descartesfool

I did a quick search but not much came up. I am new to the Corvette world as I have just ordered my first one, a C7 Z51 with mag dampers. I would like to prepare for road race track season next spring. I have run Michelin PSS on track with another car, and while OK, street tires are not my cup of tea for fun track days. The Z51 PSS's might be OK, but heavy and not likely up to steady running for 30 minutes on hot days.

I would like a low cost 18" wheel setup, both front and rear if possible to keep tire costs and total weight down. Of course if it has to be 18/19, then that might be fine, but more costly. Not looking for expensive track wheels, as those are really easy to find. Cost effective is what I want.

What sizes are good for wheels, and what offsets?

And what about tire size recommendations that match with the wheels?

I have run on Toyos, Hoosiers, Nittos and Pilot Sport Cups. I like the Nitto NT-01's both in terms of price and performance and wear. Hoosiers are better, faster, but cost per lap is much higher, and since I do a lot of track days, I like to keep costs reasonable.

Let me know what you might run, and we can all share ideas and experiences.

48supertruck

. I'm listening too.

breecher_7

Take a look at the TSW wheels. Some vendors sell them here on the forum and they are available many other places as well, shop around, you can find them VERY cheap. They make a really good strong and cheap wheel. They clear big brakes and they have a lifetime structural warranty. I have ran them and a good friend of mine runs them.

If you want a track specific tire, look at hoosiers. You can get scrub tires pretty cheap if this is for a dedicated track setup. If you wan to be able to drive it on the street, I would push you to the toyo R888 or the Nitto NT-01

Matt26

Have heard good things about finspeed wheels.

HRE quality without the HRE price. Think their stuff is around $3k for a set

breecher_7

Never heard of finspeed but HRE's are not all people think they are... Its a lot of hype and they dont hold their value if you ever plan to resell them. I sold a set on here in near perfect condition last year for $2000.00. They were over $6000.00 new.

For a racing wheel I do not feel its worth spending that kind of money or even close unless ever ounce counts and you are being seriously competitve. You can pick up a set of those TSW wheels for around a grand and they perfect for track days, they are pretty damn light to boot. And if you blow a tire or go off roading and scratch them up, who cares.

yonson

I have the TSW Nurburgring's on my S2000 and love them. They are Rotary Forged, making them strong and light, plus they are pretty damn inexpensive...

Jon H

What about C5Z wheels?

descartesfool

So what sizes and offsets work? Tire sizes too? And in terms of C5Z wheels, what sizes and offsets are those? Can you run 18" wheels front and rear and clear the brakes all around?

I found this info on C5 Z06 wheels and tires:

Rear:

Wheel size: 18 x 10.5
Offset: +58mm
Tire Size: 295/35/18
Back Spacing: 8.03” (204.05mm)

C7 Z51 OEM wheels are 19x8.5" front and 20x10" rear.

Anyone have the offset on the OEM C7 Z51 wheels?

C7 Z51 MPSS OEM tire sizes are listed as follows:

Front: 245/35/19 with an O.D. of 25.8"
Rear: 285/30/20 with an O.D. of 26.5"

with the rear tire O.D. larger than the front by 0.7", which I assume the stability control expects. Not sure what an acceptable range of O.D. difference is.

Nitto NT-01 is available in 275/35/18 with an O.D. of 25.55"
and for a larger size in 305/35/18 with an O.D. of 26.42",
difference being 0.87" which is fairly close to OEM O.D. difference and OEM front and rear overall O.D.. Those might be a size to investigate.

Trackaholic

Can't speak for what fits with the Vette, but for my 350z I have Enkei wheels and use Toyo R888 track tires. The R888 is inexpensive, comes in a large variety of sizes, and lasts quite long (maybe 10 days or more).

The Enkei wheels were a great value when I was looking 10 years ago, and have held up great for my track use.

-T

dvandentop

give finspeed a check out great quality forged rims made in the USA.

