17" wheels

[try2pas]

I just attended the Black Hills Corvette Classic in Spearfish S.D.
What a nice rally that was and met tons of corvette aficianados! One thing that I found out was that there are vettes out there that have the run flat tires and don't need a spare. My tire guy said they don't make them in 15" which I have now but they do make them in 17". So if a guy went the 17", like a 255x45x17 would my ride be a lot harder or rougher or I wouldn't notice it or what? And is there any modification or do you just purchase 17" rims and slap them on? And is there a discount house where a guy could get a good price on tires and rims?

 

[White75]

A lot of people complain about the ride quality of the runflats. You'll need a tire pressure monitoring systems installed in order to see if your low on air but other than that, there is no modifications or special rims necessary

 

[6880 Mike]

There is a misconception about run flats. They are not designed to run flat forever. They are designed to run on low air pressure long enough to get you safely off the road and to a repair shop.

Run flats ride a bit stiff compared to conventional tires because of the reinforcing in the side wall. You will notice the difference. My fiancee had run flats on her '96 convertible. When tires were needed, she put conventionals on the car. Ride comfort improved enough to notice the difference.

255s are much wider than your car was designed for. You will probably have to make some room in the wheel wells.

 

[Peer81]

I thought 255s were an option in 80..

Groeten Peter

 

[ducvw2004]

I'm running 255s on my 81 with no problems, no tire rub.
And I have a 30 year old rear spring that is due replacement.

 

[try2pas]

So are you saying that the run flats ride rougher than the normal say 17" tire? And then do the 17" tires run rougher (because of the shorter sidewall) than the 15" that I am running now? And can a guy go 18" rims or is 17" the limit on our C3s?

 

[mike82]

yes you can run 18s, along with a wider wheel if you wanted,but remember the larger the wheel the shorter the sidewall will be on the tire. 17s would be my choice. 255/60s were an option in 78-82.

 

[73shark]

Another consideration w/ larger diameter wheels is the increase in rotating mass will make the car take farther to stop. Might consider a brake upgrade.

 

[Vette79]

And, the larger the wheel the more weight so you will lose some performance in getting her moving but you do gain handling performance...

 

[Art Jett]

My 18" wheels are a lot lighter than the stock alum. wheels were. I'm running 255/45-18" in the rear and 235/40-18" in the front and the ride is pretty good I think. The handling is a vast improvement!

 

[6880 Mike]

...So are you saying that the run flats ride rougher than the normal say 17" tire?...

Yes, due to the stiffer side wall.

 

[Vette79]

My 18" wheels are a lot lighter than the stock alum. wheels were. I'm running 255/45-18" in the rear and 235/40-18" in the front and the ride is pretty good I think. The handling is a vast improvement!

Really? That's great. Something for me to think about sometime.

 

[try2pas]

So is there an advantage to 18" rims over 17" rims? And why do the C 5s and C 6s have a smaller rim on the front and a bigger rim on the rear?

 

[White75]

So is there an advantage to 18" rims over 17" rims? And why do the C 5s and C 6s have a smaller rim on the front and a bigger rim on the rear?

I don't think there is really an advantage to 18s. There will be more tire choices on the 17s. 18s will be heavier compared to a 17.
C5/6s have the staggered sizes mostly for looks.

 

[try2pas]

I just weighed my 255 x 60 x 15 on stock aluminum 1980 rims and the wheel/tire weighed 45 lbs. Someone has estimated that 255 x 45 x 17 on a 1994 ZR1 wheel would weigh 53 lbs. Is there a lighter tire or and lighter wheel out there?