Reggie2006

I have a 2005 6-speed w/Z51 and had to get new wheels because one of my OEM chrome wheels was getting so corroded it was leaking and either no one was willing to strip and refinish them due to the toxicity of the chrome or it would just be cheaper to buy new wheels. No big deal, I found some American Racing AR924 wheels I liked for under $1000. I went with the stock 10" rear and 8.5" front since I just bought stock sized PS4S (non run flat) tires the year before which I love. However, these tires have looked really narrow since I got them compared to my previous Firehawk WO RFT and the original Goodyear RFTs that came on the car. Maybe because they're not run flat so the tread and sidewall are less squared? Anyways, I noticed on the Michelin website that the PS4S 295s can be mounted on a 10" and the 255s can be mounted on an 8.5". Would it be worth it to bump up the width 10mm in my next set of tires on stock sized rims? Would I actually gain anything in straight line grip or handling? Any possible adverse affects?

ProfessorDeath

Other than looking cool, there’s not much of a gain.

bigron1212

I run that exact setup on mine with the AR924 255/40/18 up front and 295/35/19 in the back. I also had those tires on my OEM gumby wheels as well.

Reggie2006

Would you say that wheel width is the limiter of rubber on the road or do you just think the 10mm difference is just negligible?

Reggie2006

Sounds like there's no downside so I might as well try 295 and 255 for my next set. For a less expensive wheel the AR924s are pretty sharp and show a lot of brake. I get a lot of compliments on them too. I just wonder how the finish will hold up over time.

Jamie Lennartson

I ran that on the stock size wheels.
no noticeable difference, besides looking slightly better.

Bat66

I was wondering the same thing, I got firestone tires on mine and need to replace but the ones I'm looking at is narrow then firehawk.

Reggie2006

If they only look narrower and are actually the same size according to the width spec I don't think that is as big a deal. Even though my Pilot Sport 4s tires look narrower than my previous Goodyears and Firehawks, they still out-grip them hands down. I guess I'm just being greedy looking for a little extra rubber on the road 🤷‍♂️

Currently from a 10 mph roll I can floor it and not spin the wheels if it's above 70 degrees which I couldn't do before the Michelins. That being said, I'm bone stock at the moment and plan on adding a few bolt-ons in the future.

grpweld

Looks like about a 1/2" wider & that could make all the difference! you can also go with 305's too

Al.B

I have been researching the subject mainly for Ax/Track tires and recently stumbled on some interesting and useful information that applies to street tires too. Tire width is misleading and isn't the best guide to selecting replacement tires, especially when you are aiming on going as wide as possible. Tirerack is the only source I've found that reports actual tread width so if you find your tire on tire rack and look in the specs section at your size, you will see tread width listed too. This is measured by tirerack i think.

Ideal size tread width from my reading is 1/2" less to max same as the wheel width. So for my stock 8.5/10" rims ideal would be 8-8.5/9.5-10" wide tread. You can fit wider but you'll sacrifice feel/response the wider you go. I know people for street and autocross run as wide as 275/305 on stock 8.5/10" rims and performs well if the tire has a stiff sidewall to support the over sized tire, but they sacrifice feel/response. I guess you can decide which way to go depending on need/goals. That size is fastest in Ax with the stiff side wall RE71R. I decide to run 255/285 RE71R (8.9/10.1") which is just a bit above this range. The other caviot is a stiffer side wall like the RE71R can handle the over sized tire better when going much larger.

For example, Tread widths on my (255/295) street Pilot 4S vs stock size:
245-40-18 8.4"
255-40-18 8.7"
285-35-19 10"
295-35-19 9.8" (i know, odd that it's a bit narrower)

Other brands will differ in their tread widths even for the same sizes.

grpweld

[QUOTE=Reggie2006;1602068429]I have a 2005 6-speed w/Z51 and had to get new wheels because one of my OEM chrome wheels was getting so corroded it was leaking and either no one was willing to strip and refinish them due to the toxicity of the chrome or it would just be cheaper to buy new wheels. No big deal, I found some American Racing AR924 wheels I liked for under $1000.

Is there a weight savings going to the AR924's?

Reggie2006

Based on https://www.americanracing.com/produ...24-cross-fire/ and https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...it-spokes.html it looks pretty negligible. Maybe like 10 lbs all around if I'm reading correctly. If you're scrapping for every lb it might be worth it, but for my street use I honestly didn't pay attention when I bought the wheels.

Reggie2006

Good info

I wonder if the 9.8" on the 295 vs the 10" on the 285 is a margin of error? If it's accurate though, going 255/285 as you did is definitely the better way to go.