GunshipDriver Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Greetings, I've read many of the old posts with recommended wheel sizes and offsets. I am looking to get a set of street wheels and would be interested in getting ideally 17x9" wheels front and back with the same offset and 255 tires so that I could rotate tires more easily. Not sure if I would need to run a spacer or adapter to make that work. I would consider running a 8.0-8.75" wide wheel instead if that made more sense. In fact, I would love 15" diameter wheels but don't think I would find enough tire choices and would prefer a larger overall diameter tire size in the end. Anyone run a square set-up and am I crazy for thinking this? As much as I have the idea that I want 9" wide wheels, the WCM is considerably lighter that all other vehicles I've had and ran 9" wheels on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Greetings , Gunship driver, and welcome to the USA7s forum. I don't have an answer that is definite fo ryou, but I believe that size tire is going to hang out of the fenders in front, and possibly rub the fender support on the inside I'm running 7.5 wide wheels in front ,and 8 wide in the rear. The tires are 225/45/R17 front, and 245/45/R17 rear. There is less than 1 inch clearance on the insides of the front tires to the fender supports pics at this location http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3769 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 (edited) I agree with powderbrake, 9s would be too much up front. I have 8" with 35mm backspace and I had to take a little notch off the fender brackets because they were just too close. I have the same size tires in front and they definitely fill the fenders. I have 9" rears with 275s and like others will probably go smaller, thinking 255s. So maybe 8" all around would be good. You could start with 225s all around and follow powderbrakes lead if you want more on the back. You'll probably end up with spacers in the back... (black one but I think RNR has same size too) Edited March 22, 2014 by Mondo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I agree with others comments. 9" fronts will hit the fender supports and stick out past the fenders an inch or more. Tire rotation on any seven usually isn't needed because tires just don't wear very much due to the light weight. Second thought is with extra wide tires all around you will have difficulty getting them up to operating temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 My two cents if it helps; running WCM Ultralite fenders on my Stalker (thanks, WestTex). . . . Stick with 8's up front (keep the tire under the fender). FWIW, I'm running 9.5" wide wheels on the rear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I have the yellow car in Mondos pic and have 8" fronts and 9" rears and was running 235/275 at the time. The fronts did need a 5mm spacer to clear the fenders while the rears were fine. I have now gone down to 215/245 which are quite a bit lighter, warm up easier and dont need a spacer. These sizes would fit on 7"/8" rims and save even more weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks for the input. After reading all the input I will go with 8" wide wheels in front... as for the back I'd like to run a 255 wide tire on either a 9" or 10" wide wheel. As for my current set up.. I have 205/50/15 in front and 225/50/15 in back. I'd like to get more grip as the back end gets loose a bit too easy... likely aided by the LSD in back. On the horizon I am looking at wider and slightly stickier (like a 200 treadwear unless you all recommend something softer-I live in California with mostly sunny skies) tires and some bigger wheels to fill up the wheel wells and get the oil pan a bit higher off the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 On the horizon I am looking at wider and slightly stickier (like a 200 treadwear unless you all recommend something softer-I live in California with mostly sunny skies) tires and some bigger wheels to fill up the wheel wells and get the oil pan a bit higher off the ground. Go waaay waaay softer than that. An R-compound has a treadwear of ~100 and you still more likely to heatcycle them out before you get to the wear bars. Also where in CA are you? Mondo is down in SoCal while there are 5 Ultralite owners in the Bay Area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I would caution you to read the tire manufactures rim width for your tire. If you mount a 225 on a 10" rim. You run the risk of pulling the bead of the rim seat at speed where centrifugal force kicks in and also while corning hard due to the low tire pressures run on LSIS cars. I would run a little softer compound than a 200 wear personally. There are several threads here discussing the issue. Toyo RA1 or 888s seem to be a popular option. You will have fewer choices running 15" but there are good ones available. A street driven Ultralite will typically break lose the rear in the first three gears if you hit vtec. Streets are much dirtier and worn than a race track. Which car did you buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Go waaay waaay softer than that. An R-compound has a treadwear of ~100 and you still more likely to heatcycle them out before you get to the wear bars. Also where in CA are you? Mondo is down in SoCal while there are 5 Ultralite owners in the Bay Area. I'm in Temecula, CA between San Diego and Riverside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 (edited) I would caution you to read the tire manufactures rim width for your tire. If you mount a 225 on a 10" rim. You run the risk of pulling the bead of the rim seat at speed where centrifugal force kicks in and also while corning hard due to the low tire pressures run on LSIS cars. I would run a little softer compound than a 200 wear personally. There are several threads here discussing the issue. Toyo RA1 or 888s seem to be a popular option. You will have fewer choices running 15" but there are good ones available. A street driven Ultralite will typically break lose the rear in the first three gears if you hit vtec. Streets are much dirtier and worn than a race track. Which car did you buy? I bought this one here: http://www.racepa.com/community/index.php?topic=10131.0 The gentleman had owned it about 7 years or so. Edited March 23, 2014 by GunshipDriver bad math... