Suparata
DSM Wiseman
- 458
- 13
- Jan 18, 2003
-
Chicago,
Illinois
The has been a lot of talk about what and what not on the subject so here is what I think about it.
What are we looking to get in a wheel? They need to be wide enough to accommodate the tires we have in mind, have enough clearance for the brake system, have the correct offset yet be brakes friendly without having the tires stick out of the car a mile, they need to be hub-centric, be as light and as strong possible and of course the least expensive possible.
Unfortunately as very often in life you cant have everything so we have to choose something that will give us the closest to what we need.
Wheel width.
If you are serious about racing the car you will need 17x9 wheels so you can run a 255/40/17 tire or even 275/40/17 at some point. Personally I would try to stay with 255 but you never know. And that is the point: you never know so why dont you get the wheels that will allow you to make choices and not throw away your money on something that wont work.
If you think you will never get to that level of racing, dont want to do any fender work but you would still like to use some bigger brakes, wider tire on a good looking wheel just stay with a 17x8 and live with your decision. It is not a bad choice but it does have its limits. Yet you would still be far better than a lot of other IF you get the right wheel. Remember not all 17sx8 are brakes friendly.
Brakes clearance
We need wheels that are designed for bigger brakes with good air flow through them. We also have FWD platforms and things are tight especially in the front so what can we put on that will clear the brakes AND tuck underneath the fenders?
Offset.
17x9 needs probably a maximum of +30mm offset, at least on a 1G. That would allow you to use even the 275 tires without hitting the frame at maximum steering input.
Greg needs +24 because he already flared the fenders but others might not need to go that much out. Now remember not all wheels that have the correct offset will clear the brakes too.
Hub centric wheels.
I probably dont need to emphasize how important that is. But whos going to make a custom wheel for us that will have the center at 67.1mm? Not too many wheels manufacturers, thats for sure. At least not for a reasonable price.
Light AND strong.
Now thats not easy to be done at a decent price. And not with spokes that arch quite a bit to clear the brakes and fit a FWD platform. So we might need to compromise on the weigh to get a strong enough wheel, again for a decent price. But whats strong enough? Well if its strong and light enough for European and British Touring Car Championships, it is good enough for me. And how much weight are we talking about after all? Just a few pounds. What can I say?
Bottom line is Im no expert in wheels so I have to go with what works for real racing, use my common sense that there is a reason for everything and nobody would use heavier wheels than needed when trying to win a tough championship. Im not rich either so I am happy to get such a good product at a reasonable price. So I made my choice. I like how the wheels look, they will clear the biggest brakes I can put in there, they will have good airflow through them and I wont have to rob a bank to get the right thing.
What are we looking to get in a wheel? They need to be wide enough to accommodate the tires we have in mind, have enough clearance for the brake system, have the correct offset yet be brakes friendly without having the tires stick out of the car a mile, they need to be hub-centric, be as light and as strong possible and of course the least expensive possible.
Unfortunately as very often in life you cant have everything so we have to choose something that will give us the closest to what we need.
Wheel width.
If you are serious about racing the car you will need 17x9 wheels so you can run a 255/40/17 tire or even 275/40/17 at some point. Personally I would try to stay with 255 but you never know. And that is the point: you never know so why dont you get the wheels that will allow you to make choices and not throw away your money on something that wont work.
If you think you will never get to that level of racing, dont want to do any fender work but you would still like to use some bigger brakes, wider tire on a good looking wheel just stay with a 17x8 and live with your decision. It is not a bad choice but it does have its limits. Yet you would still be far better than a lot of other IF you get the right wheel. Remember not all 17sx8 are brakes friendly.
Brakes clearance
We need wheels that are designed for bigger brakes with good air flow through them. We also have FWD platforms and things are tight especially in the front so what can we put on that will clear the brakes AND tuck underneath the fenders?
Offset.
17x9 needs probably a maximum of +30mm offset, at least on a 1G. That would allow you to use even the 275 tires without hitting the frame at maximum steering input.
Greg needs +24 because he already flared the fenders but others might not need to go that much out. Now remember not all wheels that have the correct offset will clear the brakes too.
Hub centric wheels.
I probably dont need to emphasize how important that is. But whos going to make a custom wheel for us that will have the center at 67.1mm? Not too many wheels manufacturers, thats for sure. At least not for a reasonable price.
Light AND strong.
Now thats not easy to be done at a decent price. And not with spokes that arch quite a bit to clear the brakes and fit a FWD platform. So we might need to compromise on the weigh to get a strong enough wheel, again for a decent price. But whats strong enough? Well if its strong and light enough for European and British Touring Car Championships, it is good enough for me. And how much weight are we talking about after all? Just a few pounds. What can I say?
Bottom line is Im no expert in wheels so I have to go with what works for real racing, use my common sense that there is a reason for everything and nobody would use heavier wheels than needed when trying to win a tough championship. Im not rich either so I am happy to get such a good product at a reasonable price. So I made my choice. I like how the wheels look, they will clear the biggest brakes I can put in there, they will have good airflow through them and I wont have to rob a bank to get the right thing.
How many$$? Do the sizes you are suggesting fit on an unmolested/subtly molested 1g? And for the style concious dork in me, what colors are available?
