Wheel size question
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 969
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From: NJ
Wheel size question
A lot of us are upgrading to larger wheels/low profile tire combos. I was told that a larger wheel will make your vette drive better but personally I like the old school 15inch wheel and that fat tire look.
What are the advantages if any of going with a lets say....17 or 18 inch wheel on your c3 over the stock except for an "updated" custom look.
What are the advantages if any of going with a lets say....17 or 18 inch wheel on your c3 over the stock except for an "updated" custom look.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,993
Likes: 9
From: Gig Harbor WA
A lot of us are upgrading to larger wheels/low profile tire combos. I was told that a larger wheel will make your vette drive better but personally I like the old school 15inch wheel and that fat tire look.
What are the advantages if any of going with a lets say....17 or 18 inch wheel on your c3 over the stock except for an "updated" custom look.
What are the advantages if any of going with a lets say....17 or 18 inch wheel on your c3 over the stock except for an "updated" custom look.
I love my 15's also, but am toying with going to 17's or maybe a 17/18 combo.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: West Kingston RI
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
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From: Southbound
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Racer
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 415
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From: Richmond Va
I have both. I run stock rallys w/ BF Goodrich 245/60/15 all the way around for the stock look. I just purchased some Rev Classic 100s. 18 x 8 for the front and 18 x 9 for the rear. The rims have a polished lip and gray 5 spoke centers. Very much like TT2s. That way I can swap back and forth. Gotta love the white letter tires on an old muscle car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,071
Likes: 147
From: S Nevada
Yes tire options are the main advantage to a larger wheel. As for tire size and filling of the wheel well, I happen to have C5 Z06 wheels on my 92 with 295/35/18 rear and 275/40/17 on the front. I was putting the steel 15" wheels back onto my 72 vette chassis just to move it around, these are fitted with old bfg t/a's. They are equivalent to 255/60/15 rear and 245/70/15 front. I rolled them up along side the modern wheels for comparison and was astonished to see how much larger these old school wheel/tire combo's are. I'm guessing you would need to run 18's with a 45 aspect ratio tire to achieve the same overall tire diameter. Personally speaking, those old LM 60/15"s are too large of a tire for my tastes but I like the 245/70/15 tire combo. It all boils down to personal preference and what look you are after. The 72 will be my cruiser, the 92 is a real corner carver. And no I will not be driving the car anywhere on those old tires, they are just being used to roll it during the restoration.
Last edited by Sunstroked; Mar 23, 2012 at 10:30 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
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From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
In addition to a better/modern tire selection (especially important for performance oriented enthusiasts), with 18's one can also install big brakes and push the BS to as much as 5.5" out back, allowing fitment of significantly wider than stock wheels/tires inside the fenders.
Whatever sizes you may be considering, highly suggest you shoot for 26-27" diameter tires and try to keep tread width to no more than ~1" wider than the bead width of the wheels, if that much.
Whatever sizes you may be considering, highly suggest you shoot for 26-27" diameter tires and try to keep tread width to no more than ~1" wider than the bead width of the wheels, if that much.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 14,930
Likes: 3,334
From: NYC NY
For what it's worth a 255/50-17 is 27" tall which is the same as the stock tire height.
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Drifting
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From: Nixa Missouri
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From: About 1100 miles from where I call home.
A lot of us are upgrading to larger wheels/low profile tire combos. I was told that a larger wheel will make your vette drive better but personally I like the old school 15inch wheel and that fat tire look.
What are the advantages if any of going with a lets say....17 or 18 inch wheel on your c3 over the stock except for an "updated" custom look.
What are the advantages if any of going with a lets say....17 or 18 inch wheel on your c3 over the stock except for an "updated" custom look.
Aren't there plenty of Preludes out there to put 18 inch wheels, wings and fart cans on?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Scottsdale AZ
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
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From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
Seemed to me the OP asked an honest question which deserved a straightforward answer.
So, what's up with the not so subtle insinuations that those of us who aren't satisfied with leaving everything exactly as designed back in the day are somehow not enjoying the hobby properly?
