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That’s what I will probably end up doing, problem is I actually like the looks of the standard wheels but if cannot get tyres no choice
Same here, I really like the look of the original 16"x9.5" sawblade wheels, especially with the silver centres they did for 1987. The wheels are in 95% good condition, so nearly perfect. My goal has been to seek every option to retain them first, if it comes down to the worst case, then I would probably consider the 1992+ 17"x9.5" sawblade wheels.
Nice Car, Good luck with it. My "fix' on my '87 for the lack of tire options on the stock rims:
Beautiful! Those 17" sawblades look awesome. Pretty sure this would be my choice if I decided to go with a different set of wheels. There is a pretty nice set from a 1992 C4 about 2 hours from me, asking $700 CAD.
Did you have to run spacers with those wheels? The original wheels have a 38 offset, and I think I heard those newer 17" wheels have a 50 offset. Or can you find them with the same offset?
Yes, I use a 20mm spacer front and rear and they look perfect. I've had (4) C4's, and this was the only automatic, so it got "put aside" in the garage for about 15 years and I just decided to dig it out and use it for my local driver about a year ago. I've always liked the look of the sawblades and ran across a nice set. I wanted to retain a stock look that was period correct.
Yes, I use a 20mm spacer front and rear and they look perfect. I've had (4) C4's, and this was the only automatic, so it got "put aside" in the garage for about 15 years and I just decided to dig it out and use it for my local driver about a year ago. I've always liked the look of the sawblades and ran across a nice set. I wanted to retain a stock look that was period correct.
Ok, good to know. Thanks for the info on the spacers. Great looking C4!
Thanks. I always liked the Silver Beige color so when I saw the car, I picked it up, but since I normally buy manual cars, I never really put a lot of miles on it. Now that I'm 53, sometimes it's nice to just get in and take a nice cruise without all of the shifting. (Especially after 2 shoulder surgeries), so now I really like driving the C4 / Auto.
If you do wind up going with adapters. Make sure you get ones with the correct 70.3mm center bore. You'd be surprised how many hubcentric adapters there are out there that are made with a 70.5 center bore (not a 70.3). While they will fit onto the car ok, they are no longer hubcentric AND factory rims with the 70.3mm center bore size won't fit onto the adapter ! It's crazy. (and a big waste of time). Many aftermarket rims seem to have a little larger center bore and they will seem to work, but I wanted to use the stock sawblades. Most of the factory rims are a VERY unforgiving / actual 70.3mm, so why manufactures make the adapters 70.5mm is beyond me.....
I've been real happy with the ones from Premier Auto Accessories . Many use the 1" spacers but I've found the 3/4" / 20mm spacers are perfect and don't push the wheels out too far. The 1" thick adapters push the rims out flush which also look good, but depending on rim or tire, sometimes (to me) they look like they are just barely sticking out from the fender lip, so I like the 3/4" ones.
Hubcentric 5X120.65 with 70.3 Center Bore, 12X1.5 studs and 20MM thickness (appx 3/4") work really well.
Thanks. I always liked the Silver Beige color so when I saw the car, I picked it up, but since I normally buy manual cars, I never really put a lot of miles on it. Now that I'm 53, sometimes it's nice to just get in and take a nice cruise without all of the shifting. (Especially after 2 shoulder surgeries), so now I really like driving the C4 / Auto.
If you do wind up going with adapters. Make sure you get ones with the correct 70.3mm center bore. You'd be surprised how many hubcentric adapters there are out there that are made with a 70.5 center bore (not a 70.3). While they will fit onto the car ok, they are no longer hubcentric AND factory rims with the 70.3mm center bore size won't fit onto the adapter ! It's crazy. (and a big waste of time). Many aftermarket rims seem to have a little larger center bore and they will seem to work, but I wanted to use the stock sawblades. Most of the factory rims are a VERY unforgiving / actual 70.3mm, so why manufactures make the adapters 70.5mm is beyond me.....
