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A good friend passed away a few years ago. His wife kept their ‘98 coupe and enjoys driving it occasionally. The tires are quite old (2007) and it’s time for replacement. I offered to help evaluate tire options, but the current tires are not OE sizes which makes things a little difficult.
Fronts are 275/40-17
Rears are 295/35-18
They are mounted on aftermarket 5 spoke rims and I have no idea what the widths are. I found just a few tire brands that offer both sizes.
So … a few questions: Are these sizes a typical ‘upgrade’ for the C5?
If not, what sizes are you running on stock diameter rims?
Should she ‘bite the bullet’ and upgrade to C6 size wheels and tires?
Common sizes. People play around on sizes since many different ones fit.
I have 245/40/17 on front and 285/40/18 on back. I chose them due to being taller and filling the wheel wells up and not lowering the car. My nose scapes now.
Many will chime in with what they run and some will try to tell you what to run. Make the choice that is right for you.
As for wheel what do you like? India the Z06 C7 wheels in the 17 and 18 size.
Don’t ask what to do. Find what you like and size it up. You are the one that has to look at it. Don’t let public opinion guide you.
Common sizes. People play around on sizes since many different ones fit.
I have 245/40/17 on front and 285/40/18 on back. I chose them due to being taller and filling the wheel wells up and not lowering the car. My nose scapes now.
Many will chime in with what they run and some will try to tell you what to run. Make the choice that is right for you.
As for wheel what do you like? India the Z06 C7 wheels in the 17 and 18 size.
Don’t ask what to do. Find what you like and size it up. You are the one that has to look at it. Don’t let public opinion guide you.
What I like is irrelevant. It’s not my car. The tires on the car seem to be odd size and I’m just trying to help my friend. And you can’t just throw anything on without screw-in up the traction control computer.
So if there are other size combinations that work, I’d love to hear from others running them.
I agree with hyper that c7z06 wheels are sweet. not sure if they fit on the c5.
You're correct that finding tires in stock sizes is getting more difficult. One of the more popular upgrades on the c5 is to go 18" up front, 19" in the back. I'm running c6 z06 replica rims on my car, which Imho is the 2nd best looking rims on the c5--- the c6 grand sport look insane, imho, in black. They're tough to find (and I couldn't find any in the right size when I was doing my upgrade).
I'm using 245/40zr18 up front and 285/35zr19 in the rear.
Heres the rims I'm running:
here are grand sport rims, which I don't have:
jost6453: going to C6 or even C7 wheels is something to do, but that all depends upon her....it is her Corvette.
stock C6 tires are: 245/40-18 front, 285/35-19 rears.
These are also the same for a base C7 and those are the sizes I put onto my C5 with C7 wheels. I purchased General GMAX-RS tires, Summer tires, not for cold weather at all.
The wheel pictures above sure look like C6 style wheels, just chrome instead of paint or polished, so yeah, aftermarket.
Probably going to have to remove a front and a rear to get the wheel widths to know what to get though.
Last edited by LannyL81; Oct 16, 2024 at 08:52 AM.
Fronts are 275/40-17
Rears are 295/35-18
They are mounted on aftermarket 5 spoke rims and I have no idea what the widths are. I found just a few tire brands that offer both sizes.
So … a few questions: Are these sizes a typical ‘upgrade’ for the C5?
If not, what sizes are you running on stock diameter rims?
Should she ‘bite the bullet’ and upgrade to C6 size wheels and tires?
Constructive advice is appreciated.
I will try. Those sizes are close to the factory C5 Z06 sizes, which could be considered an upgrade on a base C5. Z06 wheels are 1” wider than the base car’s wheels. To me, those wheels look like C6 replicas in C5 diameters. The actual Z06 front size is 265/40-17, which are hard to find and 275/40-17’s are sometimes used instead. The rear tire size you list is the correct Z06 size.
Since she already owns these wheels and these tires seem to be working out, I see no reason to “upgrade” to C6 wheels. If anything, get correct base C5 wheels and then there are a lot of choices in the factory size. If she sticks with these wheels, consider changing the front size to 255/40-17. There may be more options.
I will try. Those sizes are close to the factory C5 Z06 sizes, which could be considered an upgrade on a base C5. Z06 wheels are 1” wider than the base car’s wheels. To me, those wheels look like C6 replicas in C5 diameters. The actual Z06 front size is 265/40-17, which are hard to find and 275/40-17’s are sometimes used instead. The rear tire size you list is the correct Z06 size.
Since she already owns these wheels and these tires seem to be working out, I see no reason to “upgrade” to C6 wheels. If anything, get correct base C5 wheels and then there are a lot of choices in the factory size. If she sticks with these wheels, consider changing the front size to 255/40-17. There may be more options.
This is what I was going to respond with. I have a Z06 and would highly recommend Continental DWS06 tires. They have 255/40R17 and 295/35R18 sizes available. The 255 vs 275 front tire provides a better turn-in feel. The 275 felt mushy to me when I ran them. They are an all season tire and provide plenty of grip / performance for the street. I get 45k-50k miles per set and they are quiet. I'm on my 3rd set. As an FYI they are NOT runflats if that is important to her.
Note my wheels are C7 Z06 style but after market in the C5 size and off set. I really hate spacers as that is what is required on C6 wheels on a C5 if they are factory.
And you can’t just throw anything on without screw-in up the traction control computer. So if there are other size combinations that work, I’d love to hear from others running them.
Myth. As long as the front tires aren't taller than the rears, you should not have any issues with the AH/TC.
A 255/40/17 and 285/35/18 combo should work fine.
This is what I was going to respond with. I have a Z06 and would highly recommend Continental DWS06 tires. They have 255/40R17 and 295/35R18 sizes available. The 255 vs 275 front tire provides a better turn-in feel. The 275 felt mushy to me when I ran them. They are an all season tire and provide plenty of grip / performance for the street. I get 45k-50k miles per set and they are quiet. I'm on my 3rd set. As an FYI they are NOT runflats if that is important to her.
Thx for this. Seems like solid advice. I’ll check them out
Tire Size Help Needed
