captgarys

I will be needing tires for my 96 soon and do not have much of a selection in "summer performance" tires. I'm thinking of getting C-6 wheels for a better tire selection. Has anybody done this?

70ZZ3 96LT4

I just replaced my 1996 LT4 tires with Continental Extreme Contact DW tires this year.

285/40ZR17's and 255/45 /ZR 17's

Have about 1,300 miles on them now and still like the change. Finally got rid of the original Goodyears. The rear Goodyears made a lot of noise even though I still had a lot of good tread left on them.

captgarys

Are you pushing your vette or tracking it?

1984Z51auto

Another vote for the Continental DWs. I put on a set last year and am very happy with their street performance on my '96 CE LT4. They are very good on the highway... quiet and smooth.

QZRBLU

My kid tried the DW's on his 335i twin turbo and they only lasted for 8,000 miles. I installed BFG G force sport tires on my Vette and they are 10X better than the Goodyears that came on the car new.

Not sure if they come in your sizes, mine are 275X40X17 all around.

Mick

BigMac2395

I just purchased Nitto NT555's they were a pretty decent choice and the price was OK. I looked at so many types and brands. There were others that were pretty good. If you go with a slight size change you will have more choices.
change to 275/40/17 then you have more choices....like Nitto NT05
Kumho makes a nice looking tire as well. Vredestein also makes a nice looking tire as well. Falken as well.






This is the tread design on the NT555. I was wanting something with an interesting tread as well. I ended up with this model as they had exact sizing which I decided I wanted in the end.


Russell

wzschirnt

Hi,

I haven't tried C6 wheels on my 1996 (was that your REAL question?), but look through EBay at the wheels offered there. Usually some charts/comments on what fits what.

For 17" tires, I ran Sumitomo tires - 275/40/17 and 315/35/17 - on my 9.5 and 11 wide rims. Their 'summer performance' (HTR-Z, I think they call them) tires handled pretty good, the price was VERY good, and they are still available.

Good luck.
walt z.

1stVetteFinally

I'm running NT555 (255-45-17 front, 285-40-17 rear) on my 92 LT1. Came with the car. Front tires are almost like new, rear tires are about half thread. Real good traction in warm weather, and at under $600 for a set, I'll probably replace them with another set.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...5&rd=17&cs=255

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...0&rd=17&cs=285

captgarys

I thought I would get a better tire selection with 18" wheels instead of 17"

My vette is being drag raced as well as road summer driving.



Where did you find the Sumitoma tires.

Thanks

Gary

wzschirnt

Hi,
I got them on EBay from 'Big O Tires' out of Florida. That was several years ago, but there are other dealers that have them now. Around 600-650 for the set of 4. The tires are better 'drivers' than 'drag race' tires. I used them for autocross and they handled pretty good (Treadwear rating of 160).

Good luck,
walt z.

HlhnEast

The only negative thing I have found is the 315's have a tendency to wear faster than the fronts oddly enough. I dont do any burn outs either. When the first set of 315's wore out, I thought the PO maybe burnt them off cuz the fronts still had 1/2 tread. I just replaced the fronts after 6 years and 40K miles and looked at the rears and it seems like I will be replacing them pretty quick again.

I bought mine from TireRack.

five-oh

I just replaced Walt's Sumitomo 315/25/17 tires on the rear with some Mickey Thompson Sport Comps...haven't had them on but a couple of days but the look decent, seem to handle decent, and were better priced than even the Sumitomos...bought them through Hot Rod Hank's, I think....

Steener

Replaced the Goodyear GS D3s with Continental Extreme Contact DW today - 1995 Base Coupe. Only driven about 100 miles, but find them a much more comfortable tire to ride on.

Some have complained they don't give as sharp as turn-in, but so far, they feel just about the same to me as far as handling is concerned. Also MUCH quieter than the Goodyears.

I got a set of four in OEM size from an online company in Canada for just under $1000 Canadian, including our 13% sales tax and delivery to my door ....that's about $825 US at today's exchange rate.

I am still amazed that the delivery charge was only $5 -- seriously: five dollars to deliver by courier.

MDstar2

Another vote for Mickey Thompson Street Comps. Check out Performance Plus Tire in Ca. I got 2 275 and 2 315's for $655 delivered. Great deal!

wydopnthrtl

I have 3400 miles on mine. Ditto... ditto... ditto

Only point I disagree with is the turn in sharpness. These DW's don't have the same edgy feel. I *think* its because sidewall softness as compared to the run flat OEMs I had.

Another point about them.. they are about the lightest tire you can buy. And that helps in all ways.

MavsAK

Continental extreme contact DW and DWS are really good tires. I had a set on my firebird, and a set on my vette.

C7-Beast

I just replaced the tires on my 93 with the Nitto 555's. Wanted the DW's but no one had them. They were special order. The pricing I got on the Nitto's was MUCH better anyway. I just had them put on yesterday.

Deakins

I have a set of DWS's all the way around on my 93. 295's on the rears and 275's on the fronts. They ride great, wear even better, and have plenty of traction for what I do. Just my .02

Capt Mike

captgarys

Getting back to your C6 wheel question.

I just purchased a set of C6 Spoke Wheels for my C4 Roadster, specs are

Part numbers

9594346 Front 8.5 in x 18 in x 56 mm

9594346 Rear 10 in x 19 in x 79 mm

You can Google for Photos. These are Factory painted Corvette Wheels, I am going to remove the Paint and Polish all four wheels.

Hopefully this weekend I will have the tie to Bare mount the wheels (W/O tires) so I can check for any clearance issues and measure the both the front and rear wheel track width.

Once I have done the above I will decide on the size(s) I'm currently running Good Year P275x40x17 HP up front and P285x40x17 HP in the rear, and have no clearance issues on 17 x 9 1/5 inch Vette Wheels. I have NOT as yet compared the offset(s) between the two wheels, ie the wheels on my C4 and the C6 wheels.

I'll let you know the result as soon as I have finished mounting the wheel and have the numbers.

Let me know if there is other info you'd like to obtain,,,

Michael....

rocco16

I put Bridgestone Expedia SO-1's in stock sizes on mine in 2010. I like 'em.

NOTE: guys, you should know that the crappiest new tires you just put on ALWAYS feel better than the best WORN-OUT tires that just came OFF your car. That's a fact...