Staggered Tire Sizes?
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: St. Peters MO
Staggered Tire Sizes?
Cannot find this anyplace, why does the C6 have staggered tire sizes? What purpose does it serve?
Reason I'm asking is, I have had the car since 07 and I'm looking at my 3rd set of tires. I'd like to switch to 18's all around.
So, are 18's all around going to screw something up?
Recommendations for 18's.
Reason I'm asking is, I have had the car since 07 and I'm looking at my 3rd set of tires. I'd like to switch to 18's all around.
So, are 18's all around going to screw something up?
Recommendations for 18's.
Last edited by HD-Fatboy; Sep 22, 2009 at 11:39 AM. Reason: Addition
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 11
From: Greater Detroit Metro MI, when I'm not travelling.
As long as you keep the overall tire diameter the same you can run whatever size wheels you want. The staggered wheel size is for looks only. The staggered tire size was a design decision, but once it was taken it affects a lot of different factors like rake, traction control, active handling, etc, so that you must keep.
I run 18s all around: 265/35R18 front, 305/35R18 rear. Works great.
I run 18s all around: 265/35R18 front, 305/35R18 rear. Works great.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,486
Likes: 1,658
From: Las Vegas NV
The car's Active Handling and ABS is set up to expect about a 1 inch difference in overall tire diameter between front and rear.
If you change tire sizes and do not maintain this difference in diameter, the car reads the rotational speeds of each of the tires (from the sensors in each wheel hub), sees numbers it thinks shouldn't be happening under normal conditions, and concludes that your tires have lost traction. This will activate either AH or ABS at inappropriate times, and may cause loss of control.
Change wheel sizes all you want - just make sure to choose TIRE sizes so that you have about a 1 inch difference in height between front and rear (rear being taller, of course).
Cheers,
Kent
If you change tire sizes and do not maintain this difference in diameter, the car reads the rotational speeds of each of the tires (from the sensors in each wheel hub), sees numbers it thinks shouldn't be happening under normal conditions, and concludes that your tires have lost traction. This will activate either AH or ABS at inappropriate times, and may cause loss of control.
Change wheel sizes all you want - just make sure to choose TIRE sizes so that you have about a 1 inch difference in height between front and rear (rear being taller, of course).
Cheers,
Kent
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,419
Likes: 2
From: "Cedar Valley" (Northeastern) Iowa
The staggered size results in several things:
1) the larger diameter tires in the rear help with traction (both diameter and width....plus
2) more weight on the rear, thus moving the CG slightly to the rear......coming closer to the 50-50 weight distribution.
1) the larger diameter tires in the rear help with traction (both diameter and width....plus
2) more weight on the rear, thus moving the CG slightly to the rear......coming closer to the 50-50 weight distribution.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,537
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From: Bethesda MD
2) more weight on the rear, thus moving the CG slightly to the rear......coming closer to the 50-50 weight distribution.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 12,290
Likes: 2,858
From: Fort Worth, Texas
Bigger diameter does not help with traction, especially for straight line traction. 18" wheels offer plenty of performance.
I doubt that the corvette engineers added mass to the rear wheels to improve the weight distribution. Extra rotating mass just makes the car slower to accelerate.
I doubt that the corvette engineers added mass to the rear wheels to improve the weight distribution. Extra rotating mass just makes the car slower to accelerate.
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Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
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From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
The car's Active Handling and ABS is set up to expect about a 1 inch difference in overall tire diameter between front and rear.
If you change tire sizes and do not maintain this difference in diameter, the car reads the rotational speeds of each of the tires (from the sensors in each wheel hub), sees numbers it thinks shouldn't be happening under normal conditions, and concludes that your tires have lost traction. This will activate either AH or ABS at inappropriate times, and may cause loss of control.
Change wheel sizes all you want - just make sure to choose TIRE sizes so that you have about a 1 inch difference in height between front and rear (rear being taller, of course).
Cheers,
Kent
If you change tire sizes and do not maintain this difference in diameter, the car reads the rotational speeds of each of the tires (from the sensors in each wheel hub), sees numbers it thinks shouldn't be happening under normal conditions, and concludes that your tires have lost traction. This will activate either AH or ABS at inappropriate times, and may cause loss of control.
Change wheel sizes all you want - just make sure to choose TIRE sizes so that you have about a 1 inch difference in height between front and rear (rear being taller, of course).
Cheers,
Kent
San
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,419
Likes: 2
From: "Cedar Valley" (Northeastern) Iowa
Bigger diameter does not help with traction, especially for straight line traction. 18" wheels offer plenty of performance.
I doubt that the corvette engineers added mass to the rear wheels to improve the weight distribution. Extra rotating mass just makes the car slower to accelerate.
I doubt that the corvette engineers added mass to the rear wheels to improve the weight distribution. Extra rotating mass just makes the car slower to accelerate.
Traction has something to do with "foot-print" (as well as many other things including compounds, body/suspension/tire dynamics, etc), which is greater with the larger diameter tire (plus width of course).
They make such a big deal out of weight distribution .... why do you doubt they wouldn't take advantage of both features.
As far as the extra rotating mass .... these things have more power than is needed for acceration ..... thus not the issue here.
Comments???
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
You can have your opinion ........ which you didn't conclude why then!
Traction has something to do with "foot-print" (as well as many other things including compounds, body/suspension/tire dynamics, etc), which is greater with the larger diameter tire (plus width of course).
