Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

If you are that worried about traction, buy some drag radials or some slicks for the track. If you take it to a road course, buy some auto-x tires.

That's the only time you will really need grip like that. Well, unless you constantly street race or take corners at more than triple the posted speeds.

My car has enough power to burn off tires of any size like there is no tomorrow. That doesn't mean I need 255s instead of 225s.

Going from 225 to 255 isn't that much of a difference using the same rubber compound (if you bought the same tires in different sizes). I don't even think you can fit a 255 in a 3rd gen without rolling the fenders, anyway. I know that probably doesn't apply to 4th and 5th gen cars.

Daily driving, cornering, driving on the highway, etc. isn't going to matter supercharged or N/A if your tires are 10 or 20mm wider.

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

U can fit 275s all around on a 5th gen with room to spare as long as you have coilovers.

I run wider tires for more traction when autoXing, these wider tires have harder sidewalls which in turn translate into less understeer. I have almost cured all understeer on my 5th gen using JIC FLTA2s.

Wider tires mean more weight, I wouldn't suggest anything wider than 235s for a daily driver- the wider tires tend to hydroplane alot eassier than their lesser counterparts.

I'm on my 13th set of tires on my 5th gen, diff brands, widths, wheels- my personal favorite right now would be Dunlop Dirrenza DZ1 in 255-40-17 size, they have a progressive breakaway, and at their very limit will start to squeal letting you know you are insane. 30MPH cloverleaf onramps can be taken at 70MPH in my car without any issues, I've lost a new Cobra on a onramp the other day without any problem- but afterwards he blew by me when I got on the straight. I love showing off on the turns :P BEAM or no BEAM properly set up car will handle with the best of em.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

so guys, if anyone cares
i've decided to buy the 17" storms from centerline.
thank you to whoever suggested that website. The weight of them is 15 pounds which is lighter than my stock wheel, which is good enough for me. also they are only 139 a piece. I really like the design. If i decide at a later date i like something better, i AM in the wheel "business" so the transfer is not difficult.
also, i might be able to get these wheels cheaper through my work.
so uh..i guess my search is over for now. good luck to everyone else trying to find their wheels

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Nice.

I love my Centerlines. Well, I did until I hit a couple of steel plates and slightly damaged them. I will probably get some more later on. I put mine for sale, but just for someone to use as track wheels. They are pretty tough wheels. If you see the damage on mine and realize I hit the first plate going about 40 mph, you would have thought I was going a lot slower.

I am the one that linked the site. Best of luck with them.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

Thanks.
Its nice to hear they are durable.
I can't wait to get them.
I forgot the offset on them, but what is the offset of the stock wheels?

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

You people keep ALMOST hitting the good stuff and then just missing it.

First of all, yeah, those Koseis are pretty much the best you can do for the price. The only thing that'll come close is maybe the 5Zigen FN01R-C (check out www.edgeracing.com -- great freakin' site). And 24 lbs for a tire for a 17" wheel is pretty much as light as they come.

Second of all, anyone who thinks 7" is too skinny needs to talk to Spaniard. He's on 225-section tires and 15x7 Rota Slipstreams, and it sounds like he's having a damn good time with 'em.

Wider rims let you mount wider tires, yes. But you could definitely mount a 235-section tire on a 7" rim. Any wider than that and you might have rubbing anyway, depending on your offset and suspension setup, so in terms of tire width you can definitely get what you want with a 7" wide rim.

The big advantage of having a wider rim is that the tire ends up being pulled tighter when it's mounted on the rim. This helps reduce sidewall flex during hard cornering, which improves response and stability. It doesn't sound like we're dealing with a highly tuned car here, which means that there are so many other things that will hurt response and stability during hard cornering that the difference in the tire sidewalls on 7" and 8" rims is probably not all that important. Once you factor in the extra expense and weight of 8" rims, they don't seem to make sense in this case.

Given lots of money, you really should go with a wider rim. But if you're trying to save cash and save weight, and if you're not going *****-out with your car, 7" will do fine. If you decide to install a turbo and crazy suspension in a year and start autocrossing and road racing, then maybe -- maybe -- you'll miss the extra width. But for now, you'll be fine with 7".

