billsee

Looks like the cars are coming. I ran my C6 on the same tire winter/summer but thinking for Z51 I should get and dedicate some (cheapo) rims and winter tires to the season. Anyway point me in the right direction?

BTW, I'm alive today because I was driving the C6 in snow and could make an evasive maneuver w/o losing control, instead of one of the other sports cars in my past.

Billsee

-CM-

This thread has some good discussion and info it it.

It was unfortunately derailed by a troll who apparently doesn't approve of driving Corvettes in the snow. I hope this thread doesn't suffer the same fate.

Bill17601

I am selling my c7. z-51 wheels about the end of this month. I will list them on the forum.

-CM-

Silver?

Bill17601

Yes..silver. I am replacing them with HRE's. I will have the HRE boxes to ship them which will keep them safe from damage..

themonk

price? and keep in mind that the Z51 package was $2800.

Bill17601

Price is whatever is fair. I will sell them for less then you would pay for them from Chevrolet. I have to assume the market will determine the price. At this point I do not know the price.

Greg00Coupe

Based on my experience with a 13 GS getting 19 inch snow tires that fit was a challenge. Hopefully the Michelin will do a little better in the snow. I don't think the 20 inch tires will be any better.

Obviously its not a plow so you can only drive in a few inches.

themonk

people have this misconception that you can't drive sports cars in the snow, they are wrong. The only thing limiting you really is how low you are to the ground (or how high the snow is) other that it's just the same as any other RWD car.

RearDriveV8

I have a 2009 C6 that is my daily driver. I have a second set of wheels with Blizzak snow tires that I use for winter. Normally, the C6 with Z51 has 18 inch wheels in front and 19 inch wheels on the rear. I used 18 inch wheels all the way around for winter. I was able to assemble a matching set (brand/model) of snow tires. I compensated with a larger sidewall on the rear tires to achieve the same overall diameter as my stock/summer rear wheels. This prevents problems with the traction control system. The car's computer looks for a relationship between the front and rear wheels; If the number of rotations per miles is skewed from the ratio it expects, it will throw an error message at you on the DIC (service traction control system).

The C7 with Z51 I believe runs 19 inch wheels in the front and 20 inches wheels on the rear. You may well be able to run 19 inch wheels on the entire car. You will need different size rubber on the rear to obtain the desired overall all dimension (diameter) of the wheel/tire combo. Getting all 19 inch wheels will probably be less expensive.

In my case on my C6, the challenge was a wheel large enough to fit over the front brake caliper yet narrow enough to not bind on the fender-well when fully turned. I almost could have used my C5 snow tires (the rear is 18 inches) but they were too wide for the front. I never did actually try them so perhaps they would have worked. The C5 fronts are 17" and would not fit over the brake calipers as far as I know. Had they fit, they would have lowered the car which I did not want to do. I found used C6 wheels for my car which is a C6 so it worked very well. The offsets were a challenge too. Since I used 18" front wheels on the rear, the narrower wheel and tire ended up giving me the clearance on the fender that the offset pushed outward.

C7 BOB

MY CAR LOVES TO EAT SNOW

Bill17601

Two thumbs up for Bob..

That is the way to own a Corvette. USE IT!

post-it

Bill, do you think you will have your car by month's end. I just checked with the Chevy Chat Line, they told me this week is my TPW. I went from 3300 to 3400 over the weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed.

4GS7

If I were you, I'd get a set of 19x8/8.5s for all 4 corners. If you can do 4 front Z51 wheels on the cheap, do that (I don't know if the offsets work or not). Then get a set of 235/35/19 Blizzaks for the front and 245/40/19 Blizzaks for the rear to keep the factory staggered diameter and not **** off the TC/AH.

Midsummer this year I got a set of 245/40/19 Blizzak LM-60s for like 175 each. Summer is the best time to buy snow tires because they're always on clearance.

Actually, right now 245/40/19s are still on sale for 179 each and the 235/35s are on sale for 165 each on Tire Rack. They're normally north of 250, so act fast before the prices go back up for winter.

billsee

I'd not considered anything but 19/20 inch rims, assuming that's what it takes to get over the Z51 brake rotors. I doubt anyone knows what works from experience since they've not seen one. Guess I can talk to some of the mail order rim guys. RECOMMENDATIONS for an intelligent online tire place?

My C6 handles snow just fine: I just toss skis and boots in the back and go. Obviously you have to keep your wits about you but that's true for any car. Some of the biggest winter idiots are the AWD people.

Billsee

Bill17601

Yes I think so. The line is running smoothly and the trucks are running with deliveries. As long as world peace is not challenged we will blessed with our new rides!

Daekwan06

My Michelin AS+ went thru snow filled hills with absolutely no issues. Was quite surprised to experience that when I was caught out in the surprise storm.

That said, I dont know if they come in 19/20" fitment sizes. But its a good place to start. They work really well in the spring/summer too. Great all around, true all season tires. I believe Michelin has even updated them to a newer version.

LT1_E85_Corvette

I live in Indiana and a good AS tire is all you need. If I lived in Canada, or one of hte extreme winter stats, i would go with a strict winter tire. Let's not forget that the "Weather" Mode makes drive in the snow easier, and utilizes that E-LSD; PLUS, the car has a rear weight bias! I have a good feeling that the C7 (with a good tire) will dominate in the snow

jackhall99

Properly outfitted for snow driving, the C6 does quite well.





Seriously, as a few others have stated, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus ZPs work well in reasonable amounts of snow, 3" or so in my case. More than that I will take another vehicle.

They also hook up in colder temps much better than the summer high-performance tires can ever do. You still have to respect the power and rear-wheel drive aspect of the car though.

rcallen484

Arizona Snowbowl ski slope: