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Anybody went with wheels/tires that were different from factory? Currently I noticed that mine has 18's in the front and 19's in the back. I was thinking of going 19 in front and 20 in the back. Would this affect performance in a negative way? I put bigger wheels on my daily driver and right away I noticed that my acceleration took a hit.
Anybody went with wheels/tires that were different from factory? Currently I noticed that mine has 18's in the front and 19's in the back. I was thinking of going 19 in front and 20 in the back. Would this affect performance in a negative way? I put bigger wheels on my daily driver and right away I noticed that my acceleration took a hit.
I think the reason for is that this question has been asked probably over 100 times since 2014. Do a forum search on C7s. Regardless, 19/19 will work just fine. I think most non-base models do the 19/20 setup from factory.
I went down to 18/19 from my stock 19/20... this improved the ride quality and gained better (plus cheaper) rubber selection.
The wheel to fender gap will be the same with a larger setup because the overall tire diameter is maintained to keep the computers happy. So if you want to improve that gap then just lower the car on the stock bolts.
I have a Z06 and going down to 19/19 for better tire selection. I wouldn't recommend going to 20 inch unless there is a set of rims you just have to have.
OP, in 2019, the base C7 came with 19"/20" wheels so the 19/20 Z51 wheels will fit perfectly on your car. Regarding performance, with factory size tires, the 18/19 tires have a larger sidewall compared to the 19/21 wheels. The net result is that the diameter, measured at the tire is nearly identical between the two sets of rims and factory tires. You'll probably find no difference in acceleration. Handling should improve with the tires on the 19/20 wheels as I believe they are slightly wider, but certainly have a smaller sidewall for less flex. However, your ride should become slightly stiffer if that matters.
When the C7 was first coming out, Chevrolet announced that both the 18/19 and 19/20 combination use Michelins PSS runflats.
However, they also said that although all the tires used the same tread pattern and looked identical, the 18/19 tread compound and internal construction were tilted toward comfort and tire life, while the 19/20 tires were oriented only toward performance. Whether you would notice the difference, I can't say.
Other brands might be identical in the two sets of sizes.
Handling should improve with the tires on the 19/20 wheels as I believe they are slightly wider, but certainly have a smaller sidewall for less flex. However, your ride should become slightly stiffer if that matters.
Using the OEM sizes the tire width will be the same. As noted the lower profile sidewalls are stiffer which is why ride quality goes down a notch. Plus the bigger wheels are slightly heavier which is another minus. Any grip improvements made by reducing sidewall flex are way too small to be noticeable at street speeds.
In the end the bigger wheels are all about looks. Since the Z51 came with larger wheels many believed larger = better. Now on the GS & Z06s larger wheels were required to clear the massive brakes. Still you'll find the track guys seeking out the lighter 18/19 combo since unsprung weight is the enemy.