Those are some BIG tires. Thirty-ones on the front and thirty-threes on the back. Original tire height? About twenty-five and some change.
How about a Chevy Caprice wagon stock car? A Mazda Miata mud machine? All of those things exist. Why? Basically, it’s because they got so old and devalued that they weren’t worth anything regardless of condition. There’s a Chrysler 300 out there that’s a more highly-optioned model than mine on thirty-one-inch mud tires, telling me that I don’t need to worry about anything hurting the resale value (or lack thereof) of my daily driver. A few years ago, I sold my Corvette, and the same thing, it wasn’t worth a whole lot. It rode rough, it was loud, it was cramped, and it was in good enough shape that it was seemingly attractive to a potential customer on a budget. Never in my life did I expect to see a slightly newer version on gigantic Ridge Grappler tires, but here it is, another wild turn in 2020.
Much like the Model T Ford, a fourth-gen Corvette rides on a pair of buggy springs front and rear that run side-to-side. There’s a perch in the middle, and the ends curve down into the front control arms and rear four-link. Being designed like that, lifting the car is technically as simple as putting a lift block on top of each leaf spring and running longer bolts. After that, bolt the tires on and trim with a reciprocating saw as needed. Don’t worry about being too neat. That’s the purpose of plastic fender flares. If they can hide rusty truck fenders, they can undoubtedly hide busted Corvette fibreglass. How does this one perform? Slightly better than a stock Corvette in an off-road situation. They’re a car that doesn’t like snow, rain, rutted highways, or even the slightest amount of gravel from my experience. One might think that’s a tire problem, but it’s honestly an overall problem with these cars. They’re not designed around those environments. This one spins, sinks, and gets stuck fairly easily. Not only that, but it’s a six-speed manual, so the clutch isn’t ready for the extra rotating size and mass of the off-road tires, nor are the brakes. Being a six-speed, I’m assuming the differential is a Dana 44, so it should handle the added load for a while anyway. Think it’s the car for you? I believe it’s still for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Want to see it in action? Look it up on YouTube. The channel is “ZeroToSixty.” Wish it was newer? Word is he’s building a fifth-gen next. I don’t know if LS power will help it off-road, but I know I’ll be watching to find out.
Have a question or comment for Kelly? Post it at lmtimes.ca/kirk
