doje

I am looking at putting Hoosier A6's on my 2007 coupe. Can I put 295's on the front wheels? I know that Hoosier recommends a 9 1/2 inch wheel, but I'm wondering if anyone else is running them on a stock front wheel?

sperkins

Pretty sure the stock wheel size is 18x8.5 - right?
You don't want to put a 295 on that.

doje

Ok. Was thinking stock was 9". However, I have tsw wheels and I know they are 9". So, anyone have thoughts on 295's on a 9" wheel? I'm running 315's on 10.5" rears.

redtopz

You could do it, but you'll have some sidewall bulge. Some of us ran 315's on 10" front rims in T1 which is the same as 295's on 9" rims. Personally, I would run the 275/35/18 on 9" rims. You won't lose any peak grip for auto-x and the fit will be better IMO. You might even get better performance out of the 275's, but that would require some testing.

autoxer6

For comparison, the "big" tire stock autocross setup is a 17" 315 hoosier A6 on the stock 9.5" wheel.

redtopz

Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a bunch of guys running that setup in auto-x. Maybe in auto-x the larger footprint and tire rollover on the rim provides better grip. I didn't like it for road racing as it made the car feel less precise, and ran the 295 on a 10" rim.

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

I would agree with that too...to much side wall roll over on the tire.

We ran a 275 on a 10.5" in Challenge for comparison.

sperkins

I'm always intrigued at why folks stuff the fattest tire possible on a wheel.
A properly matched wheel and skinny tire is better than a wide tire on too small of a wheel.
The section width of a tire is a good indicator of what size wheel is optimum. As Anthony said, a 275 (Hoosier) on a 10.5" wheel is nearly perfect (been running that combo myself for years). The wheel supports the tire and prevents the tire from rolling over. Not to mention the unsprung weight benefit of a much lighter tire.
Believe me, I've wanted to run 315's and wider for years, but I don't plan on spending a large fortune on wheels to actually get the benefit from them.

brkntrxn

Scott,

For road racing (not TT and not AX), one argument is the one I felt this past year: tire life. The 315 is a larger heat sink and does not overheat like the 275s, when mounted on the same 10.5 wheel. The 315s felt as good at the end of the race as at the beginning in the races that ran full green the entire time. Smaller tires never did that for me. Could be driving style.


-Kevin

drivinhard

Indeed, and they would still hold up the very same on a 12" wheel and "feel" better while doing it

doje

Now find me a 12" wheel that'll fit on the front of my C6 Coupe.

brkntrxn

No argument on that!

varkwso

315s on factory GS rear wheels all around. Run them for years. I did not like feel of 275 on 18 wheels. But the lap times of Scott do not lie...

AverageVetteNut

The A-stock guys have been running the same size tires that we run in SS on their cars with the stock C5 size wheels
295/35-17F
315/30-18R

I don't see an issue, but the sidewalls might not last as long with the extra bulging going on.

jamesNewman

My A-Stock FRC (and every other A-Stock car running Hoosiers) ran 295's on the front all season (the car won the Pro Solo Championship for S4 and set three top pax's at national events). 295's on an 8.5 inch wide wheel is no big deal and works great. Tire life isn't an issue.

savage

im running those tire sizes on my non-z51 c7, 2002 zo6 wheels-17x9.5 front= 18x10.5 rear. yes 17's fit the front of c7 non-z51, i dont know about fitment on z51. i also have a extra set of rears to run on the front but they just dont feel/turn as well as the 17's ? i dont know why.