1rino56

Recently picked up a 03 z06 and will need tires very soon. When looking at the size, the fronts were 17, the rears 18. Why would someone go down in size on the wheels for this car? What advantage or disadvantages? They replaced stock with the chrome wheel, not my favorite!

fuggles

The stock z06 wheel sizes are 17 front, 18 rear. To answer your question, smaller rims mean cheaper tires generally. Also drag racers want more sidewall. And I'm not a fan of chrome either.

ArtClassShank

As said above, thats normal Z stagger. Chrome does indeed suck, especially when the stock wheels aren't included with the car.

Your next issue is going to be tire selection up front. 265/40/17 is pretty much a dead size, very little options. Move into 255/40/17 or 275/40/17 for a much wider range of options.

1rino56

Thanks, somehow I thought stock was 18 & 19. The car has Nitto NT05’s on it now. 275/40 up front, 295/35 rear. Owner said they only lasted 6k miles. They are not dead yet, but very hard & loud.

ZigZag

If you look for a set of wheels you can get 18's front and back or 19's with no problems with abs or traction control. I have 18x9.5 front and 18x10.5 rear. 265-35 front and 295-35 rear. It's a nice setup.

Bushman66

I plan to run the rear 18" OEM wheels up front on my 2004Z and run a 295 square setup on all 4 corners as soon as I snag another set of rear 18" wheels.

chasboy

The chrome wheels are not stock, and cannot compare to the stock Z06 wheels. If you want to go with 18/19 or a square 18 setup get a decent (avoid very cheap Chinese repro’s) wheel that will accommodate the tires you want. I have a set of TSW Nurburgrings and love them. Them and Cray are reasonably priced decent quality wheels and won’t be mistaken for cheap repros.

1rino56

What are the chances of finding stock Z06 wheels in very good condition? Any aftermarket wheels close to the stock wheel? The chrome wheel is ok, I had them on my 09 vert, Im just not a fan.

chasboy

My friend, Striper, on this forum just posted his. I’ll find the post.

here you go:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-for-sale.html

dugsz06

Check out the Continental Extreme Contact Sport for replacements. Very good tires at a very good price. Use Discount Tires and if you don't like them, take 'em back but I'll bet you'll love them. I have a set of the previous model "Extreme Contact DW" and have over 20K miles. The fronts still have 8/32 on them....Just replaced the backs with the Sport and just love them. Quite and smooth and stick lick crazy!

chasboy

I have the DWS06 which is all season and they are just great. I had them on my Challenger also. They are one of the great tire buys available.

Jim_ZO6

That's what was on my Z when I bought it. Fortunately, I was able to find a set of close out Potenzas in the stock size last summer.

I'm curious too, why anyone would go with the 255 over the 275? I would think wider is better. At least that's what my wife says.

chasboy

I went with 255 because my front wheels are 9” instead of 9.5, and the relative diameters put me well into the stagger requirements, while 275 put me ‘under’ (.4” instead of .5”). For me there was also an availability issue.
I replaced my originals on my Z with 275 front and 295 rear, so I’ve done both, and if I remember right the tread width difference was not all that great.

Bushman66

Purely aesthetics in my case. I had Discount mount the 275's, the sidewall height looked funny to me with the 17" wheels relative to the rears. Eventually, I will go to a square setup before I track the car. The difference in width is minimal between the 255 and 275, and the handling difference on the street is negligible to me.

redzg

Wider tires have more traction -- dry. If you should run in the rain, not so much. I do not like floating around a corner in the rain.

Vetteman Jack

Stock Z06 wheels appear in the C5 Parts for Sale section quite often. Check that section for any good deals.

fuggles

I have 2 of the stock z06 17 fronts. Not a scratch or mark on them. Shipping is not pretty. I went with a stock 18 on the front for a square setup. You can get new stock rims from house of wheels if you want to go that route.

chasboy

You can try Fastenal shipping service if the locations are good for you and the seller. Friend of mine uses them a lot and they are cheaper than all the typical shippers

JohnsCreekZ06

18 and 19 diam with 9.5 and 10.5 width? 50 and 65 offsets? Spacer on the 19? Or did the rear fit without rubbing?

chasboy

If you were asking me, I have 17 and 18. There as no issues with the width or the offsets. In fact I think the tire/wheel combo sits just right, offset wise.