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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 11:15 AM
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I have a 95 vert. with stock (saw) wheels.I believe the size rims are 17 x 8.5 front and 17 x 9.5 rear.the tire size is 275 all around.Can I rotate the tires even if the rims are a different size ?
Thank You
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 11:53 AM
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Somebody put the wrong size tires on you rims!
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 12:02 PM
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What tire size came standard with the car?Are the rim size the correct dimensions that I previously mentioned ? This is the way I purchased the car from original owner .
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 12:04 PM
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Will these tire sizes affect the handling of vehicle and could this be dangerous?
thanks
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 12:10 PM
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You can rotate, but the correct size for the front tire (for an 8.5" rim) is 255-45.

If you rotate with the present set-up (put 8.5" rims on the rear), the handling may feel a little odd, and the offset will be wrong...but you can do it.

I wouldn't.

What I would do is verify the width of your front rims...then get back to us.

Larry
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Last edited by rocco16; Nov 14, 2006 at 12:13 PM.
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 12:28 PM
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And the rear tires on 9.5 rims from the factory are 285/40. The 275s fit fine on the 9.5 rims, but really should not be on an 8.5 rim. At the very least I would measure the rims to see what you have (I am guessing previous owner put 9.5 rims all the way around?). If they are really 8.5 and 9.5s I certainly would not rotate them.
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 02:34 PM
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Thanks guys-I guess I will have to measure the front rims.The wheels are factory.The original owner had no mods.
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 03:37 PM
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Originally Posted by enventr
Thanks guys-I guess I will have to measure the front rims.
The easy way would be to look at the depth of the "lip"; 9.5's have about 1/2" more lip than the 8.5's. Examined side-by-side, the difference is unmistakable.
Good luck!

Larry
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 07:22 PM
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Well, wait a minute. The Z51 option uses 275-40-17 tires at all four corners, right? Granted, the rims should be 9.5" all around as well. But that means the rears on a Z51 are 275-40 on 9.5" rims.

Matter of fact, Luke (fr. tirerack) has suggested to me that the tire width is negligible from 285-40 to 275-40, and will provide the opportunity to rotate, at least front to back, with my four, 9.5" wheels.

Am I wrong? Please correct me if so.
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 07:42 PM
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In many cases the difference in width of a 275 and 285 tires is not a lot, probably a half-inch or so. But there is a difference in the diameter and that can be a good 10-12 revs per mile. That may show up in the odomerter reading over a period of time but may not show up as as speedo error.

Also, some brands may have a much narrower tread width for a given size compared to others. The early Firestone SZ50 tires had close to a full inch less tread width compared to a BFG or Goodyear tire of the same size.

The Tire Rack has specification pagess for their tires by brand and type. One spec is the rim width range for a given size of tire. In most cases, the 285/40 tire shows a recommended rim size of 9.5 to 11" and the 275 tire shows a 9"-11" wheel width. IMHO, the high end of 11" is a bit too wide for either of these sizes.

The factory wheels should have the wheel width and diameter cast into the inside of the center.
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 10:39 PM
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C4ruiser,
If the stock rear tires were 285/40-17,(std equip)and I have 275/40-17 on the rear(also front)how would that affect the revs per mile.Just the width is different in the rear-same height.The fronts were supposed to be 255/45 from the factory.If that tire was on the rear I believe the revs per mile will change.Aren't all "40-17" the same height?
Thanks for your input
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Old Nov 14, 2006 | 11:35 PM
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Originally Posted by aminnich
The 275s fit fine on the 9.5 rims, but really should not be on an 8.5 rim.

Originally Posted by LT4CompYell
Well, wait a minute. The Z51 option uses 275-40-17 tires at all four corners, right? Granted, the rims should be 9.5" all around as well. But that means the rears on a Z51 are 275-40 on 9.5" rims.
That's correct.

All `95 verts came from the factory with 8.5" 255s on the front, and 9.5" 285s on the rear.
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Old Nov 15, 2006 | 07:32 AM
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Originally Posted by enventr
C4ruiser,
If the stock rear tires were 285/40-17,(std equip)and I have 275/40-17 on the rear(also front)how would that affect the revs per mile.Just the width is different in the rear-same height.The fronts were supposed to be 255/45 from the factory.If that tire was on the rear I believe the revs per mile will change.Aren't all "40-17" the same height?
Thanks for your input
No, all 40-17s' aren't the same.

The 40 indicates height of the tire in % of width, so a 275x40 is 275mm wide, the height is 40% of 275, or 110mm high. for a 285 tire, the height would be 114mm high.
Hence the difference in rotation speed/rpm differences.
(a mm is equal to .03937", so 4mm would be a diff. of .160")
(as for the width, it's .400" wider on a 285 compared to a 275)


Alot of times, you'll see 285-35 tires that are equivalent in height to a 275-40. these tire sets would be fairly close in height to each other.
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Old Nov 15, 2006 | 09:12 AM
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The "40" is the sidewall aspect ratio and that value multiplied by the width of the tire cross section (not necessiarly the tread width) determines the tire diameter.

But installing a tire on a rim width size that is outside of the recommended range will change the tire diameter because the sidewall may not be plumb with the wheel diameter.
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Old Nov 15, 2006 | 06:35 PM
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Thank You everyone for your input-I probably have the wrong size tire in the front but will check the width out.
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