what size tires?
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Teching In
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what size tires? Hi, my 17yr old son has 10.5" x 18" ZO6 replicas on his 2000 SS (Stock everything) . He needs new tires badly. Wife and I are going to buy as a gift. What sizes are best? My initial thoughts are 285/40 front and 295 or 305 35/40 rear. Any and all advice is much appreciated. I know he would like to lower the car in the future. Thank you in advance
PS. Nitto G2 555 was the tire of choice so far
PS. Nitto G2 555 was the tire of choice so far
I’ve got 18x10 and 18x11’s on my car with 295/30/18 in the front and 315/30/18 rear. If you want to keep them The same from and rear then I would just go 295/30/18. You could also go with a 295/35/18 or a little more sidewall.
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From: Western North Carolina
I can't help you with sizes BUT I will say that a 17 year old will forever remember this great gift. Excellent idea 
My high school graduation gift back in 1972 was a a set of white lettered Firestone Wide Ovals for my old Pontiac. I'll never forget it. Other gifts have come and gone and not even remembered. For teen car guys, this stuff is real. By the way, those tires were $40 a pop so a set at $160 was a ton of money.
My high school graduation gift back in 1972 was a a set of white lettered Firestone Wide Ovals for my old Pontiac. I'll never forget it. Other gifts have come and gone and not even remembered. For teen car guys, this stuff is real. By the way, those tires were $40 a pop so a set at $160 was a ton of money.
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Wheel offset is important to factor in as well for largest width. So it’s be good to know what that is.
Original tires were 25.7” tall so probably try to keep the front within +\- 1/4” of that.
Since it sounds like he needs to be budget conscious, probably best to go with a square setup (and your wheels are same with so you wouldn’t be staggering much anyway). Just figure what fits up front and use that on the rear so he can rotate and get the most life out of them.
Original tires were 25.7” tall so probably try to keep the front within +\- 1/4” of that.
Since it sounds like he needs to be budget conscious, probably best to go with a square setup (and your wheels are same with so you wouldn’t be staggering much anyway). Just figure what fits up front and use that on the rear so he can rotate and get the most life out of them.
I recommend a 295/35 on a 10.5" wide wheel. Look at the respective tires tread width (tire rack shows this). You want something that sits square to the wheel. check for wheel offset and rubbing, because this will ultimately determine what you can actually fit.
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18x10.5 up front?...Are you sure? I can see maybe 18x9's up there but 18x10.5's seems to be to wide for the fronts. Are you sure you can steer the car with those without rubbing the wheel wells? I have the Z06 replicas from OE Wheels but kept the 17x9 up front and did the 18x10.5 rear and they look great on the car. Tires are 275/40ZR17 front and 295/35ZR18 rears and you won't run into issues with the ABS INOP light coming on since these are similar to stock height. For a drag radial the Mickey Thompson 305/35 or 40 R18 would be my choice for the rear tire.
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Teching In
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18x10.5 up front?...Are you sure? I can see maybe 18x9's up there but 18x10.5's seems to be to wide for the fronts. Are you sure you can steer the car with those without rubbing the wheel wells? I have the Z06 replicas from OE Wheels but kept the 17x9 up front and did the 18x10.5 rear and they look great on the car. Tires are 275/40ZR17 front and 295/35ZR18 rears and you won't run into issues with the ABS INOP light coming on since these are similar to stock height. For a drag radial the Mickey Thompson 305/35 or 40 R18 would be my choice for the rear tire.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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The rear has 285 on now and i checked the inner wheel well and there is still room there. to the outside fender looks to be about 1/2 to 3/4 until even with the fender
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Swap a rear 285/35R18 onto the front. Drive it up on cardboard. Have someone turn the wheels and watch for clearance. If it looks good drive it up on some dips and listen for rubbing. The 295 would take an additional 5mm of clearance to each side..
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Teching In
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Will do thank you for the suggestion