VThokies

I am looking as well. Not sure if 18" will work on the rear? So I have been looking for 18/19 as well. Of course the tires are more expensive in the larger size. I looked at the TSW wheels, but the offset on the rear is not correct as it puts the tires too far out. Forgestar F14 may work a little better for the offset, but the sizes are 19"-20" I believe. Let us know what you find.

descartesfool

I found this info from a post on the C7 wheels, but not sure if correct.

Front: 18-inch x 8.5-inch 56mm offset (Stingray) - Rear: 19-inch x 10-inch 79mm offset (Stingray)

Front: 19-inch x 8.5-inch 56mm offset (with Z51) - Rear: 20-inch x 10-inch 79mm offset (with Z51)

Any smaller wheel has to clear brake callipers and brake cooling ducts front and rear on the Z51, so that is going to take some trial and experimenting.

I also really like Enkei wheels and have been using a set of 18x10" GTC-01's on track for 5 years on my GT-R. But I checked their site and they do not appear to have any C7 sizes (5 x 120.65 bolt pattern).

Jon H

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c7-t...uspension.html

Hey Claude, check post #6. Might be worth contacting them for more info. Maybe a smaller tire can be ran without rubbing?

descartesfool

I checked that out. Wow, those guys are running 315 Hoosiers front and rear on there C7. Super wide. Here are the specs I found on those C5Z wheels and other generation wheels:

C5 (coupe/vert):
Front 17x8.5", 58mm offset = 7.03" backspace
Rear 18x9.5" 65mm offset = 7.81" backspace

C5 Z06:
Front 17x9.5", 54mm offset = 7.38" backspace
Rear 18x10.5", 58mm offset = 8.03" backspace

C6 (coupe/vert):
Front 18x8.5", 56mm offset = 6.95" backspace
Rear 19x10", 79mm offset = 8.61" backspace

C6 Z06:
Front 18x9.5", 40mm offset = 6.82" backspace
Rear 19x12", 59mm offset = 8.82" backspace

So running a 315 on a C5Z rear wheel on all four corners of their C7 which is 18x10.5" is pretty limit on what can be mounted on a 10.5" wheel. Wheel sizes listed for a Hoosier R6 315/30/18 is 11-12". They do say that tires fit but not well, and that the brake duct will be destroyed. So perhaps not the optimal solution.

descartesfool

I found some pictures showing the clearance on the Z51 suspension from Edmund's suspension walk around:
http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/t...alkaround.html

Front with plastic air deflectors for brake cooling:


Rear:


Not much clearance between the cooling ducts and the 285 size OEM tires.

Rear cooling ducts:

descartesfool

Here is a look at the front brake cooling air deflector and outlet to direct cooling air toward it:



Front suspension from the bottom showing brake cooling air deflector, attached by 2 screws to the front of the lower A-arm:



Tire width and wheel offset will be critical in not having the tire rub against that air deflector in front or the brake cooling duct in the rear.

As I am still waiting for my car, hopefully some good track wheel and tire fitments for the track will be figured out by spring.

descartesfool

FYI I checked with Tirerack last week and asked why they have hardly any wheels listed for the C7. Rep told me they have not yet had a C7 in to check fitments and clearances, and until they get there hands on one long enough to do that, they will not be able to have many offerings. I told him that they should look into 18" wheels for front and rear for track use, and he said he would pass on my request to their motorsports person who looks into such things. So one just has to wait a while longer it seems to see what choices become available.

leadville1

I am right with you on this, there was a video on this board where a SCCA racer was running Hoosiers with Forgeline wheels in 18" size so it can be done. I want to buy 18's so I can get Grand Am scrubs, incredible tires and the source is in my home state.

VThokies

Anything new to add to this?

leadville1

I am running the TSW Interlagos 18/19 with Ferrari Challenge Take off's

The Pirelli's are amazing 275 front's 295 rears