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Hey everyone I just purchased my first corvette 2003 z06, I have dry rotted tires on all 4 ...looking to find out where I can get Michelin pilot as3 seems like either they only have different sizes or if it’s OEM they’re summer...tire rack was a no go along with a few other websites.
There is literally a thread per week on this topic. The factory sizes are nearly dried up if not completely by now. Even one year ago there were still more options.
My advice is to alter the size in the front to a 255 40 17 and the rear can be anywhere from a 275 to a 295 35 18 and it will open up the possibilities by A LOT.
If I had to buy tires tomorrow it would be Continentals in 255 front and 295 rear.
That being said, the next time I need to buy tires for my Z wheels it will be so long from now I will likely have to do the buy new wheels thing lol. Or use it as an excuse to.
Tire Rack or Discount Tire. Personally, I do both. I go to Tire Racks website, find the tires I like, print the page, and then go to my local Discount Tire who will match the price. If you have no Discount Tire near you, buy tires from Tire Rack and have someone local to you install. I believe the AS3 has been discontinued?
Also, stock sizes for the Z06 are hard to come by. You might need to get non-standard sizes. Hopefully someone with a Z06 will chime in on what sizes to get.
My advice is to alter the size in the front to a 255 40 17 and the rear can be anywhere from a 275 to a 295 35 18 and it will open up the possibilities by A LOT.
From Tirerack, there are a few different good types of tires in 255/40/17 + 285/35/18 (including AS3's). These are one section width narrower than stock C5Z sizes (265/40/17 + 295/35/18), which are indeed hard to come by now.
Upgrade to new wheels, and you have a world of possibilities.
I’d prefer not to have to go a full new wheel setup since I just bought the car and I still have other priority fixes to do , for down the road definitely something I’d consider
But thanks guys curious what other setups guys are using
Have you tried ebay. I purchased 4 wide all-season high performance tires from a generic manufacturer, they performed better than I could exercises them on the street!
Have you tried ebay. I purchased 4 wide all-season high performance tires from a generic manufacturer, they performed better than I could exercises them on the street!
eBay I only saw some Bridgestone stones but o totally forgot about it
With the stock 17 & 18 inch wheels it is also possible to run 245 45 17 & 275 40 18. These are the stock C5 tire sizes. I have been running these sizes on C6 z06 wheels in C5Z06 sizes for over 10 years without a problem. And are easier to come by
Yea, cold weather not a problem around here. I bought the tires and drove to Seattle and back (11k miles) last summer, no issues, I did the same trip the year before in my C7 and lost two front low-profile Michelin's.
There is literally a thread per week on this topic. The factory sizes are nearly dried up if not completely by now. Even one year ago there were still more options.
My advice is to alter the size in the front to a 255 40 17 and the rear can be anywhere from a 275 to a 295 35 18 and it will open up the possibilities by A LOT.
If I had to buy tires tomorrow it would be Continentals in 255 front and 295 rear.
That being said, the next time I need to buy tires for my Z wheels it will be so long from now I will likely have to do the buy new wheels thing lol. Or use it as an excuse to.
going this route after having paralysis analysis. Initially bought michelin ps2 in stock sizes but then they got cancelled because they ran out of rears, then after thinking of cold months 3-4 months of the year where I live I didn’t want to deal with storing the tires in temp appropriate (no garage)
ladt question for you or anyone else, any TC or Active handling that’ll show decreasing that front size?
FWIW I just ordered a new set of tires, went w/ Toyo R888Rs in 275/40R17 fronts & 305/35R18 rear on stock Z06 wheels. Previously running Nitto NT05 in same size fronts but 295/35R18 in rear. Avoid driving in rain for the most part, car is cammed/bolted now making around 440whp & will be putting A&A blower on it so need some "big boy" rubber going forward.
FWIW in terms of a nice compromise between tread life, wet grip, dry grip, cornering & straight line & noise while being usable @ the track or street......I think the NT05s would really be tough to beat, esp @ the price
FWIW I just ordered a new set of tires, went w/ Toyo R888Rs in 275/40R17 fronts & 305/35R18 rear on stock Z06 wheels. Previously running Nitto NT05 in same size fronts but 295/35R18 in rear. Avoid driving in rain for the most part, car is cammed/bolted now making around 440whp & will be putting A&A blower on it so need some "big boy" rubber going forward.
FWIW in terms of a nice compromise between tread life, wet grip, dry grip, cornering & straight line & noise while being usable @ the track or street......I think the NT05s would really be tough to beat, esp @ the price
still doesn’t help my current situation with my below freezing temps, if I had weather hovering 40 degrees at worst year round the summer tire situation is doable but I’m shooting for all seasons for now until I can get a a new rim and wheel setup
the priority is just to get my old tires off, get my valve springs replaced, new brakes and all fluids replaced . The fluids and new brakes pads/rotors all around was around 2500 + 800 for springs quote
C5 z06 tires
