New drag strip wheels and tires are on the way! (see below) Unfortunately, the monoblock aluminum wheels will take another month to get to me. Meantime, I had to get some new stock rubber on the rear.
[New Stock Rubber]
Had to get some new (stock) Goodyear rubber. The old ones might have had one more drag strip session in them but by now they had grown hard and slippery. They'd spin at the drop of a hat. I'm thinking that the properties of the rubber have changed after all the heat cycles they'd experienced. With 37 drag strip burnouts and over 20 practice sessions these tires have been heated and cooled quite a bit. Plus, without a garage I've had no choice but to expose these tires to sub-freezing temps from delivery to present. I noticed what appeared to be superficial cracks going across the tread (look close at the photo). That's why I didn't try to push them for those last few miles.
[Drag Wheels & Tires]
After ripping through my original rear tires, I took careful measurements, did a ton of research, and asked a bunch of questions. The questions I ended up having to answer myself. That's what I get for being first, right? Anyway, here's what I settled on. While pouring over choices I found this
fitment calculator very useful.
Wheels: BC Forged (monoblock)
RS40-14 18x12 w/ 43mm offset and high pad clearance. These are gloss black with 7 split-spoke design with matching lugs.
This was the only manufacturer that had sizes available that I needed (18x12) with high pad clearance. No one in the US offered anything this size without custom (expensive) builds.
Tires: Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S, P345/35-18, Radial, R2 Compound, Blackwall. I really wanted to get the ET Street R that most of the racers in this discussion group seem to be using. However, MT doesn't produce them in my size. Their closest (P325/35R18) is an inch narrower and 1" shorter than stock. Not only would this have thrown off my ODO, Speedo, and shift points; but I would not be putting maximum rubber to the road. Nor would it maximize sidewall height for flex off the line. The ET Street S/S tire uses the same rubber compound as the "R". It just has street treads instead of street-legal slick slots. Granted, this puts less rubber on the track but the contact patch is wider. Besides, the wider tires look bad-ass! Hoosier doesn't offer anything close either.
Ended up ordering these from Summit Racing and having them shipped to PK Auto Design for $307.02 ea (free shipping).
MT ET Street S/S P345/35R18
[Ordering & Pricing]
Paul from PK Auto Design helped me find the BC Forged wheels. He was very helpful in arranging the order and very flexible in putting everything together. I had the tires and TPMS sensors shipped to them. They will install the sensors, mount and balance the tires, then ship the assembled wheels to me ready to install.
One word of caution: Know exactly what you need before ordering from PK Auto Design. My technical questions on wheel fitment, tire specs, and such were either ignored or answered incorrectly. Do your homework first. Then ask specifically for itemized costs.
To contact PK Auto Design, post in the below thread in the "Wheels | Tires" technical discussion group or PM
Paul Alkhasian directly.
Official PK Auto Design Wheel Thread | Weights | New Releases | Questions & Answers
Here's what I paid for each item. It's more than I wanted to pay but options are limited for the new ZL1, mostly limited by the huge Brembo brakes.
Code:
Wheels:
-------
Qty: 2
Mfg: BC Forged
Model: RS40-14 (gloss black)
Size: 18x12"
Offset: 43mm
Lugs: 5x4.75
Pad ht: high
Price: $720.00 ea.
Knurl: $50.00 ea.
Mnt/bal: $20.00 ea.
Ship: $175.00 pair
Total: $1755
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Tires:
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Qty: 2
Mfg: Mickey Thompson
Model: ET Street S/S
Size: P345/35R18
PN: 3483
Price: $307.02 ea.
Ship: free
Total: $614.04
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Wheels: $1715
Tires: $614
Final shipping: $100
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Total Order: $2369
TPMS Sensors: $212.12
Ordered from Chev Parts and drop-shipped to PK Auto Design. They will
install in place of normal valve stems before mounting tires on the new rims.
Total cost of drag wheels & tires: $2581