Help! 16" tires for 1986?

[vettebuff]

To find 255/50-16 tires to my 86 seem impossible here in Europe.
I like to drive my vette original, with the original rims, and I hate to have to give that up. How do you c4-owners solve your tire problems?

- What 255/50-16 can I get and from where?
- What other size 16" tire would you say can be an alternative?
- If you say switch wheels; what specs should I look for so that they fit nicely within the width of the 86 body?

/P-H

 

[Toms007]

Not sure what is available in Sweden, but BFGoodrich makes a G-force Sport in that size. I've always had good luck with BFG tires.

You could go to a 17" wheel and go with 275/40 tires (255/50x16 are 26" tall, the 275/40x17 are 25.9" tall). The 17" wheels became standard in 88, if I remember correctly. The backspacing on these wheels should be the same. Then again you're in Europe and I'm not sure what is readily available to you.

 

[roger longman]

Hi, I changed to 245/50 16, but now they are becoming more difficult to find. Cheers. Roger.

 

[oldpilot]

255/50/16 tires

Hey there 'vettebuff',

Try to locate a Yokohama Tire Distributor or Dealer. Yokohama makes the AVID H4s/V4s in 255/50/16 and they should be available worldwide. I got mine from an independent tire dealer in Michigan who personally owns a couple of Corvettes. I like the way they handle and they're quieter than the Firestones they replaced on my C4. They also balanced without using very much weight. Good Luck! Drive Fast! Have Fun!

 

[vetteoz]

You could go to a 17 wheel and go with 275/40 tires (255/50x16 are 26 tall, the 275/40x17 are 25.9 tall). The 17 wheels became standard in 88, if I remember correctly. The backspacing on these wheels should be the same..

Backspacing changed with rim size in '88 (56mm vs 38mm ) 17" C4 rims on early cars require 3/4" adapter to position wheel in correct position

 

[vetteoz]

What 255/50-16 can I get and from where? If you say switch wheels; what specs should I look for so that they fit nicely within the width of the 86 body?

Falken do a 255/50 x 16 (ZIEX ZE-512) They have a German site online ,
A 17 rim requires a 38mm offset to be a direct bolt on. More commonly available are the later C4 17" rims that bolt on but sit inside the guard unless a adapter is used to reposition

Corvette Wheel Adapter Set, 16" To 17", 1984-1988

 

[vettebuff]

hi oldpilot
I saw on a US website (TireRack) that the Avids are called "all season" and interpreted that as being more like a winter tire (mud and snow?).
At the same site the BFGoodrich g-force Sport are listed as "summer" tires. As I only drive during summer I looked at the BFs. I thought I get better stability and cornering with "summer" tires. Can you advise?
At the moment I have some Yokohamas on the car but I don't think they are called Avid. I hate them, no grip whatsoever (and a very strange looking threadh pattern, not like the one in the picture at TireRack, more like a v-shape in the middle about half the width of the tire). Do yours look like the ones picture on this link: Yokohama AVID V4S

 

[Hot Rod]

Strange that they are so hard to find. I guess you have already tried dackonline.se and gummihuset.se, I found nothing there. Tried 255/55-16 and found some but they are a bit taller...

Some info about C4 wheels here http://www.joby.se/corvette/div/corvette_wheels/ also has a good tire calculator where you can check diameter of other tire sizes.

Tried any of the 2 Swedish Corvette forums?

 

[Hib Halverson]

It's getting harder to find tires in that size, but they do exist.

In the U.S., Tire Rack, only shows two brands, Yokohama and Goodrich, as selling a street tires in that size. Go to Search for Tires by Size

I've also heard that Michelin has the Pilot Sport in that size and that Falken has a tire in that size.

I'm not sure what of the brands mentioned are available outside the U.S.

 

[vettebuff]

No, have not tried Swedish forums. Please post links!
Am at the moment considering the BFGoodrich from Tirerack. Will just wait one more reply from a dealer in Sweden.

 

[Hot Rod]

Svenska CorvetteForumet. - Powered by vBulletin and www.clubcorvette.se • Index

Lycka till med däcken.

 

[oldpilot]

hi oldpilot
I saw on a US website (TireRack) that the Avids are called "all season" and interpreted that as being more like a winter tire (mud and snow?).
At the same site the BFGoodrich g-force Sport are listed as "summer" tires. As I only drive during summer I looked at the BFs. I thought I get better stability and cornering with "summer" tires. Can you advise?
At the moment I have some Yokohamas on the car but I don't think they are called Avid. I hate them, no grip whatsoever (and a very strange looking threadh pattern, not like the one in the picture at TireRack, more like a v-shape in the middle about half the width of the tire). Do yours look like the ones picture on this link: Yokohama AVID V4S

Yeah, mine look like that! I know the BFGs are good; I have TAs on one of my pickups; but it says they're not good under 40 degrees(the BFG Sports). That happens 8 or 9 months of the year around here, and I don't want to be that limited in my driving. The Yokohamas handle great! Yhe '84 goes around corners like it's on rails; it was 31 degrees the last week and there was frost on the side streets; no problem. The young guys around here use the AVIDs on their Subarus. Sounds like you have the A550V Yokohamas.

 

[tonyponykay]

yokohama tires?

in regards to the Yokahama for 16inch rims:

"Try to locate a Yokohama Tire Distributor or Dealer. Yokohama makes the AVID H4s/V4s in 255/50/16 and they should be available worldwide. I got mine from an independent tire dealer in Michigan who personally owns a couple of Corvettes. I like the way they handle and they're quieter than the Firestones they replaced on my C4. They also balanced without using very much weight. Good Luck! Drive Fast! Have Fun!"

The yokahama's have an "r" rating, not "zr" rating, but they are all season tires, will that make a difference? Some shops won't put a "r" rated tire on a corvette rim for some reason.

thanks
tony

 

[vettebuff]

Thanks. However, I got the BF Goodrich and just got the car out for the season. Not much testing yet (the alternator died today). But the noise level is ok I think.

 

[oldpilot]

Actually, the Yokohamas have a 'V' rating (149 MPH), but they are all weather tires where the BFG tire is classified as a summer tire.

 

[oldpilot]

An apology for the late response. I'm recovering from open heart surgery, so my son has been "testing" the speed rating on my Yokohamas. Unfortunately, they're still attached to my
C4, which is also undergoing "testing". ( Gotta drive it Dad, or the battery might go dead!). Good thing I love my children!

 

[boomdriver]

No worries ! take your time, recover fully and don;t worry about the car or the kid. Better your son fall in love with your corvette than many others things out there ! Besides, he'll only "speed test" one set of tires....the first set that he has to pay for !

 

[oldpilot]

I don't mind that my son drives my C4. It's good that he likes the things that I like! Plus he washes and waxes it! Now, my sixteen year old granddaughter, she also likes the 'Vette'. She's a good driver and she has some technical skills with cars and such, but I gotta watch her and make sure she really knows what a Corvette is. She's not an air-head, and she appreciates the condition of the car and the way it sounds, but she is sixteen! I gotta watch that she doesn't give me another heart attack!