Peter421sd

Hi guys,i am here opening this thread to address the issue of the major problem affecting C4 owners-TIRES AND WHEELS and how to solve the problem on a budget.

Every time you buy a C4 Corvette the first problem you face are dry rot tires,you simply have to replace it right away and we're talking $600. out of the pocket,nowhere to run.
This is a big no,no,in regards to the overall value of these cars and most people opt out of these model just because of that factor.

I want people to come up with suggestions towards circle this problem on a budget.
Most of the C4s come with the salad tosser wheels and the tires for these wheels are 255-50-16 which are not only impossible to find used but running around $150. each new.
It is a known fact that you can get 225-60-16 or 225-70-16 for half that amount but these sizes simply don't cut in height,making the car horrible to drive.

I am on my second C4 and i was thinking about studying options to have in my garage as a temporary set of wheels and tires just to keep on driving the car while i cannot come up with the funds to acquire a new set of tires for the original wheels.

One thing i thought about was to get a set of 15" wheels with adequate height tires to use as temporary.

I know that GM offered (at least in the catalog) for 1984, a set of 15" wheels that was supposed to be the "standard" wheels for the C4 but actually never put into production,these were to be 7" wide and supposed to come with 215-65-15 and covered clearance and height perfectly,ironic is the fact that 7" is a lot narrower than 1982 wheels 8" and 8.5",well GM gave up on the idea and C4s never came with anything but 16".

Peter421sd

Here are some pictures of the planned 15" wheel for 1984 and an option i believe will be the cheap equivalent in offset and easier to find in a junkyard.

Peter421sd

This is a 1985 15x7 wheel for the Pontiac Firebird that can be easily find in junkyards around the country or on Ebay.
Seems like the offset matches the prototype wheels.

aklim

When I am about to sell the car, any car, I don't really do more than minimum. So yes, even for my other cars, the bill comes to over $500 for quality tires and you bet I won't replace them if I don't have to. I have bought other cars with different tires. My last purchase came with 3 different tire brands that were good enough so I ran them out and replaced all 5. I had to use a spare once only to find out it was as original as could be and didn't work under pressure.

We are all on a budget. Some have a bigger budget than others. So if you mean "as cheap as possible", maybe the idea should be based off delayed gratification. Kinda like going to college. Mac and cheese diet, late night study, slot in some part time work for 4 years, get a good grade and get a job that puts you in a better financial position. Might not be champagne and caviar every day but better than mac an cheese.

Maybe the better thing to do is to remember that "budget" doesn't mean spending money twice. Maybe it should be spending smarter. Shut down the car if you have to. You saw the tires when you bought it, you know what needs to be done so bid accordingly. If you have crappy tires, I will pay less and use the savings towards getting new tires. IOW, if the car is worth $5000 with good tires, I will pay you no more than $4500 for crummy tires. Save the money you are going to spend on so-so tires to tide you over and put them towards the good stuff you will be confident driving. IMO, that is better than buying a so-so set of tires and wheels, save up, buy the good ones and now you have 2 sets of tires. Remember, the cheap stuff also ages and will be worth less every year.

belairbrian

I'm not understanding your train of thought.


Your Idea is to buy a set of rims and a set of tires until you can afford a set of the correct tires?


If the tires need replacing, it should be adjusted for in the offered price.


Since you didn't mention what year, and not all years use the same size tires, hard to understand the $600 a set price.


There are correct sized options for under $400 a set add $60 for install (at least for my 92).

Peter421sd

Thanks for the reply but you are not helping anyone with that speech.

Peter421sd

Please post some links for the under $400. options and nobody said anything about selling any car.

Thanks.

C409

..... You need to make sure that your 15" replacement wheels will clear the brake calipers BEFORE you buy them ... the wheels that you have pictured are kinda rare and therefore will cost a bit (if you can locate a full set decent enough for a 'vette) and might wind up costing more overall than just paying for the 255/50's ? ..... 15" Weld Pro Star's will clear the calipers on early cars (mine's an '87) and are available in C4 offsets ... also available used ! .....

haxxx

600 to replace tires? I think the cheapest I've ever done on throw away economy cars is like 450 installed and out the door. I've spent a grand on tires for my SUV. The C4 Corvette isn't painful to replace tires on at all. Honestly, if 600 is going to break your C4 buying budget, you shouldn't be buying one.

thurman_merman

I don't understand why you would buy a Corvette just to turn around and put on tires more suited for a minivan. Tires are one of the very few things you where should never cheap out imo. Do you want your Corvette to accelerate, corner, stop, grip in the rain, have a quiet ride, etc.? Your tires are the only thing that connects your car to the road.

pacoW

you can get C6 wheels & tires (18" front, 19" rear) used in decent condition pretty cheap. My '96 came with them. There's a listing right now close to me, $600. Never drove the car with stock wheels and tires so couldn't tell you how different they are vs stock. But it handles better than any other car I've ever drove so......

johno504

too many people on this forum want to purchase a $4k POS, then croak at low rent $600 tires....... can't stand the heat . purchase ( a fill in the blank POS ).... YOUGO comes to mind.

drcook

I never cheap out on tires, cheap tires will kill you or someone else. I had a little boy come out of the dark on his bicycle. No street lights, there was baseball field on the corner of a side street. He simply rode out in front of me.

The performance tires I had allowed me to use the whole road and not hit him. I almost put it into the ditch on the other side getting away from him. But the point is, I did. His parents were drinking around a bonfire (I went around the corner) and didn't even know how close he came to being killed.

Tires attach you to the road. If you are in a serious accident (your fault) and an astute member of law enforcement, or the other parties insurance/lawyer catches on that a person is using substandard, etc tires, the issue of negligence can come into play.

Getting off my soapbox.

Cruisinfanatic

Complaining about someone giving a speech? Really?

First. Every time you buy a C4 you don't always get bad tires

Second. You're in LaLa land if you think vette owners aren't often paying a minimum of $600 for the correct size tires. How much do you want to pay? Original Gatorbacks cost $800 when they were made. I didn't like it, but I paid it several times.

There are other options as far as tire size that some revert to. 245/50/16. Only 1/2 in or so less in diameter and several less expensive options in that size

auggy

TIRE RACK SUMITOMO HTR2 s

Cruisinfanatic

What about them?

Hot Rod Roy

It's not true that most C4's have the 255-50-16 tires. By this statement, you have told me that you have an '84-'87 Corvette. You've received several responses from owners of later model C4's that don't understand your problem, because they have 17" wheels on their cars, so those answers aren't helpful to you.

Your best long-term answer is to convert to 17" wheels, rather than considering the lower performance 15" wheels. Good tires are the best investment you can make for your Corvette!!

For the correct wheel fit, you need to find wheels with an approximate 32 mm offset. The '88 & up C4 uses wheels with a 56 mm offset, so those are not a good alternative. It's also not recommended to use a spacer with these wheels in an attempt to make them fit.

Good wheels aren't cheap, but if you enjoy your Corvette, you'll appreciate doing the job right!

JungleCat

What year is your car? Several places have the BF Goodrich g-Force Sport 255/50R16 99W tires for around $130 each, some with free shipping.

ls777z

I knew I needed tires when I bought my 84. When I started checking for the OEM size tires there was only one option. But, after searching on here I saw that a slightly smaller size would work. I saved myself almost $200 and even got the hazard replacement coverage.

aklim

THAT is the part that would worry me most. MY skin. I can save up and/or earn more money. Repair parts on my body that are broken, not so easy.