Widest tire on a C3
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,375
Likes: 1,593
From: Western NY
And BTW, you want the tires to stick out of the fenders.....you like making fiberglass repairs?
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,939
Likes: 477
From: NSW, Australia
C3 of Year Finalist (track prepared) 2019
The unanswerable question! If you're fitting bolt on flares then you can fit as much tyre as you like, dependent on flare size? What other modifications are you willing to do for clearance? My car has 295s under factory guards, some have gone as wide as 315s. People have fitted 335s and larger under flares, but at that point tyre availability (and price!) become difficult...
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
That's cheap compared to the ongoing cost of all the rear end parts. In years past I have WOT on my favorite say freeway on ramps where the tires were hooking up. Something has to give away and mid way through the turn you hear the familiar sound of of terrible crunching coming from the rear end. Usually your lucky and it's only a broken posi case. But practice makes perfect and I now have a spare complete differential ready to stuff in. Down time is just a few man hours in my garage
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 963
Likes: 57
From: Vancouver, BC
If you have flares, you can go pretty wide. Im putting 295 Falkens on all corners with 11" wide wheels. When I laid them beside a set of 335 Lexani tires, the 295 are just a hair narrower. And these still fit quite nicely with the rally flares.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
I dunno guys, I feel it is important to keep the same wheel/tire centerline as stock, so especially in the rear without cutting up a LOT of the sway bar and the arms, by moving the ebrake cable you can gain another 3/4 inch to the arm....so that dictates a 9.5 inch rim 3/4 in/out......
I hate the idea of a street driven car with grossly offset wheels, trick question is, how much is gross???
front is same thing on that suspension...much less the turning radius....
so I settled for '89 vette wheels/ 255/50 in front 275/50 in rear......
I hate the idea of a street driven car with grossly offset wheels, trick question is, how much is gross???
front is same thing on that suspension...much less the turning radius....
so I settled for '89 vette wheels/ 255/50 in front 275/50 in rear......
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,364
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From: los altos hills california
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Stay clear of CAST spacers, they shatter and crumble away, OR make sure they are MACHINED METAL, to fit tight over HUBS of rear AND wheel, longer studs necessary then.....
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,375
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From: Western NY
Racer
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 269
Likes: 52
From: Springfield, TN
It looks like you could fit a 315 tire on your 11" wheels and easily keep it under those rear flares, maybe even a 335 on a 12" wheel if you go with a little more backspacing.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 269
Likes: 52
From: Springfield, TN
For the OP, I run 275/40R18 on 18x9.5" wheels with 5.25" backspacing.
They fit fine on all four corners with offset trailing arms. I think they'd probably fit with a regular trailing arm, if you relocated the e-brake cable.
With a VBP dual-mount setup in back, the spring bolts and the sway bar were very close, but they never rubbed.
This past summer I switched the rear over to Ridetech coil-overs and I'm thinking of going to 295/35R18 rears on 18x10.5" wheels with 6.0" or 6.25" backspacing. Up front I'll probably just stick with a 275, but drop it to 35 series since I plan on doing a bit more autocross this year.
They fit fine on all four corners with offset trailing arms. I think they'd probably fit with a regular trailing arm, if you relocated the e-brake cable.
With a VBP dual-mount setup in back, the spring bolts and the sway bar were very close, but they never rubbed.
This past summer I switched the rear over to Ridetech coil-overs and I'm thinking of going to 295/35R18 rears on 18x10.5" wheels with 6.0" or 6.25" backspacing. Up front I'll probably just stick with a 275, but drop it to 35 series since I plan on doing a bit more autocross this year.