I understand that my 1998 Corvette has stock wheel sizes of 17x8.5 for the fronts and 18x9.5 for the rear. Could I get away with putting 17x9 wheels in the front and 18x9 or 18x10.5 in the rear? Would it affect my tires much or the handling of the car? I couldn't imagine it affecting the handling of the car by much but does anyone know if they would cause issues from that extra half-inch to inch? At the same time, I personally would like to keep my tires as they are the stock sizes. Both tire sets are General G-Max, I'll link them down below for more information. The whole point of this post is that I recently destroyed the front end of my 98 Vette and in that process, kind of ruined one of my wheels. It still holds air but it is to the point where it needs heavy repair. The wheels are OEM and work fine but since I'll be spending about $6,000 I might as well get wheels I like. I'll link the wheels down below as well. If anyone has done so, please comment and let me know your experiences with the slightly bigger change to the wheels.
This might be the wrong place as well for this discussion so I am sorry if it is.

Tires:
Front: https://generaltire.com/tires/performance/g-max-rs
Rear: https://generaltire.com/tires/performance/g-max-rs

Wheels:
17x9 and 18x10.5
Part Numbers:
Front:1790CMA505121B70
Rear:1805CMA655121B70
https://www.craycorvettewheels.com/c...ls-rims-manta/

I found a website that has some useful information regarding wheels and tire sizes. For anyone else wondering this question the links will be down below and will give you a general idea of what tires will fit on what size wheels. Personally, I am going to use the stock-size tires and see how it plays out. I thank you all for your input and help though.

18x10.5 wheels on 275/40
https://wheelssize.com/wheels/18x10.5/P-275-40r18/

18x10.5 all tire sizes
https://wheelssize.com/wheels/18x10.5/

 

I ran 17x9.5 fronts and 18x10.5 rears on several of my C5s (stock Z06 sizes along with stock Z06 sized tires) with zero issues.

 

As long as you don't run into any clearance issues, either from incorrect backspacing, or issues with caliper clearance to the rear side of the wheel spokes, an additional inch of with could be a handling improvement. It could provide a wider, more stable base for the sidewalls, as long as it's within the "approved range" for the size of tires you're running.

 

My concern is your desire to keep the stock sizes. You should run tire sizes intended for the wheel size. On a 9 inch front you could get away with using the stock size but on a 10.5 rear I would run a 295, which is what the Z06 runs from the factory, anyway.

 

There are no issues running the wheel sizes that you suggest, but you really need to get tires to match. If you're really set on keeping the stock tires, then stick with the stock wheel size. Keep in mind that if you decide to go with Z06 wheels that the OEM tire size for the Z06 is VERY hard to find now.

 

FWIW......For years, and no issues, I've been running stock, 17"×8.5" front wheels, with stock size 245/45/17 tires, and 18"×10.5" rear wheels, with 315/30/18 tires.