Snow tires for this car are hard to come by - so after much research, what is the general opinion of the following tire combination, specifically, the different tread pattern between front and back, and the different tire size in the back (slightly larger width than OE).

Front : Pirelli SnowSport240 245/45-17
Rear: Pirelli SottoZero240 285/40-18


I just drove home from downtown Salt Lake City after a night shift - there was a fresh acccumulation of about 3 inches of snow/slush. The PS2s were OK - but there has to be better traction available.

Thanks in advance.

 

Exactly what are your expectations? The car was not designed to be driven in 3 inches of snow.

 

Your tire sizes have the correct differential between front and rear but good snow tires are narrower than high performance summer tires. They have basically the same foot print but it is narrow and long which allows the sides of the tire and the tread to grab the snow and gain more traction. So what you should be looking for would be narrower, something like a 225/50/18 for the rear and maybe a 225/50/17 on the front. I know a 235 tire will fit on the front 8.5 rims but I am not sure if a 225 will fit on the rear 9.5 rims. You may have to buy some narrower rims or maybe go with a 17 inch rear rim so you can get a higher profile tire in the rear. Snow tires also have a softer compound which allows them to grip better. Take a look at tires made for some of the BMW's like a 5 Series and see if there is anything that would work. Basically you are doing the opposite of + sizing. You keep the tire diameter the same but reduce width and increase profile.

Goodyear does make EMT snow tires for these cars (at GMs request) however I am not sure how much better they would be since they are the same width as the stock tires.

Bill

 

Bill, thanks for the lesson. I am looking at buying four 17x9.5 aftermarket rims and mounting some blizzaks.

Thank you again for your input.

Barry

 

Sure it was - you just need to find the right tire set-up. "It's just a plastic GM"... albeit somewhat pricey plastic!

 

Just curious if this is the only vehicle you have to drive in the snow? I mean cmon...a ER doctor with only 1 car?

Just slap some studded snow tires on it and go for it as it sounds like its your only vehicle/snow vehicle (should have ordered the 4x4 option). I bet you could also drive it on muddy unpaved back roads for hunting as well.

 

You keep telling yourself that..........

 

for the price of the new rims and tires you could buy an old jeep wrangler.

 

I think the GY emt snow tires are discontinued??

 

You need two things -
1. A garage for the Vette
2. A Subaru Outback or some other 4WD vehicle for the snow.

 

Get two pairs of front 17x8.5 wagon wheels and slap some skinny 225 Blizzaks on them. The car should go just as good as any other car with the same size tires, especially since the vette has nearly 50/50 weight distribution.

When it comes to braking and steering all cars have 4 wheel brakes and front wheel steering. I don't understand why some people think the corvette isn't a good snow car. It's the fat HP summer tires that make for miserable snow driving. Put a set of 275/295 HP summer tires on a Subaru and it wouldn't be able to get out of it's own way in the snow.

Just my .02

 

But you'll still need decent tires.. 4wd/awd doesn't help you stop in the snow, tires do..

 

Ahhhh but they do...down shifting using engine braking to slow down and its all 4 wheels helping out...

 

You don't have brakes at all four corners?

 

Yes I do but from the cabin I can go down a gradual slope downhill of over 2 miles without ever touching my brakes at all and just using 2nd gear engine braking. My neighbor who loves to use his brakes instead for some odd reason going down the same hill slides all over the place and has ended up in the bank a couple times. I tried telling him how not to brake on the whole hill using just his gears, but he is stubborn. If I do the same thing in my rwd having to get it into a lower gear midway down I'll slide cause the front wheels are not engine braking like the 4wd. Its not rocket science....

I have no reason to wanna use my brakes in the snow or ice if I don't have to.

 

Next time I have a day off, I'm going to order up some blizzaks, will report results

 

Thanks for all the input!

I've ordered some Michelin Alpin A2s - they should be mounted in a couple days - I"ll report back with handling results.

Thanks again.

 

If I put 17's on all four corners with a 235 or 225 tire, what profile should I run?

 

DO NOT RUN THE SAME HEIGHT TIRE FRONT AND BACK. You need to have at least 1/2 inch taller tire in the back for active handling and traction control to work. Stock sizes have 1 inch difference.

BTW, Michelin makes runflat all season tires in C5 sizes.

 

Snow tires on a Vette??? Truly bizarre,somebody call the automotive police ,there's a high performance felony being committed. Whats next a class III towing hitch??? You could put Paris Hilton to work in a cement factory and she probably could do the job but she, like a Vette, is designed to do other things better.I wouldn't put my vette in the snow,and Paris Hilton no cement bags for her.Everybody that has a vette has a '"B" car F/rainy/snowy days"B cars are great teat 'em like s*#! when somebody dents your "B" can you don't even get out to check the damage. Treat your vette like the special lady that she is.