FrdFrmBrdn

Just as my title says. I'm in the market for some new rims and of course bigger tires. I got a 04 C5 with stock set up of

Front: 17 x 8.5 Tire size: 245/45ZR-17
Rear: 18 x 9.5 Tire size: 275/40ZR-18

I want 18's on the front and 19's on the rear. My car is spiral grey, I'm thinking maybe a black rim with polished lip? So if you can, post pics of what you got and what they are and tire size if you could. I've looked around and am so lost on what I want and what would look good. Any info would help. Thanks guys!

Buggyman

I went with 18/19s instead of the stock size. I have not regretted it BUT I think it is important that you look at overall diameter of what you are going to put on the car to insure that they are as close as you can get to your stock height. If you don't you are going to notice a difference in acceleration, ride, etc.
I do like the black with polished lip on gray cars. The fully black wheels suck.

FrdFrmBrdn

I see alot of people talking about the height of the tire affecting the traction control as well. anyone know how big of differance between the front and rear is needed to start causing problems?

I was thinking about the height issue alittle but i figured staying as close as i could to the differance in tires now would be best. And if both front and rear did end up being taller by the same amount, i could just lower the car to compensate for the ride height increase due to the new tires.

Am i right in thinking this? or are there problems im not seeing? Like by maybe putting wider tire on would cause a problem lowering the car? Im kind of new to Vette's but have alot of expirance with other cars. Or maybe im over thinking this?

DBL98COR

I am running 19" - 20". Can not use tpms.
245/35 zr19
285/30 zr20
Nitto 555
No other issues except tpms.

Buggyman

They need to be smaller in front like the originals but I was referring to changing the overall height of them. If you raise the overall height for both tires you will throw off the speedometer and change the overall gearing. You can lower the car but that is just a looks issue I am referring to how the car runs/drives. This has been my major concern in buying wheels and tires.

SimpleTom

Hello all -

I just found this site, just purchased my C5 LeMans commorative edition
yesterday (18K miles, pictures to come)
and so I am brand new to many of the issues I am seeing here.

I see (on Craigs list) many people trying to sell their factory wheels/tire sets,
when they install something fancier. I think I could get a great price on a set of
nearly-new wheels/tires as replacements when my tires wear out.

The factory wheels on my 2004 coupe are 18"x9.5 rear and 17x8.5 front.
Will the larger diameter (19x10" rear and 18" front) C6 wheels/tires fit properly ?
Will the wider C5 Z06 wheels (18x10.5 rear, 17x9.5 front) have interference?

I understand the speedometer/gear ratio may change ... not a problem.
I do not know the overall diameter of the factory Z06 wheel/tire combo, or how much larger they are than my stock 18/17 set-up.

But will either larger set-up fit properly, without hitting the fenders or interference from the width ?

Thanks for your patience as I learn about this stuff!

Tom

099blancoss

budget comes into play as well ?

darby1981

I am in the same situation as OP, mine is '03 spiral gray coupe. I would like to move to 18"/19" rims and wider tires.
I do not want to have to do any modifications but would like to know what size tires I can use. Prefer to use run flats (not necessarily Goodyear) and would like TPMS to remain functional.
I am thinking C6 Z06 replica rims in black chrome 18x9.5" front and 19x11" rear.

Didn't want to hijack this thread but seems as we are in same situation. Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially tire sizes.

Jazzster

This usually helps for comparisons,

http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp


Jazz

SimpleTom

That site is interesting ... but is not really clear.
It states a maximum rims size for the front wheels only.
It says the 2004 non-Z06 can take up to 20"x9.5" on the front,
and the Z06 can take up to 20"x10.5".

So is there a difference in the Z06 front end that accomodates the
wider wheel, or will my coupe also take the 17"x10.5" Z06 stock front wheel?

Tom

FrdFrmBrdn

theres are some other sites i have used in the past on my other cars to figure out weather a rim or tire will fit. Hope they help.

http://www.ajdesigner.com/fl_tire/tire.php
http://www.voxwheels.com/

But im still looking for some pics of what you guys got on your cars to compare and get an idea of what they look like.

FrdFrmBrdn

For you other guys in the same situation as me. Here is a site I just found with a good selection of rims for our cars in many different sizes and width's. I also like the amount rims they have with a deep dish style. Let me know what you think. I like the rims that I have in this link. But check out the other rims they got.

http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels-fo...-p5939480.html

I am starting to think that our MSG would look better in gun metal with a polished lip like in this pic



and here is an idea of the MSG with a black rim and polished rim that I don't like as much as the gunmetal



also here is a pic of a 265/35/18 on a 8.5 inch rim (right)



for those who had the same question as me about a 275 on a 8.5 inch rim, it looks like a 265 doesn't bulge over at all and with the 275 only being 10 mm wider so 5 mm or .2 of an inch wider on each side of the rim. I don't think mounting the bigger tire on the 8.5 inch rim for the front would be a concern as far as the tire fitting on the rim.

