tim_briz

Just wanted to get everyone's opinion on whether they like their 16 inch rims or 17 inch rims better. I am trying to decide which route to take. The 17's look cool but when I had them before on a different car it rode real rough and got zero traction. The 16's are a little cheaper but maybe aren't as visually stunning. Let me know what everyone thinks.

GROSSPOLLUTER60

I vote for 17's ..............16's are :cool: as well......

click on link for a pic

gp :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

Jay M

Zero traction with 17's :confused: ??

I went from the little stock '68 rims and tires to 17s and I think 17s look just right on the Vette. The ride is a little harsh on a bad road, but who cares it isn't a Lexus;) But the handling is much improoved! They work very well for drag racing also.

17" rims look quite normal today. A few years ago they were considered low profile, but many cars come stock with 17s and custom cars- civics and what not are runnning 18+ sizes. What's next? Solid rubber like a fork-lift :crazy:

~Jay

terryrudy

I'd say 16s or 17s are the way to go. The key is to get wheels that will support Z-rated rubber which both will. Its personal preference after that. When I put my 17s on it rode a tad rougher (but not much) and I have TONS of traction. I kinda wish I had somewhat of a traction problem. :) Its fun to chirp 'em now and then (soI've been told ;))

I think it depends on sidewall you get. If you have an import 17s might be tougher ride, but with our Vettes, the proper size tire to retain stock size combo would be 255/50-17 and thats plenty of sidewall (see sig pic)

Anyway, here's another article that might be interesting reading. http://www.corvettefaq.com/redir.asp?site=430

good luck
-terry
ps: and I chose to run 16s instead of 17+s on my eclipse because of traction problems. Running 225/50-16 on there. My experience has been that 50 sidewall has been about a good balance for traction/comfort. Have Potenza RE730 rubber on both cars and it definitely provides the traction. (just ask the lt1 c4 I mingled with in the eclipse the other day :bb :seeya )



[Modified by terryrudy, 7:53 AM 7/31/2002]

tim_briz

I agree with the sidewalls, I ran 275/45 17's on the camaro I had before and that is where the traction problem came from. The side walls are short and stiff and will not give any, creating wheel spin I also guess that causes the stiffer ride. That car ran better with 16's but didn't look nearly as good. I think that I am about talked into ordering the 17's. Thanks for everyone's input.

gkull

You really need to go tire shopping and then get the rims to fit them. If I had it to do over i would have went with 18's because they have correct diameters in the Z-rated tires widths I need.

My 315/35/17's are only 26 inches tall. So I have taller front tires right now.

VegasJen

i say 17"s myself but that is just my personal preference. the 17" will be around for a while so tire avialability won't be an issue for 10-20 years. you already can't get decent performance tires for the 15" in our size and i think 16's won't be far behind, maybe 5-10 years. when i put mine on, the car didn't look quite right because the tires are smaller in diameter (255/45-17 front, 275/40-17 rear). this past weekend, i lowered the car about an inch and the tires now fill up the wheel well. it doesn't actually look lower, it looks like it should. for those interested, i will try to get some pictures posted soon.
as for traction and ride, i cannot figure out how you had better traction with 15's than you did with 17's. the only thing i can figure is tire pressure. i auto-x alot and have noticed the 17's are more sensitive to tire pressure. i generally run ~35psi front and ~28psi rear. any less in the front and it wants to push. any more in the back and it wants break loose.
if you don't have a gymkhana suspension or any other major changes to stiffen up the ride, i don't think you will notice an adverse effect on ride and a definate improvement in handling and responsiveness. i say, "go for it". i seriously don't think you'll regret the move.

ImBatman

What size rims and tire are those? The tread pattern looks realy :cool:

SmokedTires

The 17's were a great upgrade IMHO :yesnod: . Incredible handling difference, brought my car out of the 70's to hang with the newer rides :D .

VBP

Depending on width and offset of the rims, the 16" rims seem to have more clearance problems with the rear suspension. The 17" will tuck the spring inside the rim and go around the spring even if they're wider. The 16" will sometimes hit the sidewall on the end of the spring. We manufacture special composite springs shorter to incorporate the wider rims. The 15" and 16" are the most common sizes to do the mod for. My vote is for 17" for all the reasons.


[Modified by VBP, 1:53 PM 8/1/2002]

1Bad69

"16's aren't as visually stunning"...ahemmm.... :jester

Darkness

Good point Michael, very good point :lol:

Well it all depends on "taste" who likes what. What's pretty and what's ugly?

In my opinion C3's look better with alot of rubber so I prefer the "15's. Others might prefer "18's but IMO is too "futuristic" for the C3's
My .02 :cheers:

Robert Holtman

It is mostly a matter of personal taste but, like clutchdisk said, it will be harder in the future to buy what you want in 16" than 17". Just TRY to get ZR rated 15" these days!
But as for traction I beg to differ. When I was running 245 60 x15" I had to really try to not light the tires at every stop light. Much more traction now.
It was kind of fun though! :D

riorata

I agree with 1bad69. Ain't nothin' wrong with the looks of a 16".

BTW, 1bad69, what are the sizes etc. on your wheels and tires? Luv 'em! :cool: :cheers:

From Bahrain

River Rat (Desert Rat for now) :flag

73 LS-4

I think when everyone is referring to better traction with 16's they are saying in a straight line. It's not really a factor of 16 vs 17" rims but more of sidewall flex and ability to squat for a bigger footprint on launch, that's why drag slicks have huge soft sidewalls on them. I went with 16's as a compromise, I'm sure my car would probably handle better with 17" rims, but I may have lost just as much to the 16's in traction off the line or jumping out of the corners. I figured with a big block traction out of the hole would be my biggest problem.

:cheers:
Pat Kunz

1Bad69

riorata.. they are 16x 8 with 245/50 on the front and 255/50 on the rear...

Markm10431

finding the right fit is also the question. I would LOVE to have ZR-1 rims on my baby

ccryder

I'm with 1bad69.....the 16's look great and the change in the ride is awesome with the better rubber...

I'm running the Vintage Wheel works V-45 16X8
245/50/16 front and 255/50/16 on the rear
Dunlop SP-8000's all the way around

VBP

You could have ZR-1 rims on your C-3 with our adaptors. Our adaptors are thick pieces of T-6 aircraft quality aluminum that are very strong with studs sticking out of them that actually bolt on to the hub, then the rims bolt on the adaptor. We offer wheel adaptor sizes ranging from 3/4" to 3" to fit the late model GM 17" and 16" rims camaro or corvette. We've had many customers install the ZR-1 rims on their C-3, even with the 17 X 11's and they love them. We have customers autocrossing with them so we know they are strong enough. :yesnod:

Turbo-Jet

any pics of them mounted?