Trying to diagnose issue prior to monetary solution. Car has 18x9.5 corvette wheels with 285/35s all around. Sumitomo HTRZ 2s. Hotchkiss suspension. Previous owner road coursed it on occasion, so I assume it is set up for that.

On smooth road, not deeply channeled---zero problems. No matter the speed. Poor roads with tire grooves that are obvious..it's snaking all over the place. Like my motorcycle does on a road that has been milled prior to overlay. The front tires have some mild splitting on the very outer edge, outside only. What I would like to determine based on your inputs is if this leans towards a tire issue, an alignment issue, tire width issue, other or combo.

I see a lot of guys with wide tires up front and can't image they are having these problems, or would tolerate them. thoughts before I commit funds?

 

A lot of it is probably wider/stickier tires meeting a sticky road surface; less sidewall doesn't "help" either as the external road surface groves control the car's direction.

Have you had the alignment checked, front and rear? I run virtually no toe and non-spec caster/camber, what people call "auto-cross" specs; car corners great, little more work cruising on the freeway and eats tires faster. Not sure what hotchkiss components you have but prior owner may have it set-up for autocross and you may lessen the problem a little with alignment changes.

 

I'm going to go with tire width. There are many discussions here on the forums debating this topic, and width seems to be the prevailing factor. I can tell you that there is a world of difference between the 16" salad shooters on my last camaro and the 17" SS wheels on my current one. I can only imagine what 18"s are like

 

Appreciate the feedback from both of you. I also lean towards previous owner tuning in the alignment for his needs. And agree the wider tires don't want to "sit down" in the tire grooves. At least not at the same time. Its like they are tipping in and fighting each other. And the width amplifies that. Guessing of course. Tires are of good tread. So I will go with a good alignment and let the shop know my concerns.

Down the road, I will look to go with a slightly narrower front and a slightly taller rear tire. Probably not a drag racing skinny and fat set up neccessarily. But probably not directional tires either. The car will only see 5k miles a year, so rotation won't be a big concern. I think I would like to step down to 17s as well to get a little more sidewall profile going as well. Thanks again for helping the newb!

 

I really noticed a differance of slightly wider tires. It really would throw me a little on uneven pavement. I have been upgrading the suspension and all of it seems to help some and now it is almost not noticable or I got use to it.

 

When I dropped to 245's in the front as opposed the 275's I noticed a huge difference in the tires not following the road grooves.

As far as handling, my car always steps out in the rear before the front end pushes, even with the 245's.

That being said, I would be willing to bet a good quality 245 width tire would grip close to many of the cheaper 275's out there. Just because its wider doesn't mean its going to grip better through the corners.

 

I put 90 vette rims and 275/40/zr17 tires on my 97 camaro and it aside from a rougher ride is fine. I would check alignment and play in the front hub bearings.

 

God those 90 Vette wheels are horrid (Oopps did I just use my outside voice)....

I run 245/18s up front because of this 'Tracking' issue. I've heard quite a few folks discuss it, and it does seem to be a width factor. Although it may also be more of an issue with 'Stock' Suspension setups vs. the type of upgrades it sounds like you already have.

I would talk with your alignment shop before going to a narrower tire, as they may have an idea of caster/camber settings that might tune it out.

 

They are temporary since I had a mishap out on the highway that trashed one of my stock rims and tire. I am buying a set of 17x9.5 and 17x11 ZR1 rims and tires for this 90 vette this weekend and these rims had brand new tires. But I am going to be buying a set of chrome 17x9.5 ZR1's in a few weeks for the camaro.

 

Dropping off tomorrow for 4 wheel alignment. Told the tech my situation and concerns. I'm sure it will be improved. But agree as well that the next set of tires will be narrower up front. Not concerned about pushing it in the corners. I save that hooliganism for my motorcycle. Its life will be spent showcasing its psuedo spoiler to Mustang GTs and Challengers

 

Read this:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

 

+11 on the low side wall tires- i have the SS wheels, 275/17's and the stock 245/16's- I much prefer driving with the stock 16's- the 17's look better, wider, more aggressive, but really wreck the handling, making the car feel "darty" and wander all over. Try it, you won't believe the difference.

 

As noted in the Tire Rack article, the degree of wandering can be influenced by the offset of the wheels, condition of suspension components, tire pressure, etc. I've never found the wander to be extreme, and very easy to compensate with minor steering input.

 

4 wheel alignment complete. Was definitely set for cornering by previous owner. Told shop I had no interest in hard cornering. Daily fair weather driver. Will see more light to light drags then apexs. Much improved. Crossing bad channels still requires attention. But once in a bad lane, if I plant the tires in the grooves, they seem more content. Less fighting/tug o war over which way to go.

Thanks all for inputs. More thought will go into the next set up when tires wear out.