Pics are not of my car but rather pics of people's car's I found looking through the internet.

zeevette

I have a '02Z, that hasn't been mini-tubbed, and the tires don't stick out of the fender line, but I believe they are about the maximum sizes that'll fit the rear. You can go larger than I did in the front. On 18/19 rims that're 11" wide in the rears and 9.5" in the front, I have mounted Nitto Invos in 325-30/19 R, and 265-35/18 F. No rubbing, and no cutting of the brake cooling ducts. The overall diameter of my new tires is almost identical to the stock sizes, so no issues with AH/TC. I'd recommend no smaller than 305 for the rear tires, and if you can only get a 10" wide rim (R) as some styles max out there, then 305 is the widest tire that I'd use. As far as choosing a style of wheel; you're on your own, as it's mostly a matter of taste. Stock factory C6 rims will work, but the backspacing is not ideal for a C5. HTH.

0One@D2Forged

Would you like to go with 19/20 setup? If so, we can certainly help you!

zeevette

$$$$$$, and poor traction; higher unsprung weight......

GiggityGiggity

^lol theres a ying for every yang thats for sure. Its about balance. Buy heavy replicas and thats a concern. buy higher quality lighter wheels and not so much. Theres a cost associated to what game you want to play obviously.

OP use this tool to help you choose the right the sized wheel
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

Use this tool to help you choose the right sized tires that will work for your application
http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

I have an 01 Z and just last week up sized my wheels/tires. As long as you are below 3% increase of OD on all 4 corners (within spec of front to rear OD's) then you are fine. @ 100mph the difference at max is 3mph off the speedo.

If you run your factory tire sizes through the tool, as an example, lets say the rear tires are 0.5" taller than the front. When upgrading, try to make sure that the OD difference between front and rears are as close as possible to the 0.5" and you are totally fine. I had 265/40/17 and 295/35/18 stock on 17x9.5 and 18x10.5. OD diff was roughly 0.5" front to rear. I went with CCW SP20's 18x10 front and 19x11 rear. 275/35/18 up front and 305/30/19 out back. front tire spec was almost identical to OEM being only a tad bit taller by about 0.2" and the rears were wider but also came in at about 0.2" taller so I went with those.

Also, the wheels I have were purchased from a corvette racing team that runs C6s in GT1 and GT2 class and they used the wheels for some testing, they had about 6-8 passes on the track and were mint. the price was right so I took them. A spacer is needed for the the rear, the fronts fit perfect. On my Z a 15mm hub adapter and longer studs are required to make it work. that puts the wheel in the rear back out to the factory location. I ordered 20mm hub adaptors to get more of a flush look since the front wheels sit out about 2mm further than the stock wheels. thats more for looks than anything else.

Rim colour selection...polished lips imo are played out. everyone from the tuner scene to the muscle car crowd is running a polished lip or some sort of a deep dish. deep dish are cool but stepped lip is retro and the CCW classics are a nice representation of a stepped lip. that being said, many of the german tuners are going to the stepped look now so I wanted something different. I decided to go with more of a "race" look so all black anodized finished and a moderate lips on all 4 corners. Its clean, its different and its mean looking imo.

I'd say no to the polished lip. If you insist on that look I'd say go with a black faced wheel and have the lip painted to match your body colour. it will look totally custom and you wont have the same wheel as anyone else. If you did that with a deep dish, it would look really trick. I was going to do a deep dish wheel, black faced with an anodized red lip b/c my interior is black and red but when I found the SP20s at a pretty good price I axed that once I considered the look the CCWs would give me which in fact I have not seen on any car on the street where I live and work. But thats me, I try to be different.

Good luck!

0One@D2Forged

We are able to handle the weight problem with ease, that shouldn't be a case here. But everyone wants what they think it's best. Going for higher standard quality wheels like ours may be a better choice for some. Going for lesser quality, cheaper wheels may be an option for others.

You take the approach you like! But as I've said, we can handle any request regarding sizing, fitment, finish and such

zeevette

No question, that top tier quality is going to cost more, and rightly so. I just don't think the larger size is best for a performance oriented Corvette. If looks are the primary criteria in the OP's decision, then a 19/20 combo certainly fills that requirement. I love the Spiral Gray on C5s, especially 'verts, but the above pictures show how black wheels (my favorite) don't really look right on that color. I would suggest chrome/polished, or machined, but gray's nice, too.

0One@D2Forged

Also I agree with you, but it all depends on the setup, power and where you aim to go with it! For example, we have our wheels on a 1600HP Corvette, looks awesome!

Everything can be custom made to fit the owners preferences and ideas! Yes, maybe that kind of setup does cost more, but you get more from it too!



http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...orged-vs1.html

FrdFrmBrdn

I like the idea of taking a set of rims and painting the lips the body color. Lots of good info, thanks guys so much. My budget is limited and really didnt wanna spend more the $1k on a set of rims. Only cause i still gotta buy tires.

I like the wheel offset calculator's you posted. Ive seen a few others like this and they are all helpful as each has info the others dont.

I agree the polished lip is starting to get old but i do still like the look. Ive seen a few pics of (like i posted before) with them in grey and in black on the MSG C5. I havent seen a solid black rim on the MSG C5 yet though. I know color is a preferance and some people like things and others dont. But i allways like hearing all the good and bad about what people think. It helps put things in a different perspective. Im still not sure what style or color im gonna go with. How ever all the info here has helped me decide what tire size i should go with if i do get the 10 inch rear or 11. Thanks guys for all the info.

Keep posting with your opinions and ideas. Thanks again!