B505

Hey all,

I'm pretty new to the vette community and I had a couple quick questions. I'm an intermediate driver when it comes to auto-x and road racing and I've always believed in more seat time vs more aftermarket parts in ANY car. I come from having owned a 300zx TT and a Lancer EVO IX MR, so my Z06 vette is by far better than both worlds and I want to get some track time in it. I've been reading on the forums and it appears that there are a few alternatives to running some good wheel/tire setups. What can you all recommend?

The Question!~
Whats the cheapest/most cost effective way to go about this? I'm considering buying a set of OEM Z06 wheels with some hoosier R6s on them.
Should I be running 18s all around instead?
Whats the cheapest/most effective way to go about getting the right 18s.

I'm not turning this into a race car, but will be doing 2-3 HPDE events a year with an occasional Auto-x. So as far as plans go, it will stay all stock except for wheels/tires/pads. MOD THE DRIVER NOT THE CAR!! =)

gmccreary

I've run my 09 C6Z at Road Atlanta and Roebling Road with stock pads and tires and it's still incredible although the tires/pads will not last long. Most recommend going 18" all around and I recall 18"x11" for the front and 18"x13" for the rear is what most guys are using. If you're only going to do a couple of events a year you may want to try Nitto NT05s. 285/35-18 and 335/35-19 on stock wheels.

JDIllon

If you are only going to run a couple of events a year? Then Stock wheels with Hoosier's are fine. The tires are a little more expensive but not enough to worry about. Many of us run CCW wheels 18" all around because of the width of the wheels and the tires are a little less expensive. Spend your mony on better brakes and brake pads. Just my .02 JD

B505

thanks for the comments guys. It looks like stockers it is...for some reason I thought the racers who ran 18s ran similar tire sizes all around, it looks like there's no easy way around having more meat on the rear wheels.

bobmoore2

I agree with both of the guys above.

You should be able to find a good set of used wheels in stock sizes for less than $1000, maybe much less. I think the tires that they mentioned for stock wheels would cost about $1300 to 1500 a set, depending on exactly what you get and who you buy it from. You should be able to run 5 to 9 track days before wearing them out. (I don't have a lot of experience with brand new tires.) If you decide to use the race tires as your street tires too, then you don't need a second set of wheels, but you'll be buying tires much more often. Race tires can be very dangerous in the rain too, so I wouldn't recommend using them as street tires.

If you go with 18" CCW wheels you're out about $3000 for a set of wheels. Then your tire prices will be almost the same or maybe a little higher, because you can use wider tires. You might be able to find a set of scrub or scuff tires for $500 to 600, but you'll get fewer track days out of them also. When you're only doing a few track days a year, buying 18" wheels just doesn't add up for you.

B505

Sounds like I'll be good to go then with a set of stock wheels.
I'm going to upgrade the brake fluid. I hope no one has problems with lines or pads. ...if these need to be changed for track use however, feel free to chime in. You guys have been a lot of help, thanks!

95jersey

Been using stock wheels for 3 years now. They are designed to work best with the car's computer 18/19 are very light and strong. If you buy new tires the cost saving is nominal to nothing compared to 18's. Some people go with 18's so they can buy used scrubs, but honestly, I don't see many 345/18 used scrubs around to make it worth while. I would also not put anything less than a 345 on the rear as well. The car needs every bit of rear tire possible.

Save yourself money, use the strong OEM wheels as your track day wheels and buy a cheap set of aftermarket reproductions as your street wheels (best of both worlds). I doubt your going to pull 1.6G on the street and you can now buy dozens of different styles and choices for under $750. I got a sweet set of 2009 repo black spyders from a forum vendor for $700 and they are great...perfect paint, well made, and look much better than the polished OEM wheels that came with the car.

B505

Thanks for the kind input all! I've found a set of wheels and tires from a fellow forum member and awaiting delivery in the next couple weeks! Now...how to get these darn thing to the track...is there tnough room in the trunk and passenger seat for all four? =P

bobmoore2

Barely room for two tires inside the car.

You can drive to/from the track on the race tires. The only concern is, be super carefull if the road gets wet, because the tread pattern on race tires hydro-planes really bad!

froggy47

I drive to/from on the slicks, but it's not far for me. If you are talking about 150 or more miles each way I'd get a tire trailer or tail rack. The problem is the slicks will suffer road damage VERY EASILY. I have done it to a new 710 slick.