sothpaw2

It's an odd situation, but for my next auto-x, I was wondering if I could use the stock Z rear rims with 295-35-18's on the front? Will they rub?

Thanks

wamara

My understanding is you will rub at full (or close to full) lock.

jtkeller

yes you can. I do at the track. Some will rub, others won't. I know of several people that run the rears on the front all of the time.

sothpaw2

Thanks guys. I am surprised that some rub and others won't--it's the same rim & tire on the same car--I guess it is that close at full travel.

Is there any major consequence if you rub? It won't hurt the steering? I would think just a little more wear and a mess to clean.

500hp

Different C5 car owners can experience different degrees of rubbing or tire clearance, adequate or not, for this larger front tire/wheel combination because a few variables exist:

The various tire manufacturers' actual tire dimensions will vary slightly, for the same tire size/spec (usually a "give or take" of up to 1/4 inch for heights or widths). To a lesser degree, the amount of air pressure these different tire brands are run at.

Obviously, your front end alignment settings will also affect tire clearances within the wheelwell. This is probably the best explanation for some owners having noticeable rubbing, and others don't. Not to mention... any of these examples coupled with the common practice of lowering the front stance for looks and handling improvements. This makes for an almost endless amount of possible FRONT TIRE TO WHEELWELL relationships.

Road surface extremes will play a small part in the amount of steering input, suspension travel, G-forces, and body roll that will affect the physical relationship between the front tires and the wheelwells (usually only momentarily, of course, since you are always moving and steering when driving/racing). Our driving styles, abilities, how one negotiates a turn, or how aggressively we attack a race course (speed AND steering) will also dictate some of these relationships.

Finally, regardless of the well built characteristics of the C5 platform, there will be inconsistancies in the final product upon assembly completion. These cars are not all identically built, and possess enough manufacturing tolerance extremes to, occasionally, explain why one car is "slightly different" than another.

rudyarias

Yes, you can. I have the 18x10.5 with the 295/35 on all corners and do not rub on either of my Z06s. One has the DRM/Phoenix brake cooling ducts, the other doesn't. I know that they will rub if you go larger than the OEM 18 size.

froggy47

It's the different alignments & ride heights.