I've been real happy with the ones from Premier Auto Accessories . Many use the 1" spacers but I've found the 3/4" / 20mm spacers are perfect and don't push the wheels out too far. The 1" thick adapters push the rims out flush which also look good, but depending on rim or tire, sometimes (to me) they look like they are just barely sticking out from the fender lip, so I like the 3/4" ones.
Hubcentric 5X120.65 with 70.3 Center Bore, 12X1.5 studs and 20MM thickness (appx 3/4") work really well.
Wow, this is awesome info! Just saved me some potential headaches on the 70.3 vs 70.5. Appreciate you sharing your experience.
Wow, this is awesome info! Just saved me some potential headaches on the 70.3 vs 70.5. Appreciate you sharing your experience.
No problem. I must have emailed 4 different vendors and all 4 said their adapters are correct for the car. (which seemed odd to me). But finally I ordered a set and surprise, they didn't work.... When I questioned "why 70.5" ? They said "that's how they are listed, but they will work with my / ANY C4 and factory rims. (I specifically asked about factory rims). Basically, they make the adapters "generically" fit a wide range of cars. @ 70.5" the adapter will fit onto the 70.3mm hubcentric lip on the Corvette's hub, but then it's no longer hubcentric since the adapter is 70.5mm and allows movement. (Which is fine I guess, just like older cars. There are millions on the road and wheels normally just don't come "flying off", but I feel that they design them hubcentric for a reason so I'll stick with that). But as stated above, the factory rim center bore is 70.3mm so that will never bolt on to the adapter which has the 70.5mm hubcentric lip.
More annoying : All 4 vendors emailed back and said the same thing: "We've sold hundreds / thousands of these and NEVER received a complaint that they won't work with factory rims". ( NEVER???? I find this impossible to believe). I replied back and asked them: "How the hell will a rim with a 70.3mm bore fit onto an adapter with a 70.5mm hubcentric lip" ???? No reply back..
Since many aftermarket rims will sometimes have a slightly larger hub bore, they probably work just fine (although they won't really be hubcentric at that point). I'm happy with the adapters above because, at the correct 70.3mm, "on the backside of the adapter, the adapters fit onto the hubs perfect, just like the stock rims - no movement or play. Then, the rim installs onto the adapters hubcentric lip which is 70.3mm and feels just like putting the rim on the hub with no adapter - also no movement or play. Just like 2 machined parts going together like originally designed.
Hi JJ, saw you over on CCF as well i think. C4 section there is extremely quiet.
Personally, if they are given a once over by yourself for huge cracks, id have no issues driving daily on those tires, until a better option is found. Obviously no performance driving. I do hpde and race. I would daily on those.
Especially if you are considering taking the time to source a new set of rims and with modern tire sizes. I have a set of decent 92 rims id sell you for 300 but im in calgary and shipping would probably be killer as i think u r in Ont.
I drove a jalopy 90 with tires from 2002 all the way from grand junction colorado to calgary. the tires were cracked! bad! and never got any worse while driving. watched them close and listened and felt for changes. they didnt change. i kept it under 120kph.
before the do-gooders jump on me, im only sharing whats worked for me.
i found this thread on the proxxes tq. sounds like they make a great tire and i think i saw 159 each? not bad.
Hi JJ, saw you over on CCF as well i think. C4 section there is extremely quiet.
Personally, if they are given a once over by yourself for huge cracks, id have no issues driving daily on those tires, until a better option is found. Obviously no performance driving. I do hpde and race. I would daily on those.
Especially if you are considering taking the time to source a new set of rims and with modern tire sizes. I have a set of decent 92 rims id sell you for 300 but im in calgary and shipping would probably be killer as i think u r in Ont.
