m3to335

In a couple days Im picking up an 07 Z06 and plan on tracking the car. Up till now I've been tracking bimmers but thought "what the hell" and pulled the trigger on the Z.

This is definately a newbie question, but I'd like to put together a low cost wheel/tire combo to track with. I plan on running scrubs but as far as wheel recommendations/sizes Im clueless. I know running stock 19s is definately out of the question

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

manicheus

If you already have a trailer and are committed to trailering the car to the track, two choices are OEM rims with Hoosiers, or CCW wheels 11x18 in front 13x18 rear, which gives you more tire options. If you are just running in HPDE, you might want to stick with street rubber (Michelin PS2's are a good choice). You will still be faster than 95% of the cars out there and spend less on tires, bearings, etc. Have fun, be safe and welcome to the Corvette world!

m3to335

If your in Northern VA, you most likely hit VIR? I'd be primarily doing VIR and CMP with this car. My first event with the Z is the instructor clinic at CMP next month

Im not trailering the car, though Id love to be able to find a small one to pull the wheels/tires behind the Vette (EEK). Actually the wheels/tires are being thrown in my friends Panoz trailer. We typically pair up at these events.

After running R comps and so forth for a while, its going to be hard to go back to street tires. I found a guy who carries decent Hoosier scrubs for $100 a pop, so thats an option. When you say OEM rims, do you mean the 18/19s? I dont think he has hoosiers in 19s.

manicheus

I do spend a fair amount of time at VIR. I will be there with the Audi Club June 11 and 12 and NCM June 29 and 30.

I did mean 18/19's. Hoosier makes a 19 that fits the OEM wheels. CCW 18's may be your best bet.

mcar00

CCW 18's may be the most popular track wheel out there for a C6 Z06 so you should be able to find a used set or just call John at CCW.

dvandentop

CCW as there is a huge assortment of used race tires in the 18x11 and 18x13 sizes.

the 19 inch rears get pretty spendy and cannot find any used ones for a decent price

m3to335

19s are too big Can I run stock 18s all around?

Should I just keep my eyes open on this forum, or is there another good hot spot to check out? I have to have something in hand in the next couple weeks before this event.

Yup 19s are spendy. Other than CCW, are there any budget setups?

dvandentop

some guys use the c5 z06 rears all the way around which you can run 305 all the way around which is a cheap solution

m3to335

No kidding, really? That would be a good option. Finding 4 rears should be an interesting task. Whats the width/offset of stock C5Z rears?

GrantB

325/30/19 Hoosiers are only $60 more than 315/30/18s. Plus the car's suspension geometry was designed to run a staggered tire setup. I would much rather have the wider rear tires and wheels of the C6Z setup over the C5Z.

What do you have against 19s? If you're going to be running Hoosiers, you've got tires available for them.

manicheus

If you are worried about cost, then go with street tires. You can use your OEM rims and the tire cost per event will be much lower. Sure Hoosiers will allow you to get around the track faster. But if you are just running HPDE, you will be faster than most anyway, and you will learn just as much running on street tires. If you start racing, or get bored running on street tires, then get some dedicated track wheels and slicks.

m3to335

Then the C5Z wheels aside, I've been told a vendor on here sells 18x13 C6 z06 reps for around $225....just have to figure out who Then I guess I could run those in the rear and find a spare set of stocks for the front.

I dont have anything against 19s, but scrubs should be easier to come by in 18's. Then again, I just found out that my scrub hookup may not have the size I want regardless He carries 275s and 345s. Can you say understeer!


I've always had 2 or 3 sets of wheels & tires (track, street, show) so Im fairly certain this car will be no exception. At the very least track and street. This event is a 3 day HPDE + instructor class so I'd be burning them up pretty well. After running track tires for a while, it would be hard to switch back. Not saying I wont....just saying.

95jersey

Yes, there are budget set ups!!!

I also have a C6Z that I have been running for 2 years now. I am very budget conscious and as such use the OEM's as my track wheels (as they are excellent strong wheels) and I bought a set of reproductions for the street. Your never going to hit corner forces on the street, so the repro's are perfect for that application, and using trusted OEM's on the track works out as well so you don't compromise on safety. I recently bought a set of 2009 black spyders for $899.

All of the above are great options, and I am just throwing another one out there. I run 285/30's on the OEM fronts and 345/30's on the OEM rears and they fit/work PERFECT!

Buying ANY custom rims is going to cost $2000+. The difference between 18" 345 rubber and 19" 345 rubber in nominal. By using your OEM's as the track rims and buying some repo's for the street, it would take 8+ seasons before CCW's paid for themselves with the price difference on new tires.

manicheus

This math may be true for new Hoosiers, which will be your only choice for the 19's. Unless you go to 18s, you won't likely find any scrubs, and you won't be able to try other (e.g., cheaper) R compound brands.

95jersey

You are correct. So for used tires you have to think about how long before you get the $1300 back. You will save a lot using scrubs, but even 345/18's are hard to find.

Timz06

I think running on a tight budget, and tracking a c6 z06 are mutually exclusive ....a c5 would have been a much cheaper choice. It seems the options listed above are the only ones. The brakes are also an expensive item.

Tim

gonzalezfj

If you are looking for Hoosier scrubs, then you need to use 18" wheels front and rear. Two caveats:

1) DON'T RUN REPRO WHEELS AT THE TRACK!!! I'm shouting to make sure you hear me. Only use known quality wheels at the track. Your life (and maybe that of others) is not worth the savings you may get by buying cheap wheels.

2) If you are planning to run at high speed tracks, i.e.: VIR, etc. with 18" wheels in the back, MAKE SURE you take the car to a knowledgeable Corvette shop to adjust the rake in your car back to factory specs. If you don't, you will likely experience high-speed handling issues. That is NOT fun.

Then, enjoy...
Frank Gonzalez

GrantB

For what its worth, I'm going to run four 18x10.5 C5 Z05 Speedline wheels on my C5. I'm having the rears widened as much as possible (up to 18x13) by Weldcraft. The Speedlines are very light (20.8 lbs, before widening), cheap and reliable.

The wider C5Z-style repros are a lot heavier than OE C5Z wheels.

m3to335

No repro's, got it. But are there any stock 18" wheels I can throw in the back? Also, throwing off the rake would be dictated by tire diameter. Is it that I only have one diameter option? I've heard of people running 305s all around. (weather or not thats good, I dont know).

Yup, Im trying to stay away from the 19s unless its my last resort.

Where did you get your spyders and tires. Also, what type tires do you run?