Ok guys I have really been considering getting a set of wheels and some drag radials for my non daily driver Z. I'm not sure about what wheels will/won't fit and what some of the best options are. I am not going to spend a lot of money on the CCW drag pack(I wish I could) and I am only looking for some opinions of the rear wheels only.

I won't doing any cutting or sanding on anything to make something work. I am a little curious to about the size differences, lets say a 16" inch wheel(taller tire of course) compared to the factory 18" inch wheel, will it make the Traction/Active Handling system act "screwy".

I have seen that if there is a large difference between overall height of the front tire compared to the rear tire that it can cause issues with the Traction/Active Handling system.

I have used the search function and also used Google and can't find exactly what I was looking for.

I have read about Diamond Racing wheels that are inexpensive but I honestly don't know if they are in business anymore.

Any input/suggestions/opinions/experience will be greatly appreciated.

 

Anyone?

 

If you do not wish to mod your suspension, then the only good choice is a 17" wheel. More sidewall is always better so stay away from the 18"s. The OEM front wheels (not repros) are relatively light and inexpensive and have served well. Unfortunately, the MT ET Street bias ply tires are no longer manufactured in 26x11.50x17. This would be the tire of choice with a skinny up front. However, the Hoosier 275/40R17 would be the best choice in a DR for power levels to about 475 rwhp. A tire in the 26" tall range will help with overall gearing and a 28" tall tire is usually overkill unless you are making substantial power. We have never had any tire height issues with either 26s or 28s when running 26s up front on either the C5Z or C6Z platform.

 

I was considering a 17 inch wheel for sure. Is the Hoosier a bias ply? I was wanting about a 26" tall as I am only roughly 440rwhp. Thanks for response.

 

This Hoosier is of a radial design and would work well at your power level.

 

Thank you sir for your input. I will be locating a set of 17" "wagon" wheels or a set of 17" 98-02 Z28/Trans Am wheels. I plan on using the 275/45/17 Hoosier tire. I am pretty sure that this will work well, and from what I have seen the wheel should clear rear suspension and the overall tire height is 26" which is the same as the 295/30 or 35?/18 I have on the car now for street every day use tires. Well I do not drive the everyday and I will change the wheels and tires at the track. Thanks again for all your input and advice, you have been very helpful.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ubbed-z06.html

 

i was a little worried about the grinding on the rear to fit 16" rims but i winded up doing it, didnt take much to get them to fit probably took less then 1/8 of an inch off. i was told running a 16" bias ply would be softer on the drive train (more side wall) then a 17"

slick sway with the bias ply in the rear and radial tires up front was a little scary on the big ends so for the front i'm using GTO spares with 1.5" adapters to convert from 5x120.65 to 5x120 and M&H bias ply front runners, over all coast for the setup was way less then the drag pack's

i daily drive the car with my street wheels no problems


in this pic you can see the two humps that need to be hit with a grinder

 

That is all I would have to grind to make them fit? That is actually not as bad as I thought, but I still will likely use a 17" inch wheel. If I can find a set of the "wagon" wheels from an older C5 or a set of 17's from a Trans Am or Z28/SS. I won't be driving the car on the wheels and will just be putting them on then taking them off before leaving the track.

I will only run maybe 10 passes a year in the 1/8 mile, as that is all that I have around me. I would like a tire that I can drive with just incase or I want to put them on for a little street fun. So I'm still unsure. I am going to stay with a 26" tire. I am considering the M/T ET streets, but I'm just not sure.

Heck I may even just get the tires in 18" and put them on my original wheels, since I have only driven the car about 2k miles in over 2 years since I have owned the car. The car is stored in an enclosed garage that is not heated/cooled on a concrete floor. If I put the air pressure up prior to storing the car on the tire, is there an issue with storing the car on the Hoosiers or the M/T ET streets...I do not want to use the Nitto 555R since I have used them before on a previous car with less horsepower, and it was still spin city.

What do you guys think about the Mickey Thompson S/S tire it is using the R2 compound(which honestly I'm not exactly sure what that is) but I am going to do research on it, in a 305/35/18 which is 26.6 inches tall...I doubt that .6 inches will make a difference or mess up my traction/active handling system with the taller tire. I would keep them on the car and drive with them on the street since I will likely only put 1k miles or less on my car this year.

Any input is appreciated as well as the input/replies that I have already gotten.

 

i tried a few different tires and "drag radials" work on the street if your "roll racing" but really could not hook up at the track very well and i'm only around 430ish @ the wheels, the bias ply MT ET street is what a lot of guys run here and recommend so thats why tried it and hooks up very good i cut 1.60 60' only after about 8 or 9 passes with the car and i'm sure with seat time i can do better others have cut 1.4x 60' with them

as for grinding its really not really that bad it sounds worst then it is, if your really want the best ET out of your setup 16" is the way to go. i have 18" DR's they was mounted for about a week then removed them they sucked so bad, i agree the Nitto 555R is horrible i could only some times hook in 2nd 1st gear never

 

I'm going to try the Mickey Thompson S/S tire in an 305/35/18 on my factory wheels and try that. Anything should be better that what I have now, which is the Bridgestone 760 Sport tires.

I'm not looking to get the absolute best 60' time because I'm being honest with myself and I'm not the best driver when it comes to maxing out a 6spd car for the BEST ET. I don't want to break anything anyways...Thanks for all the input

 

My 18's hook nicely.. 345's in 3rd.... Even with 8** ft lbs of TQ....

 

I'm going to do a little saving and work some overtime and off duty work and I hope to order a set of them soon. Thanks guys and I will report back with results.