I run 275x18 fronts and 325x19 rears and I can break traction but it is controllable. If you want to stay with run flats I would suggest the Bridgestone RE05as because the GY F1s specs have changed and 11.5 inch rimg is required. Otherwise I liked the Toyo TR1s on the front best of the tires I have tried. On the rear I am running the General UHP 325s. I like this tire for the street not as much traction as the Bridgestone but much better mileage.

If you run 18 all the way around make sure your rear diameter in at last 1inch bigger than your front or your active handling could be confused.

:cheers:

 

traction problem

I am not going to use runflats when the stock goodyears are replaced.

 

You just are not going to get any traction out of performance tire when it is cold. If any one says they can they are just blowing smoke up your ass. If you want to drive your vette in the winter change to lower performance all season tire and keep your foot out of the go pedal.

P.S. all season tires do great smokie burn-outs...

 

My concern is not with cold weather driving, I was just making an observation that the stock rubber was even worse with my current setup in cold weather. This is my first Corvette and I have been out of the high performance car scene for many years so I am trying to catch up. It is a given that summer high performance tires are not going to deliver in cold temperatures. All the manufacturers I have looked at say up front on these tires they are not designed for cold temps. The stock Goodyears that came stock on my Z-51 car were not adequate for traction when I finished my first round of modifications last fall and the car was making 436 RWHP. The OA temps were in the high 60's at that time so I know with nearly 500 RWHP these rear tires are not going to cut it no matter what the temperature gets to next summer. This is just part of the performance game of modifying the car well beyond what GM engineers designed the stock tires to handle. I have no problem running race tires on the street. The problem is I have not found a tire in a 19" size that will deliver the traction that a tire like the Nitto 555R will. By widening a stock set of front 18" front rims to 11" and mounting 305/35/18 Nitto 555R's I can get not just a small increase in grip but a very large increase. I was also going to go ahead and mount upgraded front rubber at the same time. I want to retain the stock look of the car (no tubbing) with stock wheel offsets. This limits the rear rim width to around 11" with stock offset. I feel that given the restriction on rear wheel width that R rated race tires like the Nitto 555R's are the only way to get the grip I want. I am not stuck on the Nittos, I just can't find an equal alternative in a 19" tire. Any suggestions for alternatives to what I have suggested will be appreciated, I am still learning here.

 

The Nitto 555r is a drag radial. It will provide great straight line traction but will fall sort on cornering compared to some other all around perfromance tires.

If you stick with drag radials 18" is your best choice.

 

HTF are you goin to widen those wheels?

 

Weldcraft widens/narrows/repairs steel or aluminum wheels.
$225 per wheel to add 2-1/2 inches to my stock OEM Corvette wheels with stock offsets. They have been doing this work suscessfully for many years for both drag racers and road racers.

The tire I am looking at is the Nitto 555 R2 (305/35/18) which is a road race tire not the 555R drag radial. Same great traction with different construction for road racing. I forgot the 2 after the R, sorry for the misprint. Unfortunately they do not make them in 245/40/18 for the stock size front rims.