I drove a jalopy 90 with tires from 2002 all the way from grand junction colorado to calgary. the tires were cracked! bad! and never got any worse while driving. watched them close and listened and felt for changes. they didnt change. i kept it under 120kph.
before the do-gooders jump on me, im only sharing whats worked for me.
i found this thread on the proxxes tq. sounds like they make a great tire and i think i saw 159 each? not bad.
I'm certainly not a "do gooder" by any stretch of the imagination, and I definitely won't jump on you, but I do disagree with your advice. Old tires like that can delaminate at any time without warning. It can be especially bad if it's a front tire, and not just for the the tire and the car, but for the driver and other drivers on the road. I'm not willing to take chances like that.
You were extremely lucky making that trip driving on tires like you described. Things could have headed south for you in a big hurry.
advice is a very different thing than sharing ones own experience.
by the way, have you personally had a tire come apart while driving due to age and cracks?
cheers. VT.
I have. It was in my younger years where paying attention to things like tire age were non existent. My mentality at that time was, "If it has tread, and the pressure is correct, it's good". It happened on a trip my wife and I took a trip to Marco Island FL, in a 1978 Z28 with old tires on it. We were lucky that the RF tire didn't decide to give up the ghost until after we arrived. The tread came apart while we were on our way out to dinner the night we arrived. It did a little damage to the fender and scared the heck out of us when it let go. We considered ourselves very lucky. Had that happened on the interstate during the trip down, the outcome could easily have been very different...and not in a good way.
That was a turning point for me in paying attention to tire condition and age.
Hi JJ, saw you over on CCF as well i think. C4 section there is extremely quiet.
Personally, if they are given a once over by yourself for huge cracks, id have no issues driving daily on those tires, until a better option is found. Obviously no performance driving. I do hpde and race. I would daily on those.
Especially if you are considering taking the time to source a new set of rims and with modern tire sizes. I have a set of decent 92 rims id sell you for 300 but im in calgary and shipping would probably be killer as i think u r in Ont.
I drove a jalopy 90 with tires from 2002 all the way from grand junction colorado to calgary. the tires were cracked! bad! and never got any worse while driving. watched them close and listened and felt for changes. they didnt change. i kept it under 120kph.
before the do-gooders jump on me, im only sharing whats worked for me.
i found this thread on the proxxes tq. sounds like they make a great tire and i think i saw 159 each? not bad.
Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I'm over on CCF as well...but ya a little quieter there.
Also thanks for the offer on the wheels and the link for the experience/feedback on the Toyo TQs! Very helpful. It does seem there are quite a few people who run the TQs daily with good success.
I would say I'm leaning 60% towards running smaller 245/50R16 Cooper Zeon tires, and 40% leaning towards running some 255/50R16 Toyo TQs. Thankfully there is still a foot of snow here and some freezing temps, so I have a few more weeks to figure it out.
Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I'm over on CCF as well...but ya a little quieter there.
Also thanks for the offer on the wheels and the link for the experience/feedback on the Toyo TQs! Very helpful. It does seem there are quite a few people who run the TQs daily with good success.
I would say I'm leaning 60% towards running smaller 245/50R16 Cooper Zeon tires, and 40% leaning towards running some 255/50R16 Toyo TQs. Thankfully there is still a foot of snow here and some freezing temps, so I have a few more weeks to figure it out.
Josh
I have a 1985 Z51 and I bought brand new 255/50R16's BFG Sport Comp2 tires 2 years ago. At the time, there were 2 other street legal options in this size. I have read that the only cars to use this size are 84-87 Corvettes and one Ferrari model. Not exactly a high market for this size.... I think the 245/50R16 tires will be around for a while as many other cars used these (including Camaros and Firebirds). I found 7 street legal options on the Discount Tire website for 245/50/R16. I love the factory tires, so It's nice we have the 245/50/R16 option. Keep in mind that the ride height and speedometer accuracy will change slightly (speedometer will read 1.5% higher than actual speed).
Also note that 255/45/R17 and 255/40/R18 tires have the exact same overall height and have many tire options. But the challenge will be finding a wheel with the correct 38mm offset.