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

You're all washed up. I already said I have 235's which I have no intentions of replacing. And 235's will fit just fine on my 7" wide wheels. I see no reason to get more expensive, heavier 8" wheels.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Thanks for the informative reply dood. Much appreciated. Thanks for the link. It's always a pleasure when sites actually list wheel weights. Why do you say "It doesn't sound like we're dealing with a highly tuned car here,.."? Yes, I plan to go "*****-out", but I still want the lighter wheel so I am going 7".

A33 VQ30DEK

iTrader: (23)

i guess i'll be the first 5th gen to get these wheels then. Trying to purchase them within a month or two.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Sorry, my mistake. Got confused about whose thread it was.

If you are going *****-out, then your best choice of wheel will depend on exactly what your goal is. Straight-line speed -- like if you plan on doing FI or a built 3.5 swap -- will require the widest rubber you can squeeze into those wheel wells, so you'll want an 8" or 8.5" rim. If you're looking to make incredible handling, you still might want an 8" or 8.5" rim for 245-section tires, but only if you can afford to pay a lot for them to make sure they're lightweight.

If you're daily-driving your car, then 7" rims will be the best compromise because they'll always be lighter than 8" rims, which you want for a better ride and better tracking over uneven surfaces. They'll fit anything up to a 235 section tire, and anything beyond that might actually be worse for a daily driver (depending on where you live) because it'll be worse in slippery conditions.

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

whatever...? bottom line is it's not my car.. so whatever floats your boat..

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

How about a race then? Your 8" rims against my 7"?

In fact, we are only about 30 minutes away from each other.

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

sweet..

wanna hit ortega hwy? its the 73 i think?

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

My 17x7.5 SSRs weighed 12.6lbs on a UPS scale.


To me, 7" wheels on a max do not "look right." I've had them and I didn't like how it looked. Since then (that was like 4 years ago), my NEEDs have changed such that I want wider wheels for performance. I guess I'm speaking from my own state of mind when I say get a wider wheel, besides not liking the looks of a 7" wheel and 215 tire on a max for instance, I race alot. I'm putting 450ish to the wheels and I used to to take my max out on the road course quite often, etc. So my needs differ from people just doing casual cruising, but I'm giving my honest opinion. Don't compromise, if you are like me, you will end up with something you wish you hadn't gotten, and you'll be buying something better in a year.

ptatohed

iTrader: (12)

Neal, are there any negatives at all to light wheels? More spinning off the line perhaps? Disruption of the car's top/bottom weight ratio?

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

Depending on the manufacturing process lightweight wheels COULD be weaker due to the simple fact there would be less material there. Spinning well technically since you will be putting a few more hp down I guess that could cause a little additional spin. Probably the same amount of spin you get from adding an intake (i.e. nothing you can even measure). Top to bottom weight ratio I guess you could figure out where the car's center of gravity is, and then subtract the weight of the wheels, do the CG calculations and figure out how much the CG would change. Again technically it would move the center of gravity up, however the shaving of say 15lbs from the bottom half of a 3000lb car is probably only enough to raise the center of gravity fractions of a millimeter (15lbs is nothing compared to the 3000lb bulk of the car). I've never heard of race teams going with heavier wheels because they are worried about raising the CG (you want the CG as low as possible in a race car obviously), the benefits far outweigh the few microns that the CG would be raised I'd say If you really don't want to raise that CG you could do some more calculations and get light wheels, then add appropriate ballast at the appropriate location to bring the CG right back where it was, while still reducing the rotating weight. Methinks that's a little too **** retentive though haha.

d00df00d

iTrader: (4)

Good call, hadn't thought about the looks. 450whp is definitely plenty of reason to need a wider rim, too.

Good call about the weight too. Unsprung/rotating mass reduction is one of those things, like chassis stiffening and improved engine breathing, that really helps everything and hurts nothing.

Unless you want to get picky and theoretical, as mentioned... but the compromises are literally way, way too small to matter.