I would appreciate it if someone would confirm we are ordering the right size tires for my son's 2001 Z06. We don't want to make a mistake if we can avoid it. He is going to order :
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Pilot Sport tires
Rear 275/35ZR18
Front 255/40ZR17

We want the all season tires here in Ohio and they are difficult to find.

Your advice is appreciated.

 

Stock C5 Z06 (01-04):
Front
Rim size = 17x9.5" rim
Tire Size = 265/40/17
Diameter = 25.4"
Rear
Rim Size = 18x10.5"
Tire Size = 295/35/18
Diameter = 26.1"

if you want to go the all season route I did non-standard 255/40/17 in front and kept Stock rear 295/35/18. i got the continentals. No issues with TC or AH. hope this helps

 

Don't think you are going to be happy, with a 275/35/18 on the rear. Personally, I wouldn't run anything narrower than a 285 rear, on an oem C5Z 18x10.5 wheel.

 

Thank you all very much. We looked for the Continentals but originally looked for 295/40/18 and couldn't find any. Kept researching and found this thread which showed the 295/35/18 size as okay. So we were able to find the Continentals and ordered them instead with 295/35/18 s for the rear, This forum is a big help to us. We have a C7 too and get a lot of good information here.

 

For all that have bought the Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires, how do you like them? Do they ride good, are they quiet? How about handling? Do the sidewalls feel stiff or soft, you get any body roll taking a sharp turn with some speed? Just looking for some honest feedback is all, really thinking about buying a set of these. Thanks

 

Check TireRack for Street/Track testing vs. other [category] tires.

 

I have them on my 99 coupe that has Z06 rims. I like them. Ride good, quiet. Handle great though not as good as my Michelin Pilot Super Sports I have on my 02 Coupe. Sidewalls? I guess stiff? No body roll.

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

Figured I'd chime back in - been running new Toyo R888Rs 305/35R18 & 275/40R17 on stock C5Z wheels for about 500 miles & I am SUPREMELY satisfied w/ the decision. The grippiest tire I've experienced on the street & my car has 430ish whp - I would say as long as I'm not just dumping the clutch but rolling into it smooth & fast I can pretty much get 75-80% of 1st gear down - haven't felt what that's like in a LONG time. The initial turn in on higher speed sweepers is more controlled than w/ Nitto NT05s that I've run previous, & the lateral grip is progressive & extremely strong - and this is in temps as low as 38 - mostly in the high 40's/low 50's though

They do hum some @ hwy speeds, but not super noticeable unless the windows are down - but you can hear it if you try w/ windows up as well - my car does have some dynamat done on the interior so that may change things - I will say this, if people consider these an improvement then the R888s these replace must have been LOUD lol!

I'll be looking @ 600whp pretty soon w/ A&A build, but I still think I may have some use left in 1st gear & definitely confident I should be able to put most if not all that power down in 2nd & certainly 3rd w/ these tires. Very happy......basically feels like a new car, & @ $1200 shipped to my doorstep including tax & heat cycling if you're looking for the best bang for the buck all around street/strip/HPDE/road course jack of all trades rubber IMHO these suckers just supplanted the Nitto NT05/NT01 & the Pilot Sports or Extreme Contacts

 

I would of loved getting summer tires but with the DC metro region getting cold temps...not about that tire storage life come winter time, and i want to be able to use my car during cold winter. noted though if i ever get a 2nd wheel set in the future

 

Dumb question here, but something I've always wondered about.

Why are the Z06 tires shorter than the stock tires? They're 0.3" shorter up front and a whopping 0.5" shorter in the back? When I've looked at the Z06 I always thought the rear tires looked like tiny rubber bands compared to the sidewall on the front tires. A quick calc shows that it is about 0.1" shorter, although it's much more noticeable visually.

I suppose it has to do with the actual availability of tire sizes (a 295/40 is much taller than stock, and a 305/35, while almost OEM size is definitely a lot of tire to spec out for a street car). I was all about going to Z06 sizing with my BBS wheels (17x9 / 18x10) but given the shorter tire, I think I'll stay with something stock sizer or taller, to fill the wheel wells better.

 

C5Dobie, do those 305’s stick out past the fenders any, or do you have a wide body kit on the rear? You think 305’s would stick out a lot on a stock z06 rear wheel and stock z06 body?

 

305's are only +1 one step wider than the OEM 295's, so it will be minimal - prob won't even notice.