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C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
Had Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero's snow tires on my 2005 Z51 last year. Drove all winter in snow and ice without any problems. The tires were not an exact size match, but I was able to come close enough without any noticable difference in odometer readings. Now for the hard question....What size snow tires would fit the stock Z06 rims? The Pirelli are 245/40-18 Front and 255/40-19 Rear, would they possibly fit the Z06 rims? Don't know much about tires sizes, it's all Greek to me. Any and all help greatly appreciated. Please no flames about driving the Z in the winter....Thanks Bob
Continental makes a TS810S snow tire in 295/30VR19 as well as Pirelli's 295/30/19 Winter 240 Scottozero they are for rims up to 11.5" wide.
Maybe you should get regular C6 rims that have more tire choices.
Had Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero's snow tires on my 2005 Z51 last year. Drove all winter in snow and ice without any problems. The tires were not an exact size match, but I was able to come close enough without any noticable difference in odometer readings. Now for the hard question....What size snow tires would fit the stock Z06 rims? The Pirelli are 245/40-18 Front and 255/40-19 Rear, would they possibly fit the Z06 rims? Don't know much about tires sizes, it's all Greek to me. Any and all help greatly appreciated. Please no flames about driving the Z in the winter....Thanks Bob
It's up to you, but I say to not drive a Z06 in the snow/slush/ice/whatever winter.
With the money for the mandatory new set of wheels and winter tires you can buy a beater AWD car. If you double that you can buy a decent winter car.
Last edited by TeddyFreddy; Sep 7, 2007 at 11:06 PM.
Tirerack.com people always ask WHAT car you are installing the tires on.....and if you mention "C5 or C6 Corvette" they will refuse to sell you snow tires of any size or manufacturer!
Hey what ever turns you on Your car do to it what you want
NO way in hell will I take any Vette, let alone a Z06 out in the winter.
Ground clearance issues, super wide tires that will plow rather than go through snow. Idiot drivers that could slam into you! Last but no least sand (very abrasive& salt (corrosive) yes this stuff can get into the motor area, brakes, rear end/ tranny.
Had Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero's snow tires on my 2005 Z51 last year. Drove all winter in snow and ice without any problems. The tires were not an exact size match, but I was able to come close enough without any noticable difference in odometer readings. Now for the hard question....What size snow tires would fit the stock Z06 rims? The Pirelli are 245/40-18 Front and 255/40-19 Rear, would they possibly fit the Z06 rims? Don't know much about tires sizes, it's all Greek to me. Any and all help greatly appreciated. Please no flames about driving the Z in the winter....Thanks Bob
I can tell you from personal experience that you NEED different rubber on the Z. Got caught out BY ACCIDENT on some icy roads in 06. The car was TERRIBLE in the slippery conditions if I had 0.06 coefficient of friction it was a LOT. Could not maintain speed on a 3-4 % up grade. So you need some winter rubber. As many have said here get a beater for the winter and take the Z on those nice dry days in the winter with no salt on the roads. Be sure to allow the emts to warm up before expecting normal traction. don't forget the engine will be producing much more torque on those cool days. Just my $00.02 and worth every penny you paid for the advise .....CBGPE
I drove my '04 GTO year round, and through Chicago winters! Talk about snow. The ONLY tires that would work were Blizzaks, and even those had their issues like the speed rating. Sure they worked wonderful under 40MPH especially for snow, but once the snow was gone and you tried taking them on the highway (because I have to use the highway to commute to work) they felt like the rear was riding on butter! There are some models that have higher speed ratings though.
I would take everyone elses advice here and NOT perpare to drive the car through any winter conditions, especially snow. Besides the fact that you would put the car through hell each time, and ruin it, you would also be jeapordizing your safety. A 25K GTO, is not the same as a 80K ZO6. Just look at the underside of the ZO6.... I couldn't imagine putting such a beautiful thing through such hell.
Tirerack.com people always ask WHAT car you are installing the tires on.....and if you mention "C5 or C6 Corvette" they will refuse to sell you snow tires of any size or manufacturer!
Tirerack sold me my set of LM-25 Blizzaks for my C6-Z51 but did call me first to make sure I knew the sizes were not exactly OEM. That was 5 years ago and I have been very happy with how much grip I have on cold, dry, wet, snowy roads.
Apparently standard C6 wheels will not fit a Z06 or GS without spacers, so it is probably best to get a second set of GS/Z06 wheels for the winter tires.
Tirerack.com people always ask WHAT car you are installing the tires on.....and if you mention "C5 or C6 Corvette" they will refuse to sell you snow tires of any size or manufacturer!
They gladly sold me a set of Blizzak LM-25 for my C6 Coupe which worked quite well the several Chicago winters I used them. They're unfortunately not available in GS/Z06 sizes so I am using the General Exclaim UHP which was their M+S rated all-season for "light" winter use, now unfortunately discontinued. Not as capable as the Blizzaks certainly, but way better than summer tires, which WOULD be suicidal in these cars in freezing temps. Not sure what's next when these wear out - hoping Blizzaks appear in our sizes by then.
Michelin Pilot Sport Cups in the winter, Hoosier R's in the summer
Thanks. Never heard the term Cups, does that mean non-runflat? TireRack has Pilot Super Sports, run flat and non run flat. You're recommending this tire in a non-runflat? That's the same tire I came to the conclusion I should be running instead of OEM a while back. Probably just use the same rims and Craigslist the OEM tires, if so. I don't need run flats.
They gladly sold me a set of Blizzak LM-25 for my C6 Coupe which worked quite well the several Chicago winters I used them. They're unfortunately not available in GS/Z06 sizes so I am using the General Exclaim UHP which was their M+S rated all-season for "light" winter use, now unfortunately discontinued. Not as capable as the Blizzaks certainly, but way better than summer tires, which WOULD be suicidal in these cars in freezing temps. Not sure what's next when these wear out - hoping Blizzaks appear in our sizes by then.
I saw Blizzak's referenced and TireRack doesn't seem to carry them anymore. Suppose I could shop them elsewhere.
EDIT: I get it, Bridgestones, and they just won't show me matching tires for my car.
Thanks. Never heard the term Cups, does that mean non-runflat? TireRack has Pilot Super Sports, run flat and non run flat. You're recommending this tire in a non-runflat? That's the same tire I came to the conclusion I should be running instead of OEM a while back. Probably just use the same rims and Craigslist the OEM tires, if so. I don't need run flats.
Cup tire have teacup shaped tread on them for greater bite on slippery surfaces
Kidding aside, I simply don't think you'll find decent snow tires in 325 sizes, nor would you want to! What you really need are pizza cutter tires. I'd go no wider than 245 when it comes to snow tires.
Hate to repeat what everyone has said already, don't drive the Z06 in the snow!!! Hell, up here we don't have snow and I'm still not driving it in winter. I have Cup tires and I'll tell ya, when the temp drops and it starts raining, it gets downright scary.