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Looking for tire recommendations for my C5 Z06. I bought the car new and shortly thereafter i made the following modifications:
LS6 427 NA. 550 RWHP
differential and transmission (stock except for shifter and clutch)
Pfadt suspension (coil overs, bars, lowered (1 1/2” rear and 2” front). 2 1/2 degrees front and 1 degree rear of negative camber
Brakes: Brembo gran turismos
I tubbed the rear to accommodate a bigger tire.
Wheels and tires
HRE 549Rs with 10 year old pilot sports
18x9.5 275 35 18
18x12 335 30 18
i have a set of Hoosiers for track days but sometimes I’m too lazy to change the tires and will drive on the pilot sports (which don’t have enough grip)
My issue, not many tire companies are making 18” that are big enough for the rears. I have heard the R888Rs are overrated and the road noise is weird. The Goodyear 3r and Michelin cup tires don’t have anything bigger than a 275 (the 427 NA spins very well so extra grip is needed). I don’t drive it in the rain and probably record maybe 3,000 miles a year. What is a good street / track tire option. I want to keep the 18”. I know everything is 10+ plus years old but i frankly enjoy driving it more than my C8. Fronts
At that power level, you really will want to stick with r-compounds if you want any chance of hooking and having fun in turns. I'd say there are far more positive R888R reviews than negative and is what I would recommend as a good all around tire. Whatever you do, do yourself and your car a favor and get off of those 10 yr old tires asap. Sounds like you've put a lot of money and work into the car, it would be an absolute shame to lose it over a set of old tires
I have the same size rims, the 335 30 18 tire is the problem. Michelin used to make it in a PS2, no more. I'm running the BFG Rival S. Pirelli makes a tire and I think Continental also. Pirelli's are pricey. I didn't want a drag radial. Curious to what you get. The Rivals seem good so far, just a little loud on the hwy. They've been good auto crossing, not on the road course with them yet.
I can’t find a 335 30 18 R compound Pirelli. I want the cup 2s or Goodyear 3rs but I would have to switch to a 19” wheel (HRE doesn’t make the 549s anymore). Right now I’m leaning towards the R888Rs. I plan to do a bit more research then decide early next week.
with heggsC5 about those old tires!! Dangerous, and the grip is long gone. Have you looked into Nitto's, like the NT01/05? Ive heard good things about the Toyota 888R's. Your Michelins may have had a good grip when new(er), but not now. I've always wanted to try the Cups, but never did. Anyway, I don't know who did your Darton sleeves, but I had one of those engines, also a 427. Steve Dimirgian (sic?) at R.E.D. did mine. Contrary to many opinions, I never had any trouble, except what you're also experiencing, that being NO TRACTION, . I ran new 315/30/18 PS2s, and it felt like they had been oiled!!! Good luck with your tire selection. Please let us know how you like the PS Cups......
I’m not driving the car (it sits in the garage most people would think the tires are no more than 1 year old). Brakes are too big for 17”, its not a straight line car, and i like the HRE 549r. Lingenfelter built 427 and 21st Century Muscle Car did the assembly, tubbing work, suspension/brakes work.
It’s down to BFG Rivals S 1.5s (it appears supply chain is affecting availability) and R888Rs.
BFG's parent company is Michelin. When my Rival S 1.5"s arrived, the sticker had no 1.5 on it, just Rival S. So I called BFG, only to get Michelin customer service. She didn't know what I was talking about with the 1.5 model tire. So I called the Tire Rack, where I purchased them, to see if I got the correct tires. So the story is, the Tire Rack inventories them as the 1.5 to differentiate them from the older model tire/compound. Just a FYI if you choose BFG Rival S 1.5 and also not sure if other vendors do that. And like Mick20 with his HRE's, I'm kind of attached to my 22 year old Fikse Aro's.
I’m not driving the car (it sits in the garage most people would think the tires are no more than 1 year old). Brakes are too big for 17”, its not a straight line car, and i like the HRE 549r. Lingenfelter built 427 and 21st Century Muscle Car did the assembly, tubbing work, suspension/brakes work.
It’s down to BFG Rivals S 1.5s (it appears supply chain is affecting availability) and R888Rs.
You must be running non OEM calipers, then. Because 17s will clear my OEM thin spokes I've run in the past. Not by much, but enough......
Tires right now are hard to find. You may be in luck with RS4s, BFG Rival S, or similar. I'm looking at tire rack right now and the only options I see in stock are the rival s, r888r, p zero system, p zero rosso, and extremecontact. Of those: The Rival S are good for street and track, though of course won't rival slicks for track use. The extreme contact are similar in that respect, significantly less sticky but even friendlier on the street. I have no experience with either of the p zero tires. The r888r is only marginally better for street use than a slick - yes it has some grooving, but hardly anything at all. Costs are super high, with the r888r somehow the best price, though street-driven longevity would lead me to say that the rival or extremecontact will be significantly better dollar-per-mile.
Ordered BFG Rival S 1.5s. Was leaning towards R888Rs but the rears (335x30x18) were not available or would require 60 days (and i was told maybe for 60) before they would ship. Tire Rack had the S 1.5s in stock. I may need to move to 19s although I’m not a fan of putting 19s on a C5. They looked good on my C7 Z06.
Looking at Tirerack, just now, they list the BFG Rival S, Continental Extreme Contact Sport, and Pirelli P Zero tires available in a 335/30/18 size and in stock.
Most people I know with high-hp C5's are running the Toyos. My personal preference would be the Toyo's or BFG's, in that particular size.
I chatted with TireRack and got a different answer on the R888Rs. I have found the Continental to not be a great tire. My wife had a mini and a bug with continentals and they were noisy and low grip. I flogged the mini a few times and was surprised how poorly it handled. Hopefully the BFGs are decent, expecting them to arrive next week. I have a set of Fikse with Hoosiers for track days.
As a side note anyone that has been a long time driver of Corvettes will find the C8 to be a VERY different car with respect to handling. I have gone to one C8 driving school and i struggled to get used to the handling. Great car but you cannot drive with your right foot.
Finally got the BFGs installed. They are about 1” taller than the Michelins and Hoosiers. I drove it briefly to check clearances. I had my Hoosiers on for about 1 week look at the picture and you can see the grid from the lift deck imprinted on the tire.
Tire recommendation
with heggsC5 about those old tires!! Dangerous, and the grip is long gone. Have you looked into Nitto's, like the NT01/05? Ive heard good things about the Toyota 888R's. Your Michelins may have had a good grip when new(er), but not now. I've always wanted to try the Cups, but never did. Anyway, I don't know who did your Darton sleeves, but I had one of those engines, also a 427. Steve Dimirgian (sic?) at R.E.D. did mine. Contrary to many opinions, I never had any trouble, except what you're also experiencing, that being NO TRACTION, 
. I ran new 315/30/18 PS2s, and it felt like they had been oiled!!!
Good luck with your tire selection. Please let us know how you like the PS Cups......
