wheel upgrade
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 57
Likes: 3
From: Pacifica CA
wheel upgrade
Just found a crack in the rear wheel spoke on my '01 C5, second time this has happened. I hear it's a common problem with the thin spoke wheels that GM won't honor. So I'm going aftermarket and am thinking about going to a larger wheel for a possible big brake upgrade in the future. I do several track days a year so there's a need for beefier brakes, but it's also a weekend tourer so I don't want to go too radical. What's better, an 18"/19" stagger, all 18" or something else? I want a BBS style 10 spoke that won't break the bank.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,375
Likes: 328
From: CA.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15
Any tire size combination that you like is OK----THE most important thing you have to remember is : always make sure the rear tire height is very close to 1" taller than the fronts heights---The ABS system has this "split" bulit into the ABS brake controller . It is NOT tunable or changeable---IF you alter away from 1" too much your ABS system will not work correctly--OR not at all !!
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,843
Likes: 16
From: Howell Michigan
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Slinky,
Keep in mind that your overall performance can be reduced by going to larger wheels and tires. This is due to the greater rotational inertia the larger wheel and tire combination have compared to your original thin spoke wheels.
I changed out my wheels and tires for the same reason you are. After thinking about this for a long time I ended up staying with the stock size wheels and tires. The wheels are the TireRack, 17x8.5 and 18x9.5 Sport Muscle ZR Chrome. These a ZR1 look a likes. As far as tires, I wanted USA made, so I ended up with 245/45ZR -17 & 275/40ZR -18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. I have over 5,000 miles on them now. They are very quiet for road noise and stick to the ground very well. I had TireRack mount and balance the set and I’m very happy with their work.
I hope you find what you are looking for.
Keep in mind that your overall performance can be reduced by going to larger wheels and tires. This is due to the greater rotational inertia the larger wheel and tire combination have compared to your original thin spoke wheels.
I changed out my wheels and tires for the same reason you are. After thinking about this for a long time I ended up staying with the stock size wheels and tires. The wheels are the TireRack, 17x8.5 and 18x9.5 Sport Muscle ZR Chrome. These a ZR1 look a likes. As far as tires, I wanted USA made, so I ended up with 245/45ZR -17 & 275/40ZR -18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. I have over 5,000 miles on them now. They are very quiet for road noise and stick to the ground very well. I had TireRack mount and balance the set and I’m very happy with their work.
I hope you find what you are looking for.