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 I would caution you to read the tire manufactures rim width for your tire. If you mount a 225 on a 10" rim. You run the risk of pulling the bead of the rim seat at speed where centrifugal force kicks in and also while corning hard due to the low tire pressures run on LSIS cars. I would run a little softer compound than a 200 wear personally. There are several threads here discussing the issue. Toyo RA1 or 888s seem to be a popular option. You will have fewer choices running 15" but there are good ones available. A street driven Ultralite will typically break lose the rear in the first three gears if you hit vtec. Streets are much dirtier and worn than a race track. Sounds like a 9" wide in back is the way to go then... I am looking at 17" diameter wheels and from your input possibly Toyo R1Rs with a 140 wear.... So to rehash, 8" in front, 9" in back, 17" diameter 225/45/17 or 235/40/17 in front 255/40/17 in back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Question... when running 17x9" in back, what would be the best offset for running 245 or 255 tires? the range I read on other posts had a range between 45-48. I'd like it as flush as possible but still functional without rubbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Question... when running 17x9" in back, what would be the best offset for running 245 or 255 tires? the range I read on other posts had a range between 45-48. I'd like it as flush as possible but still functional without rubbing. Saw Mondo's post... looks like 43 is the starting point... anyone think 38 would work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 The tire size of 225 front and 255 for the rear is what I have run most of. It will take some time to get some heat in them on the track usually have to be careful the first few laps, but good traction when heated up. Its been I while since I looked for wheels 35-38 offset works a bit better. They will be harder to find in this offset in the 5x100 but there are a few brands out there. From the ad where you purchased the car it said it had 800F 350 R springs. I think thats a bit stiffer than most run. It could be a cause of oversteer issues. An aggressive setup is 550-600 with around 230-250 rears. Many people run 400 F 200R. It will depend on the intended use for the car. The ride is going to be rough with that high of spring rate. Im sure a few others will chime in with what they prefer. Taste can vary by owner and use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 The tire size of 225 front and 255 for the rear is what I have run most of. It will take some time to get some heat in them on the track usually have to be careful the first few laps, but good traction when heated up. Its been I while since I looked for wheels 35-38 offset works a bit better. They will be harder to find in this offset in the 5x100 but there are a few brands out there. From the ad where you purchased the car it said it had 800F 350 R springs. I think thats a bit stiffer than most run. It could be a cause of oversteer issues. An aggressive setup is 550-600 with around 230-250 rears. Many people run 400 F 200R. It will depend on the intended use for the car. The ride is going to be rough with that high of spring rate. Im sure a few others will chime in with what they prefer. Taste can vary by owner and use. Great point... This is a Sunday driver and occasional autocross/track car. Having two herniated discs in my back already I like the idea of 400F / 200R springs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 These are the wheels I am considering... Front http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-New-17X8-35-Offset-5x100-5x114-3-DRAG-DR-31-Bronze-Wheel-Rim-/191106219782?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Wheels&hash=item2c7ed17f06&vxp=mtr Back http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-New-17X9-38-Offset-5x100-5x114-3-DRAG-DR-31-Bronze-Wheel-Rim-/191106192125?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Wheels&hash=item2c7ed112fd&vxp=mtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I run 48 offset 17x9 on my car and fit both 275/40ZR-17 and 245/45ZR17 on them. You can see more about my original wheel/tire decisions at http://www.rahulnair.net/blog/2010/04/16/setting-up-a-seven-wheels-and-tires/ That said I would now recommend the 215/245 combo with 7/8 inch rims as an easy way to save ~15 lbs of unsprung weight on the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 I have 450/250 springs and it's very comfortable for Sunday blasts in the foothills. Haven't had it on the track with these yet. That's the highest spring I can put on the shocks I have but I'd like to try 500lbs in front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunshipDriver Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Talked with the P.O. I have 550F and 350R springs. May look into softer springs down the road but want to get new wheels and tires first for a few different reasons--ground clearance, fender well gap, and grip being among them. I am now considering the following wheels 17x8 ET35 and 17x9 ET42 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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