playsdixie

after an exhaustive search for new wheels for my 85..z51.....looks like i'm going to get the rims refinished.....presently there are 255/50/vr16...
is there a wider tire size that would fit without steering problems...thinking 275 would be ok, just wondering about anything wider...

c4cruiser

What's the width of the ARE wheels you have? If they are 9-1/2" wide a 275 will work but in a 16" size, the tire may be taller. That will throw off the speedometer and odometer readings.

AFS Wheel has a 17x9.5" ZR-1 style wheel that has the proper 38mm offset for the earlier C4's. A 275/40-17 tire on that size wheel will have very close to the same dimensions as a 255/50-16 tire on a 16x9.5" wheel.

I have seen some autocrossers use a 17x11 wheel and a 315/35-17 tire in front using the OEM ZR-1 wheel. But 315/35 street tires may be hard to find. But the tire is very close to the frame rails and wheelwells.

ekistler1971

I run 275/40 r17's on the front on 9.5" zr-1 style rims on my 86 and they seem to fit well size wise. I went out and looked at the wheels and I might feel comfortable going up 1 size in width but, that would make the tire taller. I would go to a 35 wall if I went 295 on the width. Of course, the tread would be wider than the rim at that point. I have the 11" rears with the 315/35 r17's mentioned above and they seem like they would be extreme overkill on the front.

Your mileage may vary...

ekistler1971

Here's a front side shot so you can get an idea of how they stick out.