Finding the Right Tires for a Corvette
If you own a high-performance sports car like the Chevy Corvette, it is essential to equip it with high-performance tires. But do not fret; you can find some fantastic discount tires in Cincinnati. You don’t have to spend your life’s savings on tires, but good rubber will transform your vehicle’s handling and show immediate results on the road or on the track. However, the world of tires can be confusing to the uninitiated. Further, the constant introduction of new tire designs means that even if you currently have an older set of tires that you like, there may well be better options available today. So today, we at McCluskey Chevy are going to help you navigate the tire options for Corvettes.
While most of the options here will be suitable for many generations of the Corvette, we will be focusing on the C7 as it is the most common variant currently on the streets. Since its introduction for 2014, the Corvette C7 has had a variety of different wheel and tire options. However, all of them use a larger wheel and tire on the rear axle than on the front axle. This sort of set up is common on rear-wheel drive sports cars as it provides additional grip for the driven rear wheels. But it is something to keep in mind when shopping for new tires.
C7 Wheel and Tire Sizes
There are three basic wheel and tire combinations for the Corvette C7. The base Corvette Stingray came from the factory with 18-inch front wheels and 19-inch rear wheels wearing 245/40 and 285/35 tires, respectively. The Z51 upgrades this to 19-inch front wheels and 20-inch rear wheels with 245/35 and 285/30 tires. The more performance-oriented Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1 trims also use 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels but have wider wheels equipped with 285/30 and 335/25 tires. These wider wheels and tires cannot be fitted on the Stingray and Z51 trims because the performance trims actually have a modified body with larger wheel arches.
In general, it is best to stick with the wheel and tire sizes that your car came with from the factory. While there are various non-standard wheels and tires that can fit on your Corvette, using these can dramatically alter your car’s handling characteristics, possibly in unsafe ways. This is especially true of cars such as the Corvette that have different front and rear tires, as altering that ratio can change the balance of grip and may push the car towards oversteer or understeer. The manufacturer chose the stock combination for a reason, and it will usually provide the best all-around performance.
Tire Types
There are many different types of tires available, but most of these are unsuitable for a high-performance sports car such as the Corvette. To get the most out of your car, you will want to stick with performance summer tires. Unlike the all-season touring tires found on most cars, performance summer tires provide the extra grip you need to fully utilize all of the power than the Corvette offers. However, performance summer tires will not do as well in cold weather or when dealing with ice and snow. So if you are one of those rare people who drive a Corvette year-round in a northern climate, you should make sure to get a set of winter tires as well for safety.
But not all summer tires are created the same, and when dealing with a car as powerful as the Corvette, lesser tires can be outright dangerous. All tires have a speed rating, and exceeding that rating can result in tire failure. Any tires that you put on a Corvette should have at least a “Z” speed rating, declaring them good for speeds of over 149 MPH. Even if you never plan on driving that fast, the high-speed rating is necessary to handle the harsh acceleration, braking, and turning that a Corvette is capable of. If you do intend to regularly drive your Corvette at the limit, then “W,” “Y,” and “(Y)” tires offer even higher speed ratings and durability.
Top Tire Picks
The safest tire pick for any car is the same tire that it came with from the factory. And in the case of the C7 Corvette, Chevy chose the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. This is an ultra-high performance summer tire with a “Y” speed rating declaring it good enough for speeds of up to 186 MPH. And the Michelin Pilot Super Sport has a lot more going for it than just Chevy’s recommendation. In fact, it is widely considered to be the gold standard of modern performance tires. However, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is now being replaced by the newer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. This tire did not exist when the Corvette C7 was released but offers even more grip than the Michelin Pilot Super Sport without sacrificing bad weather performance or tire wear.
But it is difficult to go wrong with any Michelin product. Michelin is not only the largest tire manufacturer in the world; it is also among the oldest. And over the years, the company has been responsible for many tire innovations that we now take for granted, including designing the very first tubeless tires and the first radial tires. Today Michelin remains the market leader and continues to push the envelope of tire technology.
However, Michelin products do tend to command a premium. So if you are looking to save a bit of money without sacrificing quality, here are some solid alternatives. Continental is another established high-quality tire manufacturer, and the Continental ExtremeContact Sport and Continental SportContact 6 designs are every bit the equal of the Michelin products. While these tires exist in the same market space as the Michelins, prices fluctuate, and having an alternative may let you take advantage of tire discounts.
But to really save some money, you will have to move away from the market leaders like Michelin and Continental. Fortunately, there are some extremely high-quality tire manufacturers such as Hankook that do not yet have the name recognition of the top dogs. A relatively new company from Korea, Hankook provides exceptional value products without cutting corners. Its current max performance summer tire is the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2. With high grip and a “Y” speed rating, this is not a budget tire, and its performance will be right behind the Michelin and Continental offerings even in high-speed track driving.
Enjoy the Drive
While all of these are solid and well-proven tires, there are, of course, many other high-quality products out there that will help you unlock the full performance of your Corvette C7. You may even want to consider upgrading to a semi-slick track tire for even better performance if you only find yourself driving in good weather. Just remember to do your research and find tires that are suitable for your needs. Tires are one of the most important factors in a vehicle’s performance, and putting low-quality tires on a car as capable as the Corvette means that you are deliberately handicapping yourself. Invest in quality rubber, and you will be rewarded with a more capable and more enjoyable vehicle.
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