only way I know to check if tyres will fit is to try them & see. What I knew was that the stock wheels on the late C3's would take 255/60s as the body was modified for them (so I read), some of the earlier ones could be bought with 255/60 from new, but the factory had to do some mods at the front to stop them rubbing. Not sure of years, or dates, but somebody here would know. What I'd do is look to see what people are running on your year & if they're OK.
Neighbours & dogs? I had one who had a large dog (don't know its make, it was very big & had a deep, loud bark). This guy was constantly complaining & scowling whenever I started the Vette (or bike) to go anywhere. I never let them sit idling, or use excessive revs (with the "silencing" on both of them I don't need any undue interest from Officialdom due to grumpy neighbours). This one guy was always moaning & groaning & whining & moaning & groaning, yet his damn dog would bark all night long, every bleeding night. He moved a couple of years ago, but he's had his revenge. Every evening I'm working on building my garage & for 2 weeks there's been a really strong smell of dog poop. So strong you could almost chew on it I've checked my shoes, the area around the footings, the bushes nearby, nothing. It's really pungent, especially in this heat. I even looked at the cat suspiciously. All was revealed 3 nights back: the guy that's bought the house came over to apologise about the smell (I didn't complain!). His rainwater drains were blocked so he's been rodding them out. The entire drain, running past 5 houses & up to the inspection cover under my front lawn, was clogged solid with years of dog poop. The old moaner had disposed of his dogs exhaust by shoving it down the drain each day! Part of my garage building has involved moving my rainwater drainage pipe over to one side. It goes up the side of the house to the inspection cover out front & I've got a length missing while I lay bricks around it to protect it. So I've been laying bricks with my nose near an open rainwater drainage pipe that leads up to several years of compacted dog poop, wondering wtf the stink is coming from! If you've got a miserable neighbour then a burnout at 2am is worth doing as you never know what they've got in store for you at a later date! Strike first, attack is the best form of defence