Help! Can I put 275/40-17 tires on the front of my 1995 corvette without modifying anything?

[The_Karl]

I have a 1995 Corvette (LT1) with 255/45-17 front tires and 275/40-17 rears. I've been looking around online and heard that 275/40-17s all around would be my best bet for performance without breaking the bank.

Any recommendations/insights are appreciated, I'm fairly new to doing anything with my car.

 

[boomdriver]

Its not going to work well....unless you get 9.5" wheels on all 4 corners.

You currently have 8.5" on the front. The reason for the slightly smaller tire. Having a full inch narrower wheel makes it harder for the fatter tire to fit the road with its bead pulled in like that. I'm sure some folks do it, but its not advised and certainly won;t handle great with the front tire trying to "wallow" around.

Shop Flea Bay for a couple 9.5 '95 rims that are the same finish as yours.....silver paint,. machine finish or factory polish.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Your car has base suspension so there will be little or no performance change in going to 275/40s all the way around, however, if you choose to do that, you need to change the front wheels to the 9.5x17 size.

 

[The_Karl]

Okay so its in my best interest to keep the same sizes until I upgrading the suspension and get the 17x9.5 rims for the front then? Thanks. Also while I'm here do you guys know any good brands?

 

[Tuna]

With a base suspension C4, the original front tires should be 255/45/17 and the original rears should be 285/40/17 with the narrower 8.5 front wheels.

The Z07 Vettes came with 9.5 wheels all around and 275/40/17 tires. If/When you get the 9.5" front wheels, then go with 275/40/17 tires all around.

Check tirerack.com for all the available tires in this size.

Michelin PS A/S is a great all-season tire that will last a long time.
Goodyear makes the F1 GS that looks like the tires on the C5. Okay tire.
Goodyear also makes the F1 GS D3 in this size and I highly recommend the D3.
A friend likes the BFG KDW2.

I have no experience with the rest of the tires available in 275/40/17.

 

[boomdriver]

Surprizingly, one of the more common and readily available tires that performed real well for me, was the BFG.

I am currently warning folks AWAY from Yokohammers....I have not had a tire make so much noise since I was driving a Ford F-150 with mud tires all around.....

 

[93Rubie]

My 93 HAD a 255 Front/285 Rear setup like your 95. I went to 275 all the way around so I can rotate the tires. The C4's do handle better with the sqaure setup of 275's on all fours, you need the 9.5inch wide wheels however. I did not notice a huge difference in handling or any noticeable wandering on rutted roads in the change. That being said, the car does seem to under steer less at the limit and feels more neutral than the staggered setup was. On the street you won't notice any difference, I auto-x and this is where I noticed the at the limit difference. Again, it felt more neutral and seemed to rotate better, if this is truth or not I do not know but I noticed a difference in how it felt. The Z07 package as noted offers a big time difference in handling and with 275's at all fours, what does that tell you?

Long story short and to answer your question. Yes, no changes needed other than two 9.5 wheels so they match.

I'm running Kumho Escta SPT's and I'm happy with them. On my stock sawblades one balanced perfect with NO weight needed. The others had less than 1.0z on them total. This was a dyanamic balance. I hear good things about the Continental Extreme Contact DW's and the Kumho Escta XS's. Michelin (in general) and Goodyear's (GS-D3's) are good as well if you have the coin.

The biggest benefit is front to rear rotates (directional) and with non-directional tires, you can put them anywhere you want too.

 

[Tuna]

The biggest benefit is front to rear rotates (directional) and with non-directional tires, you can put them anywhere you want too.

The stock sawblades are different left and right, so mixing a left and right wheel on the same side might look funny.

 

[93Rubie]

The stock sawblades are different left and right, so mixing a left and right wheel on the same side might look funny.

Good call, I said that thinking about my car, I have A-Mold replicas at all four so I can rotate. You could still go front to rear with the SawBlades as long as they are 9.5 front and rear. Pending you have two lefts and two rights.