What is the widest tire a stock wheel can hold?
10-17-2003, 11:56 AM
#1
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What is the widest tire a stock wheel can hold?
I have a pair of stock 5 star aluminum wheels from a 98 LS1 Firebird and I'm wondering how wide a tire I can put on them?
10-17-2003, 12:08 PM
#2
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if they are 16's i believe the widest ive seen/heard of is 255 im not sure though
10-17-2003, 01:17 PM
#3
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yea i was woundering that to, what are the biggest i cna put on my 16 inch rims.. right now i got 245's, how big can i go????
10-17-2003, 01:28 PM
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The problem isn't "how wide a tire can I fit on a stock (16x8) wheel?" The problem is there are very few tires available in high performance street tires wider than the 255/50-16. You can get several different "competition" tires.... e.g. Hoosier Sports Car DOT Radials, in sizes like 275/45-16, and they will fit on an 8" wide rim, but they are very soft compound, shallow tread racing tires. Or, you could go to an "all weather" tire like a BFG Radial T/A, and they make a 265/50-16 or a 295/50-16, which BFG says will fit on an 8" wide rim, but now you have a "low performance" tire with a diameter (26.5" or 27.6") which is too large for the 4th Gen.
10-17-2003, 01:46 PM
#5
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The general rule of thumb is +/1 one inch over the rim width.
10-17-2003, 01:49 PM
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Fred,
I am currently running 275 40 17 on a Pacer 5 star corvette look-a-like wheel. I am thinking I need more tire because the car will not transfer all the torque to the street. The tires are spinning with part throttle. Maybe this is a common problem with 383 strokers and 3.42 gears. I may just be expecting too much from the street. I have not tryed to hook up at a track yet. I still like the ideal of having some drag radial that I can throw on a set of wheels.
Fred I am also wondering about the front wheels and tires as well. They are the same as the front. 275 40 17. Ihave been thinking of getting a 4 new wheels and tires to better fit the car. If I go with a smaller tire up front, will I loose any braking power? I would think that the less tire on the groung would cause the car to skid easyer while braking. What do you think?
I am currently running 275 40 17 on a Pacer 5 star corvette look-a-like wheel. I am thinking I need more tire because the car will not transfer all the torque to the street. The tires are spinning with part throttle. Maybe this is a common problem with 383 strokers and 3.42 gears. I may just be expecting too much from the street. I have not tryed to hook up at a track yet. I still like the ideal of having some drag radial that I can throw on a set of wheels.
Fred I am also wondering about the front wheels and tires as well. They are the same as the front. 275 40 17. Ihave been thinking of getting a 4 new wheels and tires to better fit the car. If I go with a smaller tire up front, will I loose any braking power? I would think that the less tire on the groung would cause the car to skid easyer while braking. What do you think?
10-17-2003, 01:56 PM
#7
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Are you sure about that rule?
245 mm = 9.65 in
255 mm = 10.04 in
A 245 tire is standard on my Z28 which is more than an inch over the 8 inch standard rim. Or does the rule apply from the outer lip of the rim which would be closer to 9 inches? I am upgrading my wheels and was wondering the same question. I want to use 17x8 in the front and 17x10 in the rear. I was thinking about 255's up front and 275's in the rear. Now you got me worried.
245 mm = 9.65 in
255 mm = 10.04 in
A 245 tire is standard on my Z28 which is more than an inch over the 8 inch standard rim. Or does the rule apply from the outer lip of the rim which would be closer to 9 inches? I am upgrading my wheels and was wondering the same question. I want to use 17x8 in the front and 17x10 in the rear. I was thinking about 255's up front and 275's in the rear. Now you got me worried.
10-17-2003, 01:57 PM
#8
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I wouldn't be expecting a 383 stroker with 17" rims and 40 series rubber to hook up without some sigbnificant weight transfer going on (chassis mods), and a well prepped track.
Generally a taller sidewall and smaller rim are used to put that type of power to the pavement. I have 15 x 10 rims with 28 x 12.5 x 15 ET Streets and do not have any problem hooking up at the track, but the street can be a whole new ballgame at any time.
Generally a taller sidewall and smaller rim are used to put that type of power to the pavement. I have 15 x 10 rims with 28 x 12.5 x 15 ET Streets and do not have any problem hooking up at the track, but the street can be a whole new ballgame at any time.
10-17-2003, 02:56 PM
#9
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DON'T use "rules of thumb".
When you have selected a tire size, go to a site like Tire Rack, and look up the manufaturer's rim width recommendation for the specific tire model and size you are looking at. For a 275/40-17 for example, some manufacturers will accept 9-11" rims, others will accept 8.5-11" rims. BFG, GY and Sumitomo accept 9" rims for some 275/40's and 8.5" rims for other model 275/40's.
The allowable difference between section width and rim width varies a lot with the wheel diameter.... an 18" to 20" tire, with a loow sidewall will require a very close match between section width and wheel width, while a 15" of 16" tire, with a huge sidewall will accept a VERY large difference, as you can see from the numbers I quoted above, which are Hoosier's recommendations.
I agree, a healthy 383 isn't going to hook well with a street tire, no matter how wide it is. I run 315/35-17 BFG Drag Radials on the street, and they hooked fairly well with the 3.73 gears, but when I went to the 4.10's, even the DR's will spin like crazy.
For street driving, I would use the 17x9 or 17x9.5" rims in the front with the 275's. Max cornering power. Going to a smaller tire or a narrower rim is giving away handling potential. Now if you just want the "skinny" look in the front, a narrower tire is fine, but that "plus" in straight line performance will be at the cost of cornering power.
When you have selected a tire size, go to a site like Tire Rack, and look up the manufaturer's rim width recommendation for the specific tire model and size you are looking at. For a 275/40-17 for example, some manufacturers will accept 9-11" rims, others will accept 8.5-11" rims. BFG, GY and Sumitomo accept 9" rims for some 275/40's and 8.5" rims for other model 275/40's.
The allowable difference between section width and rim width varies a lot with the wheel diameter.... an 18" to 20" tire, with a loow sidewall will require a very close match between section width and wheel width, while a 15" of 16" tire, with a huge sidewall will accept a VERY large difference, as you can see from the numbers I quoted above, which are Hoosier's recommendations.
I agree, a healthy 383 isn't going to hook well with a street tire, no matter how wide it is. I run 315/35-17 BFG Drag Radials on the street, and they hooked fairly well with the 3.73 gears, but when I went to the 4.10's, even the DR's will spin like crazy.
For street driving, I would use the 17x9 or 17x9.5" rims in the front with the 275's. Max cornering power. Going to a smaller tire or a narrower rim is giving away handling potential. Now if you just want the "skinny" look in the front, a narrower tire is fine, but that "plus" in straight line performance will be at the cost of cornering power.
04-10-2019, 12:56 AM
#10
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Re: What is the widest tire a stock wheel can hold?
im looking for a 4inch cowl hood for my 94 z28 does anyone know where i can order one?
04-10-2019, 08:49 AM
#11
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Re: What is the widest tire a stock wheel can hold?
Not likely to get a lot of help by tacking your question about hoods onto a 15+ year old thread about tires, located in the “LT1 Related Engine Tech” forum.
You need to start your own thread in the “Appearance” forum.
You need to start your own thread in the “Appearance” forum.
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