what do u guys think? smaller diameter should mean lighter, and the 10.5 will mean more rubber touching the ground. i don't know how the 10.5 guys have been runnin though. r they too wide? i don't mind goin smaller; i'm a performance guy. thanks.

 

not that simple. if your talking forged, in many cases an inch of sidewall weighs more than an inch of spoke.

but extra sidewall can have a use for drag racing, and even road racing to a point(at some point the sidewall makes handling sloppy)

 

yeah; u're right. i was just sittin here, thinkin about my lack of money, and threw it out there. i would like to attempt to address my traction issues somehow though. a nismo lsd and wider wheels r the 2 things i'm thinkin about. what do u think; keep in mind, i'm poor.

 

I hope this is a track only wheel because there is no street tire available for a wheel that size thats worth a damn. When's the last time you saw a 295/35/16?

 

well, guess u wouldn't do it then. 17x10.5's? would they b street friendly? how much would tires b, u think?

 

I am interested in the same sizes myself. The people at discount tire direct say that upwards of 315/35/17 might be possible.

I asked them where I would get such rims and tires to go on them, but they havn't replied back yet.

I am thinking performance myself, and would love to solve my traction issues.

 

I you go 17" then you have some good options. The Corvette ZR1 came with a 315/35/17 rear tire so there are several brands on the market in that size.

As for wheels, you would have to go to a custom manufacturer like HRE, iForged, Kenisis, Fikse, etc. Ideally for a 315/35/17, you would want a 11" wide wheel.

 

I think 10.5 or 11 might be overkill particularly on a budget. the tread for those babies wont be cheap, might cost more than the rims. and the tread has a life span.

IMO a stock or near stock Z with no more than 300hp has little need for 295 tread. thats ALOT of rubber, and remember most of the drag on a car is its tires, not wind resistance. you only want as much rubber as you need, after the launch its just wasted weight. unless your talking autocross, and then maybe, but youll be getting new tires every month BLING BLING!

 

u definitely talk my talk.

 

where could i find some wider 17's? only thing i've seen is stock vette wheels.

 

The Nismo LSD is a great mod, but it is not cheap, about $1,400 installed. Also, if you are going to be keeping it civil for the street, and by that I mean with attitude but not so much that your girlfriend refuses to get into it, you will only set it to the medium initial torque setting. That has you chirping and barking in parking lots and slow turns at intersections. But it grabs like heck and is a mod that I really like. On the corkscrew at Laguna Seca it was just tremendous, allowing you to come on to the power hard just at the transition between 8a and 8b, and accelerate all the way through the second turn (8b) and just slingshot out of it.

On tires. My two cents is stick with 17s, remember to keep your stagger and circumference consistent with stock specs if you can. I would think that a 275 tread width in the rear, and perhaps 245 in the front would be very suitable, there are good choices in tires available as well. When you get up to 18s and 19s you really are hurting for choice. Go down in diameter and you have some trouble getting the width you want.

Watch for weight issues. If you want performance then you want to minimize unsprung weight, and some tires are really hippos in the weight department. I like the pilot sports and the S0-3's, but the bridgestones are heavy.

If you want to get radical for dry performance driving, put a set of the Toyo RA-1 track tires on the car. They will not last a long time, but wow.

Also be careful of composition. Ultra high performance or max performance summer tires get twitchy below 45 degrees F, even in the dry, and in the wet some can be downright treacherous (like the BF Goodrich G-force TA KD, which is most phenomenal dry handling but like a giraffe on a hockey rink in the wet). (the KDW is fine in the wet). Check some of the reviews for performance tires at www.xrims.com

Good luck, have fun and drive safely.

 

look at the grand prix gtp/o wheels i think they are 16 or 17 with a 9" rear. also the corvettes have a 9" front and 10 rear if you can find a set and tyhey are 18"