They make such a big deal out of weight distribution .... why do you doubt they wouldn't take advantage of both features.
As far as the extra rotating mass .... these things have more power than is needed for acceration ..... thus not the issue here.
Comments???
Traction has something to do with "foot-print" (as well as many other things including compounds, body/suspension/tire dynamics, etc), which is greater with the larger diameter tire (plus width of course).
They make such a big deal out of weight distribution .... why do you doubt they wouldn't take advantage of both features.
As far as the extra rotating mass .... these things have more power than is needed for acceration ..... thus not the issue here.
Comments???
If you're just after looks, disregard the above.
san
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
Because a tire is flexible the contact patch is a square or rectangle, not simply a straight line across the tread. Therefore, increasing diameter DOES increase the contact patch, although minimally.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
San
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 11
From: Greater Detroit Metro MI, when I'm not travelling.
You can have your opinion ........ which you didn't conclude why then!
Traction has something to do with "foot-print" (as well as many other things including compounds, body/suspension/tire dynamics, etc), which is greater with the larger diameter tire (plus width of course).
They make such a big deal out of weight distribution .... why do you doubt they wouldn't take advantage of both features.
As far as the extra rotating mass .... these things have more power than is needed for acceration ..... thus not the issue here.
Comments???
Traction has something to do with "foot-print" (as well as many other things including compounds, body/suspension/tire dynamics, etc), which is greater with the larger diameter tire (plus width of course).
They make such a big deal out of weight distribution .... why do you doubt they wouldn't take advantage of both features.
As far as the extra rotating mass .... these things have more power than is needed for acceration ..... thus not the issue here.
Comments???
The reason GM went with 19s on the back is for one reason and one reason only: for looks. It had nothing to do with performance.
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,419
Likes: 2
From: "Cedar Valley" (Northeastern) Iowa
Yes; That is a ridiculous theory. Corvettes have more power than what is needed for acceleration if you believe a 12 second quarter miles is "fast". The heavier wheels make the car slower to accelerate, slower to brake, and slower to turn. There is ZERO performance advantage to it.
The reason GM went with 19s on the back is for one reason and one reason only: for looks. It had nothing to do with performance.
The reason GM went with 19s on the back is for one reason and one reason only: for looks. It had nothing to do with performance.
Please note the larger rear tires weigh 7 lbs more each plus the wheel is another 2 lbs for total of 18 lbs biased to the rear of the car........don't think the GM guys thought of this in their final design strategy as well as the impact of the lighter carbon fiber front fenders.
I for one can't "see" the one inch difference in diameter when I look at the car.
Last edited by MachAll 2005; Sep 22, 2009 at 11:00 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
Fact or just opinion? .... Let's see the engineering data! IF some of the thoughts posted here are factual, then the Corvette engineers got it all wrong .... we should have wide 13 or 14" tires. I'm surprised that the biggest MODs are less diameter tires!
Please note the larger rear tires weigh 7 lbs more each plus the wheel is another 2 lbs for total of 18 lbs biased to the rear of the car........don't think the GM guys thought of this in their final design strategy as well as the impact of the lighter carbon fiber front fenders.
I for one can't "see" the one inch difference in diameter when I look at the car.
Please note the larger rear tires weigh 7 lbs more each plus the wheel is another 2 lbs for total of 18 lbs biased to the rear of the car........don't think the GM guys thought of this in their final design strategy as well as the impact of the lighter carbon fiber front fenders.
I for one can't "see" the one inch difference in diameter when I look at the car.
Performance
Large diameter wheels/tires
I know which one I'll stick with.
If you bought your Corvette to look cool, great. I expect it to perform as well as it looks.
San
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 11
From: Greater Detroit Metro MI, when I'm not travelling.
This is not an opinion. If you need me to explain to you why a larger rear wheel is not a performance advantage and why it would be ridiculous to put one on the back to "try and balance out the weight from the front of the car" I am not going to do that.
CF Lifetime Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,553
Likes: 6
From: Westlake Village CA
All things being equal the 18s outperfom the 19s. I went from 18X8.5/19X10 stock wheels with 245s and 285s to 18X10.5/18X13 with 295s and 335s and saved weight. That's five sizes larger front and rear and still lighter.
Performance
Large diameter wheels/tires
I know which one I'll stick with.
If you bought your Corvette to look cool, great. I expect it to perform as well as it looks.
San
Performance
Large diameter wheels/tires
I know which one I'll stick with.
If you bought your Corvette to look cool, great. I expect it to perform as well as it looks.
San
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 145
Likes: 0
Smaller wheel diameter will perform better when comparing 18" against 19+" wheels, but it is a true statement that a larger TIRE (not wheel) diameter does increase the contact patch. This also gives a taller tire sidewall allowing more straight line flex during hard throttle transitions.
The 19" wheel does not add anything to the performance, and just adds weight.
JMO
The 19" wheel does not add anything to the performance, and just adds weight.
JMO
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 995
Likes: 2
From: Virginia Beach VA
?
As long as you keep the overall tire diameter the same you can run whatever size wheels you want. The staggered wheel size is for looks only. The staggered tire size was a design decision, but once it was taken it affects a lot of different factors like rake, traction control, active handling, etc, so that you must keep.
I run 18s all around: 265/35R18 front, 305/35R18 rear. Works great.
I run 18s all around: 265/35R18 front, 305/35R18 rear. Works great.