Here is a link to a useful website to calculate the effects of different tire options on height, clearance, etc.https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/
I think you're going to have a lot of people disagree with you, myself included. Driving on 19 year old tires is NOT safe. Period.
A quick google search will confirm this. You've given not only bad, but reckless and dangerous advice.
Hey, Red you can have a different opinion than me but don't call me out as giving reckless and dangerous advice. If you read my post it implies that those tires need to be replaced just that the car needn't be stationary until they were. I never said to completely ignore the tires condition.
A quick thought on the tires.If they have no cracks they are serviceable for use on the street.If you plan high speed aggressive driving, street or track, find new tires.
Originally Posted by DALE53
Hey, Red you can have a different opinion than me but don't call me out as giving reckless and dangerous advice. If you read my post it implies that those tires need to be replaced just that the car needn't be stationary until they were. I never said to completely ignore the tires condition.
Ok DALE53, I'm not going to get into a back and forth with you on this, but please tell me how this statement from your original post:
"If they have no cracks they are serviceable for use on the street"
In any way implies: "that those tires need to be replaced just that the car needn't be stationary until they were."
It does not. You clearly tell the OP that if the tires have no cracks and he's not planning on aggressive street or track driving that they are serviceable for street use. Period.
I stand by my original reply to you. You stated an opinion. I stated a fact. Cracks or no cracks, 19 year old tires should not be considered safe and serviceable for use, street or track.
Ok DALE53, I'm not going to get into a back and forth with you on this, but please tell me how this statement from your original post:
"If they have no cracks they are serviceable for use on the street"
In any way implies: "that those tires need to be replaced just that the car needn't be stationary until they were."
It does not. You clearly tell the OP that if the tires have no cracks and he's not planning on aggressive street or track driving that they are serviceable for street use. Period.
I stand by my original reply to you. You stated an opinion. I stated a fact. Cracks or no cracks, 19 year old tires should not be considered safe and serviceable for use, street or track.
Well since you asked and don't want to get into a back and forth, I will tell you. I feel confident that my OPINION was completely understood by the OP. You however seem to need a chapter and verse explanation which I failed to provide so you could fully understand. You stating that my opinion was wrong and dangerous was your opinion which you should have clearly stated. That was BS to say that. Other posters have the same opinion as you but somehow they managed to state theirs without trying to come across as the guy who's never wrong. That must be a Hell of a burden on you. State your opinion but don't demean others on this forum that you don't agree with.
I have a 1985 Z51 and I bought brand new 255/50R16's BFG Sport Comp2 tires 2 years ago. At the time, there were 2 other street legal options in this size. I have read that the only cars to use this size are 84-87 Corvettes and one Ferrari model. Not exactly a high market for this size.... I think the 245/50R16 tires will be around for a while as many other cars used these (including Camaros and Firebirds). I found 7 street legal options on the Discount Tire website for 245/50/R16. I love the factory tires, so It's nice we have the 245/50/R16 option. Keep in mind that the ride height and speedometer accuracy will change slightly (speedometer will read 1.5% higher than actual speed).
Also note that 255/45/R17 and 255/40/R18 tires have the exact same overall height and have many tire options. But the challenge will be finding a wheel with the correct 38mm offset.
Here is a link to a useful website to calculate the effects of different tire options on height, clearance, etc.https://tiresize.com/wheel-offset-calculator/
Thanks for the info. Ya I really enjoy the factory wheels, so will be trying to keep them. I've spent plenty of time on tiresize.com trying to formulate other tires options that would work . I almost had a source for some used Yokohama 255/50R16 tires on rims, but they sold before I could get there. As we just got another foot of snow last night up here, time is on my side at least...
01-27-2022, 10:13 AM
. I almost had a source for some used Yokohama 255/50R16 tires on rims, but they sold before I could get there. As we just got another foot of snow last night up here, time is on my side at least...