Seriously, is diversity among the membership so intolerable?
So, what's up with the not so subtle insinuations that those of us who aren't satisfied with leaving everything exactly as designed back in the day are somehow not enjoying the hobby properly?
Seriously, is diversity among the membership so intolerable?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 14,930
Likes: 3,334
From: NYC NY
1st let me start off by saying there are A LOT of members on this forum that have helped me tremendously. I have all the respect in the world for them. Now.....
"Big wheels" on "classic" Corvettes has to be one of if not the most polarizing threads on the C2 or C3 forum. I really don't see what the big deal is. A jack, lug wrench, and 20 lug nuts later and they are off. It has to be one of if not the easiest modifications to undo. No? There are lots of guys on here running 17" and larger "vintage style" wheels on their car (myself included). When's the last time ANYBODY on here saw a "ricer" with American Racing TTIIs? OK back to our regular scheduled programming.
"Big wheels" on "classic" Corvettes has to be one of if not the most polarizing threads on the C2 or C3 forum. I really don't see what the big deal is. A jack, lug wrench, and 20 lug nuts later and they are off. It has to be one of if not the easiest modifications to undo. No? There are lots of guys on here running 17" and larger "vintage style" wheels on their car (myself included). When's the last time ANYBODY on here saw a "ricer" with American Racing TTIIs? OK back to our regular scheduled programming.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,071
Likes: 147
From: S Nevada
You have purists and customizers. I've seen some c3's that look right with a 17" wheel, and I've seen 20's mounted on a c3 that made me want to puke. But those are my opinions and what I like someone else hates. There is still something about the 15" wheel with a 60 or 70 tire aspect ratio that just looks right, to me.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 3,637
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From: Norwalk Ct
I don't personally see how putting 17" wheels on an old car makes it "ricer", you'd basically be saying that the whole "pro-touring" type car scene is ricer, so therefore idiotic. I find that its normally a response used by people that have no stand point other then they dont like the look of them..so its down to taste.
In the real world, 17" + tires offer better performance due to the stiffer sidewall, less unsprung weight (depedant on what type of wheel used) , much better choice of tires (widths, brands, compounds) and with a 17" and 18" combo you can go upto 10" wide on the rear.
These bigger wheels also open up the oppotunity to run larger brakes.
Also remember that a lot of manufacturers are now dropping the 15" tire and there is certainly little or no development in that size anymore outside of someone specialized like Coker (and they normaly buy up big brand moulds as they are discontinued)
The other thing to consider is that few (if any) of the aftermarket wheel companies are bringing out new wheel designs in 15" sizes.
In the real world, 17" + tires offer better performance due to the stiffer sidewall, less unsprung weight (depedant on what type of wheel used) , much better choice of tires (widths, brands, compounds) and with a 17" and 18" combo you can go upto 10" wide on the rear.
These bigger wheels also open up the oppotunity to run larger brakes.
Also remember that a lot of manufacturers are now dropping the 15" tire and there is certainly little or no development in that size anymore outside of someone specialized like Coker (and they normaly buy up big brand moulds as they are discontinued)
The other thing to consider is that few (if any) of the aftermarket wheel companies are bringing out new wheel designs in 15" sizes.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 111
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From: Huntsville AL
I think anything past an 18 tho is out of my taste range.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Southern Indiana
It wouldn't be so bad to go to a 17 or 18 if it filled the wheelwells but they don't unless you want to lower your car otherwise it looks like a 4X4 roller skate.
You should be able to go to a tire store and order 225/70s or 255/60s.
I did with no problem what so ever.
I even got a different brand than BFGs because of over use of them.
if big rims can't fit like my 225/70s do and without lowering or adaptors/spacers its not worth it.
You should be able to go to a tire store and order 225/70s or 255/60s.
I did with no problem what so ever.
I even got a different brand than BFGs because of over use of them.
if big rims can't fit like my 225/70s do and without lowering or adaptors/spacers its not worth it.