PainfullySlow

I love the "filled wheelwell" look of this car:



but I want the modern handling of a 17" or 18" wheel.

Looking for some input on what wheel/tire size combos will do the trick. The goal would make it fill as much of the wheel opening as possible without running into rubbing issues or requiring major mods to make it fit.

I poured through the wheel thread and nothing specifically addressed my question so...here we are =)

I was originally thinking 17x8 with 255/50R17 tires. Would that get me close?

Revi

Your car originally had tires that were approx. 27" in diameter. Any wheel/tire combo with a 27" diameter will fill the wheel well.

The "Tire Size Charts by Diameter" gives you all of the various sizes for a 27" diameter tire.
https://tiresize.com/chart/

Alan 71

Hi PS,
I believe you'll find that the current 'ride height' of the car has an impact on how well the tires appear to 'fill' the wheel openings too.

Often a car that has has it's springs replaced will sit 'high' for various reasons.
It's then not a matter of getting a taller tire but rather a matter of determining why the car is sitting higher than it was intended to, so it can be lowered so the tires fill the wheel openings.
Regards,
Alan

An example of 'empty' wheel wells caused by ride height that taller/bigger tires won't help.

car junkie

If you made sure the back space and tread width was the same I don't see a problem fitting 17 or 18" rims. I do doubt you will feel much difference in the handling department though, definitely a harder ride.

One of the draw backs to having taller rims is how small they make the stock rotors look.

PainfullySlow

So if I am not completely mad, the 17" 255/50R17 would give an overall diameter of 27.04" so it should slot right in.

Thank you Alan! I was guessing that I would need to do some ride height adjustment once I actually get this project to that stage. I know (or think that I do anyway) that you can adjust rear ride height with the spring bolt kits but the front I think all you can do is cut coils? and what happens when the suspension "settles" after a bit? Do we basically live with the front end being tall until this happens?

Thanks CJ! Yes I know it does affect the rotor appearance which is the main reason why I was leaning more towards 17" unless there was some compelling reason to go to the 18". The main reason for the swap is more modern tire compounds are available for the 17/18s which should improve handling.

resdoggie

Way more tire size selection and a few years down the road I doubt you'll have much selection in 17" such as the 15" and 16" tires are now.

Johnnycyclone

I agree with Alan, the ride height of the car will have as much impact or maybe more than the size of the wheel and tire combo. I have seen 18" that don't fill the wheel wells because the car sits to high. You can get close by using the provided chart on tire diameter, but you may have to lower the height of the car also. What are you currently running, and how does it look? Any pics?

69Vett

15" tires are becoming very limited, just went thru this on another vehicle,
about 4-5 wide tires for 15" thats it. my recommendation move to 17" tires.

Bikespace

I really liked the look of the wheels on PeterC3's car in his "build thread":

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...p-my-81-a.html

American Racing Ansen Sprint wheels. They have 5 holes instead of 8, but preserve much of the look of the aluminum C3 wheels. There are details in the thread on what he did to make them work. I'll likely pick up a set if I move to 17s for autocrossing. I really like the look of the 15s on the car, though.

PainfullySlow

Thanks again all. I am heavily leaning towards the TT-IIs in PVD. I really dig the classic muscle styling. Not very original, I know but it speaks to me. Plus I will be doing some mods to the hidden parts of the car so I am trying to keep the exterior as 'era appropriate' as possible.

The question now is: 255/50R17 or 255/40R18... decisions, decisions.

3JsVette

If you want to stay near the stock 27" tall tire a 255/45R18 is closer than the 40 series tire which is about 1" shorter.

rastafford3164

These are TT2 I put on over the summer. 17x8 4.03 b.s.. The rears are 255/50zr17. I chickened out on the front and went 245/45zr17 and am now sure the 255s would have been fine with little rubbing. This pic was taken right after the wheels went on and the suspension was still loaded. It sits lower now that is has had a chance to settle but I haven't taken any other photos since.

PainfullySlow

Good catch, and thank you!

That looks great. Out of curiosity why did you choose the 17" wheel?

rastafford3164

It was just a me thing. The more cars I looked at, the more I thought 18s were too big, although I won't rule out maybe going to 18s on the rear if I move the p brake bracket and go with a wider wheel later. There is also another member, jb78L-82 who has had his car a long time and has a lot of experience so after a lot of research, the things he has done are similar to what I am looking for so i went with the 17s. Hopefully it won't limit my tire options in the future.

stingraymaniac

17"s with 255/50 and 225/55
The 255 are just alittle over 27"

Alan 71

Hi PS,
Remember that as you begin to play with wheel size and 'tire aspect ratio' some strange things can happen and the appearance of the wheel/tire can have an effect on the over-all look of the car.

My 71's wheel/tire (15"..F70) is 27" tall and shows 5 1/2" of side wall.
My other car's wheel/tire (19".. 265-30) is 25-1/2" tall and shows 3-1/4" of side wall.
I like big wheels, and wide low profile tires as much as anyone, but am always aware of how they look on the car.

So be careful when you choose the wheel/tire combination so the car will end up with the appearance you want it to have.
There's a lot more to it than just 'filling' the wheel opening.
Regards,
Alan

car junkie

My sentiments exactly. You can think and think and think again about what will look best and the frustration will inevitably bring you back to stock rims for your Corvette, at least it did for me. Being tired of the same old and for the fact that I just plain like them, I went with a set of PO2's.

Not my car, just something I grabbed quick to make the point, and if I say so myself it nails it!

PainfullySlow

Noted, and thank you. I like the classic "large sidewall" look but I dislike they way they handle. I am trying to find a compromise that shows enough sidewall but limits the carcass flex to hopefully improve handling. Right now I am leaning towards 17s simply because I can run a taller profile but there should still be a solid selection of quality rubber in that size range...at least that is my hope!

mkdesign

I believe that good wheel well fill depends on the space around the wheels as well as offset. A perfect example is how the 20" IROCs look on my car within the wheelwell. The first picture from the side shows how the tires fit with my cars lowered stance.
The style and diameter are subject to personal taste but when you slide around and see it from the front 3/4 view you can see how awkward the offset is.
The final pic is taken in the garage simulating a 1" on the rear. A huge difference!

ddawson

18x8 here on 255-45/18