It's about time for new shoes on the Z. I've decided to go with the Wide Ovals from the good remarks that some of you have posted here.
My car is not likely to be tracked, mainly because I can't find anyplace local to offer the opportunity, but partially because it is also my DD.
I do take the opportunity on weekend drives to the country to push the handling of the car. I also intend on keeping the car close to "Stock". Can anyone tell me pro's / con's on using a wider tire on the front, specifically, the 275's instead of the 265's?

Thanks to all in advance!
chuck

 

Chuck

The nearest road coruse to you is Roebling Road in Pooler GA 15 miles west of Savanaha. There is the Flordia Crown PCA out of Jacksonville FL that puts on good events severl times a year at Roebling. They allow all types of cars. Their next event is mid Jan.

275 work a heck of a lot better then 265s.Widder has better grip and better braking. braking has a lot to do with the rubber on the road.

many guys use 275, 285 or 295s up front. I use 305s up front on the track and 285s for the street

Good Luck

 

Technically most cars sold to the public are designed to "under steer". The thinking being that an "under steer" condition is easier for untrained/unskilled drivers to deal with. The most natural reaction to an "under steer" condition is to lift off the gas, the car starts to slow and at some point the car is easily brought back into control with little skill on the part of the driver.

Over steer can cause the front to stick while the rear end wants to come around. Skilled drivers can deal with that condition more easily than the vast majority of cell phone talking soccer moms.

I went with the 275's up front as I've noticed a slight tendency for the front to go away on twisty and tight roads way before the rear end gets loose. Could be the 53/47 weight distribution of the Z.

I don't believe you are in any danger of unbalancing the car or causing a dangerous "over steer" condition by going with the 275.

And it also depends on the intended use of your Z and the tires. Mine is a daily driver that see's all the elements. For me the GY F1's were a "one dimensional" tire - Great for the track and warm dry conditions. But get them cold and wet and they were dangerous. I also like the fact I saved over $450. 10/32nds of tread vs 8/32nd's means I'll probably get at least 10K more miles out of them.

Good luck

Tom

 

Going from 265 to 275 is very minor, you may not even change anything that significant enough that you'll feel it. It will reduce the understeer by a minimum margin, if that. I run 315 up front and the understeer is gone.

 

I ran 285's on 18 inch rims on a C5 coupe. I never ran it on a road course but seemed to handle better during spirited driving. I had 315's on the rear. Remember though I am comparing these to the C5 size runflats.

I actually like the balance of the Z06 tire combo, for the street it is nearly perfect in my opinion. My beloved brother lets me drive his Z when he visits, I sold my coupe and he knows I am having C5 withdrawal.

I don't think you will even notice the difference just stepping up to 275's.

 

In general, wider is better. It increases the size of the contact patch. However, changing width of front will change handling characteristics of vehicle. From 275 to 285 may have more pyschological improvement than actual physical improvement.

dave

 

I was wondering about this too. I have a set of BFG KDW nearly new. They're 275-40-17 from my Z28. I was thinking of the benefit or lack thereof by going a bit wider.
Is the front rim size 9.5?
Thx-Goose

 

More questions along this same line:

(1st time Vette owner here, 03 Z06)

What's the biggest/widest tires you can put on the Z without encountering rubbing? What about if you lower it - assume max of 1". I'd not consider >18" wheels.

For the open trackers would you stick with 17's up front or 17's F & R or 18's F & R and please, what's your reasoning behind this besides bigger = more rubber on ground? I'm told more tire choices in 17's but you can buy scrubbed 18's from (unsure of name) race series folks for a sweet price.

Thanks for your input,
Phil

 

Thanks for the info, looks like it's 275's up front. My initial concerns were things like tire rub at full turn, excess stress to the steering / suspension system, etc....
Sounds like that won't be an issue at all since some are running even wider tires than the 275's.

Oh, and thanks for that info on the closest road course AU N EGL, that's about 2.5 hours north....I would have thought that Daytona area would have had some courses, but couldn't find anything on the net, so I kind of gave up..

Chuck.