The importance of having the right tires on a car simply cannot be understated. So when it came time for the C7 to hit the road, Chevrolet tasked the performance tire experts at Michelin with creating an all new tire specifically for the 2014 Corvette Stingray [1]. After months of development and testing, the result was two separate versions of the Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP run-flat tires – one for the standard car, and the other for the optional Z51 package.
[2]According to Chevrolet and Michelin, the C7 is capable of the same track times as the C6 Grand Sport, and does it with narrower and lighter tires.
Lee Willard, Lead Michelin Technical Expert, points out in this video from YouTube that the new Stingray’s wheels and tires are much narrower that the current C6’s Grand Sport’s tires. As you can see below, the size difference is actually pretty shocking, especially when you compare the two track oriented packages.
Current C6 Grand Sport
- Front: 18 x 9.5s with 275/35/18
- Rear: 19 x 12s with 325/30/19
2014 C7 Stingray Coupe
- Front: 18 x 8.5 with 245/40/18
- Rear: 19 x 10 with 285/35/19
- (Same sizes as current C6 Corvette base model)
2014 C7 Coupe with Z51 Performance Package
- Front: 19 x 8.5 with 245/35/19
- Rear: 20 x 10 with 285/30/20
But wait – we thought that bigger is always better? As Willard points out, “the proof is in the performance.” Chevrolet is reporting that the new C7 is capable of producing 1G on the skid pad, which is the same number as the current Grand Sport. So, it’s the best of all worlds. The C7 can keep the same performance, and do it with tires that weigh less and create far less rolling resistance.
[3]The new C7 Corvette's rolling stock comes in two different flavors - a silver 18/19 combo for the standard Stingray, and sporty black split spoke 19/20 for the Z51 performance model.