Chevrolet C5 Corvette Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide

Do you want to customize the wheels and tires on your 1997-2004 Corvette Base, Z51, or Z06? You'll find exactly what you need to do here in our C5 Corvette Wheel & Tire Fitment Guide. Whether you want to drop lap times on track or freshen up the look of your street car, our guide provides both wheel size and tire size recommendations, along with suspension setups, for your scenario. Browse through options available in our Forged wheels such as the VS-5RS and SM-10RS, or take a look at our Flow Formed wheels like the SM-10.

Chassis Introduction

The 5th Generation Corvette debuted as a 1997 model year packing a double-wishbone suspension, solid chassis, sleek aerodynamics, and the legendary LS1 engine. This helped solidify the image of a budget supercar killer. Today, the C5 Corvette is widely considered the best bang for your buck track car out there.

These bolt-on wheel fitments are ideal for enthusiasts enjoying their C5 Corvette day-to-day on the street, and they are typically paired with all-season or performance oriented summer tires. These wheel and tire configurations will improve the appearance and performance of the car without requiring modifications to the factory suspension or alignment. Just bolt-on and enjoy!

Wheels

Front Wheel Size: 18x10" ET58 Rear Wheel Size: 19x11” ET78

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick Front Tire Size: 275/35-18 Rear Tire Size: 305/30-19
• • Ultra High Performance All-Season: Michelin AS4 (540 TW), Continental DWS06 (560 TW)
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin PS4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 (220 TW), Falken Azenis RT660 (200 TW), BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW)

Whether you enjoy spirited street driving or you're a weekend track warrior chasing lap times, these wheel & tire configurations are ideal for C5 Corvette owners looking for a more dramatic improvement in performance. They are typically paired with performance oriented summer tires or track oriented R-compounds and this category includes both staggered and square configurations to best suit each individual drivers priorities, goals and preferences for their vehicle.

We've optimized the offset of our wheels to work well with the stock fenders, however, a wide variety of tire compounds can be used and some may require negative camber to fit properly. See fitment notes under each tire configuration below to see if modifications are required. If you plan to track your C5 Corvette, we highly recommend dialing in negative camber regardless of whether your wheel/tire fitment requires it for fender clearance. Negative camber is vital for extracting the most performance and longevity out of your tires, and without the proper amount the outer shoulders of your tires will wear out prematurely and running tire costs will dramatically increase.

Staggered Configurations

Maintains stock-like handling characteristics and maximizes both front and rear tire width. Tires can only be rotated left to right.

Wheels

Front Wheel Size: 18x10" ET58 Rear Wheel Size: 18x11” ET57

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick Front Tire Size: 275/35-18 Rear Tire Size: 295/35-18
• • Direct Fit
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S(300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: No options currently available
  • R-Compound: No options currently available
• Wider Alternative Front Tire Size: 275/35-18 Rear Tire Size: 315/30-18
• • Direct Fit
  • Max Performance Summer: No options currently available
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Falken Azenis RT660 (200 TW). BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)

Wheels

Front Wheel Size: 18x10" ET58 Rear Wheel Size: 19x11” ET78

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick Front Tire Size: 275/35-18 Rear Tire Size: 305/30-19
• • Max Performance Summer: Michelin PS4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 (220 TW), Falken Azenis RT660 (200 TW), BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)

Square Configurations

Recommended for enthusiasts that want to mitigate understeer, improve turn-in, and rotate tires front & rear for extended life. Square configurations may compromise rear-end grip when compared to staggered configurations.

Wheels

Front Wheel Size: 18x10" ET58 Rear Wheel Size: 18x10" ET58

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick Front Wheel Size: 275/35-18  Rear Wheel Size: 275/35-18 
• • Direct Fit
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Dunlop Direzza ZIII (200 TW), Falken Azenis RT660 (200 TW), Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 (220 TW), BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 (200TW), Maxxis VR-1 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Goodyear Supercar 3R (100 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Wider Alternative Front Tire Size: 285/35-18  Rear Tire Size: 285/35-18
• • A minimum of -1.0º of camber suggested up front
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Hankook Ventus RS-4 (200 TW), Maxxis VR-1 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: No options currently available

Wheels

Front Wheel Size: 18x11" ET57 Rear Wheel Size: 18x11" ET57

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick Front Tire Size: 315/30-18  Rear Tire Size: 315/30-18 
• • A minimum of -2.5º front and -1.5º rear camber need for fender clearance
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (220 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Falken Azenis RT660 (200 TW), BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 (200 TW), Yokohama Advan A052 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
• Narrower alternative Front Tire Size: 295/30-18  Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
• • A minimum of -2.0º front and -1.0º rear camber needed for fender clearance
  • Max Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (300 TW)
  • Extreme Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240 TW), Yokohama Advan A052 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R (60 TW), Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)

These wheel and tire configurations are best suited for hardcore track junkies and club racers that prioritize performance above all else in their C5 Corvette. With these wheels everything from extreme summer tires to full racing slicks are commonly used depending on your experience behind the wheel, class rules, etc.

Additional negative camber is strongly encouraged to maximize performance and tire longevity, and some of the more aggressive fitments will absolutely require it to prevent rubbing under suspension compression. Even with the appropriate amount of negative camber dialed in, some of the more extreme fitments can still scrub the liners under suspension compression and/or when turning the steering wheel to full lock. This is par for the course when pushing the limits of wheel and tire fitment. These fitments are not for someone who primarily will use this wheel setup on the street or in inclement weather.

Wheels

Front Wheel Size: 18x11" ET57 Rear Wheel Size: 18x11" ET57

Tires

• APEX Staff Pick Front Tire Size: 315/30-18 Rear Tire Size: 315/30-18
• • Extreme Performance Summer: Falken Azenis RT660 (200 TW), BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S 1.5 (200 TW), Yokohama Advan A052 (200 TW), Nankang NS-2R (200 TW), Nankang CR-1 (200 TW), Continental Extremecontact Force (200 TW)
  • R-Compound: Toyo R888R (100 TW), Nitto NT01 (100 TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
  • Semi-Slick: Hoosier A7 (40 TW), Hoosier R7 (40 TW), BF Goodrich R1S (40 TW), Toyo RR (40 TW)
• Narrower alternative Front Tire Size: 295/30-18 Rear Tire Size: 295/30-18
• • Extreme Performance Summer: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240TW), Yokohama Advan A052 (200TW), Nankang NS-2R (200TW)
  • R-Compound: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R (60TW), Toyo R888R (100TW), Nankang AR-1 (100 TW)
  • Semi-Slick: Hoosier A7 (40 TW), Hoosier R7 (40 TW), Toyo RR (40 TW) 

Brake Clearance Information

In the engineering phase of wheel development we 3D scan factory brakes and review 2D aftermarket brake templates in order to optimize our barrel profiles and spoke curvatures. As a result, our wheels offer massive brake clearance so you can run the smallest possible wheel diameter.

Click here to download our master brake clearance table

Whether you are a casual weekend track warrior that still enjoys your car on the street, or a hard core racer competing for a spot on the podium, negative camber is a vital part of chassis setup that has many benefits. Not only will adding negative camber create more room for wider wheel and tire configurations, it more importantly improves handling, turn-in and tire longevity. Learn more in our blog article, The Positives of Negative Camber.

Still have questions?

Fill out our Fitment Recommendation form Call us: 925-245-0773 Email us: support@apexraceparts.com