Chuck. I think in 1994 -96 all vette's came with the 8.5 inch front wheel size except for the Z51 optioned vehicles which had 9.5 inch rims on all four corners. (not including ZR1, and obviously the LT-4). The change to 8.5 inch fronts was to mimic the ZR-1 profile or characteristics with its 9.5 inch front and 11 inch rear wheel sizes. Apparently the handling of the ZR1 with this dimension was superior over having the same wheel size on all 4. I think in reality the change to a smaller front wheel size made it for easier driving on local roads (some complained of constant hunting at highway speeds was due to equal sized wheels) and reduced rolling resistance which increases mileage. For all out racing the larger the tire the better for grip and performance. Remember too, the vette came from the factory tuned to it's specific design. Wheel and tire size, along with spring rate and anti roll bar sizes were a package deal and worked well. To gain the most from a change you may want to look at the whole picture (springs, roll bars and tire sizes).
