Best wheel width for handling?
I'd stick with 9.5s all around for 2 reasons. This is for the street, so you'll be wearing the tires out with regularity. Having the same all around means you get to rotate tires front-to-back. Also, 275s are much easier to find sizes for in street tires, espeically when cost is a factor.
Now, one quick statement about putting wider tires at the rear. It DOES NOT "increase" understeer. Let me explain. Let's say you can go in a circle around a skidpad at 60mph with 275 tires all around. Any more than 60 and you begin to push due to understeer. So, you come in and put 315s on the back. When you go back out, you will still be able to do exactly 60mph, no more. And, it makes sense - you were losing traction at the front. So, you didn't change a single thing up front and therefore your traction won't change either.
The reason that people think that it "increases understeer" is because of another scenario. Like above, you can do 60 around the skidpad with 275s all around. Except, because of your setup, the rear starts coming out, causing oversteer. You come in and put on 315s in the back. Now, when you go out, you find that you can do 65, but anything above that makes the front understeer. People will say that means that the wider rear tires have "increased understeer". But, you've actually "reduced oversteer" which makes "understeer" more of a problem. You've increased the overall grip on your car, and have identified another area that is limiting your grip.
Now, one quick statement about putting wider tires at the rear. It DOES NOT "increase" understeer. Let me explain. Let's say you can go in a circle around a skidpad at 60mph with 275 tires all around. Any more than 60 and you begin to push due to understeer. So, you come in and put 315s on the back. When you go back out, you will still be able to do exactly 60mph, no more. And, it makes sense - you were losing traction at the front. So, you didn't change a single thing up front and therefore your traction won't change either.
The reason that people think that it "increases understeer" is because of another scenario. Like above, you can do 60 around the skidpad with 275s all around. Except, because of your setup, the rear starts coming out, causing oversteer. You come in and put on 315s in the back. Now, when you go out, you find that you can do 65, but anything above that makes the front understeer. People will say that means that the wider rear tires have "increased understeer". But, you've actually "reduced oversteer" which makes "understeer" more of a problem. You've increased the overall grip on your car, and have identified another area that is limiting your grip.
Yea i definately agree with everything you said, and you make some valid points. I will probably stick with 275's all the way around. This car is not my daily driver by any means, so tire wear isnt a problem. So..that allows me to slap a very good set of tires on the car and have them last a long time. Car averages less than 3k a year, no burnouts, very harsh driving, etc...
The shocks will help a lot, the tire size is not a huge deal because it's hard to use all of a tire's ability (provided it's a true performance tire) anywhere on a public street anyway. Stay with 275's, there are a lot of pro's vs. the bigger ones.
And you'd be amazed at what a change from your current front bar to a 35mm would do. It's another 30% or so stiffer than what you have. I don't use 32's unless they are staying with 19mm rears for balance issues, we don't want the car too loose. Also a lot of cars come stock with a hollow and therefore lighter 32 in front. SS's, WS6's all have 32's stock. So changing it out for a heavier solid one isn't very sensible to me. Which is why when we did our bars I wanted BOTH of them to be hollow. Between two of mine vs. two solid ones you save between 15-20 pounds on the set depending on the size of the solids). AND you get more front roll stiffness than you get with a 32 while saving that weight. You get the same kind of roll stiffness in the rear with my hollow 22 as a solid 21, but again you've saved weight and in the rear it's unsprung weight as well.
And you'd be amazed at what a change from your current front bar to a 35mm would do. It's another 30% or so stiffer than what you have. I don't use 32's unless they are staying with 19mm rears for balance issues, we don't want the car too loose. Also a lot of cars come stock with a hollow and therefore lighter 32 in front. SS's, WS6's all have 32's stock. So changing it out for a heavier solid one isn't very sensible to me. Which is why when we did our bars I wanted BOTH of them to be hollow. Between two of mine vs. two solid ones you save between 15-20 pounds on the set depending on the size of the solids). AND you get more front roll stiffness than you get with a 32 while saving that weight. You get the same kind of roll stiffness in the rear with my hollow 22 as a solid 21, but again you've saved weight and in the rear it's unsprung weight as well.
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Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
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www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
The shocks will help a lot, the tire size is not a huge deal because it's hard to use all of a tire's ability (provided it's a true performance tire) anywhere on a public street anyway. Stay with 275's, there are a lot of pro's vs. the bigger ones.
And you'd be amazed at what a change from your current front bar to a 35mm would do. It's another 30% or so stiffer than what you have. I don't use 32's unless they are staying with 19mm rears for balance issues, we don't want the car too loose. Also a lot of cars come stock with a hollow and therefore lighter 32 in front. SS's, WS6's all have 32's stock. So changing it out for a heavier solid one isn't very sensible to me. Which is why when we did our bars I wanted BOTH of them to be hollow. Between two of mine vs. two solid ones you save between 15-20 pounds on the set depending on the size of the solids). AND you get more front roll stiffness than you get with a 32 while saving that weight. You get the same kind of roll stiffness in the rear with my hollow 22 as a solid 21, but again you've saved weight and in the rear it's unsprung weight as well.
And you'd be amazed at what a change from your current front bar to a 35mm would do. It's another 30% or so stiffer than what you have. I don't use 32's unless they are staying with 19mm rears for balance issues, we don't want the car too loose. Also a lot of cars come stock with a hollow and therefore lighter 32 in front. SS's, WS6's all have 32's stock. So changing it out for a heavier solid one isn't very sensible to me. Which is why when we did our bars I wanted BOTH of them to be hollow. Between two of mine vs. two solid ones you save between 15-20 pounds on the set depending on the size of the solids). AND you get more front roll stiffness than you get with a 32 while saving that weight. You get the same kind of roll stiffness in the rear with my hollow 22 as a solid 21, but again you've saved weight and in the rear it's unsprung weight as well.
I am definately NOT questioning your credibility in any way, but could your elaborate a little bit on the benifits of running the 275's all around, and what the pros are over larger wheels? I am aware of rotating mass, just wondering what I am missing, knowledge is power.
And after I get the wheels/tires, I will be going with a set of Koni shocks from your. Figured it was the best way to go considering I can adjust them to handle any aftermarket set of springs, if I choose to go that route.
