Light Weight Wheels and why, add yours to the list, read the requirements first

[meFiSTo]

I love that look, Rick! My car will have a similar, but a little more conservative, leisurely-drive-to-track/wet track/summer wheel setup. Anthracite 15x7 TD PR 1.2s still in the box. Planning on mounting 205/50-15 Yokohama AD08 Rs for that purpose. Probably getting some 17x7 TD PR 1.2s for dedicated track wheels with NT01s in 205/40-17. I know it'll be a little heavier, but I prefer the lower profile tire when going "all out" (relatively speaking) and chasing around with my Elise "friends." Although not especially aggressive, that setup should do the job for my recreational purposes. Plus, I want to minimize mechanical/structural accommodations tied to my wheel choice (I'll also be swapping in some mountune springs, which drop the whole deal about 1 inch in front and .8 inch in back). Anyway, your config looks fantastic!

A little off topic: I like the little Triple R chin piece you show too, but wonder about its actual function. Is it purely cosmetic? I could not get Joe to comment on that in his installation thread. What's your thought? Does it DO anything? I'm wary of hanging stuff on the car just because it looks good. I'm trying to do MOST of my mods to help it perform better on my occasional HPDE track days (I generally granny drive around town). Having said that, my first mod was a CBE, which I had to then replace because it was TOO LOUD.

 

[nttdemented]

So what would be the widest bolt on wheel and tire setup we can run? Keeping in mind I do not have any short term suspension plans save for sway bars at this point so not going lower.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I would use an 8" wheel with a 205 tire, much better fit, looks better, more support, better turn in, better grip, etc.....if not an 8" at least a 7.5" wide wheel will work better for any serious handling use.

I had a set of 205's on the 9's for a bit as ordered some in in case the 225's would not fit, I buy my race tires used so get a great deal and then if not needed sell them or make a change, run them out if not my exact tire needed once I test, etc..whatver works. I know of a shop that specifically uses 205's on 9's on one end and 225 on the other end of the car to help balance out the handling.

GRM did a test on a well sorted Civic and many times championship driver and the 225 were faster on the 9" wheels over an 8"

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Thanks

I love the look of mine but they are not as stretched as the pictures make it seem, they are just right and I would not of gone to all the effort to run 9" wheels if I just was not so determined to run the widest tires I could.

I tried to fit 225 Hoosiers but they are super wide, more like a 245, not going to work in the rear of the car so I would of had to run 225 up front and 205 in the rear but wanted the same all around since I could with the RA1 tires, much easier to swap around, max the use out of them, fewer spare wheels and tires to carry.

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General and quite accurate rule of thumb, widest tires properly supported meaning 205 on 8's, 225's on 9's, etc....and lowest weight possible as weight is the enemy of all things in performance, every aspect is effected and very critical in wheels and tires.

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I have the triple R it is a nice piece and it appears to help but I had plans for mine well before ordering it.

I shaved the rear lip off that sticks down and mounted a full size and depth to the subframe undertray. I need to clean up a but of the front lip and where I drilled and used a bunch of pop rivets on the bottom yet plus makes some channels to direct some of the air into the engine bay to help evacuate more heat(that part of the plan came from the shop manager at MMP, the one with all the race Mustangs and other cars...)

I am using the section in the middle for my brake duct vents instead of the fog lights as originally planned, I have to get that done in the next couple of days to be ready for the outer loop at MMP for two days, Fri and Sat, it is very fast and I brake very late.

 

[nttdemented]

So you wouldn't even recommend 215's on an 8" wheel?

Btw, what's the lowest offset you recommend for an 8" wheel bolt on?

 

[MKVIIST]

So you wouldn't even recommend 215's on an 8" wheel?

Btw, what's the lowest offset you recommend for an 8" wheel bolt on?

You can do 215 on a 8" wide wheel, but once you lower it you're going to rub. Happened on mine. If you stay at stock height you will be fine.

 

[nttdemented]

Sorry to keep pestering about offset but I think thats a very important part of this discussion that I'm not seeing mentioned much here.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I have +35 in the 15x9, barely clears the struts up front and had to pull and roll the fenders a bit to fit.

My street setup is 17x7(I wish 7.5 or 8) with 205/45/17 AS3 Michelin, +42 offset I believe and good clearance.

A 17x8 is probably going to need that kind of offset with a 215 or maybe a bit more like a +45, I have a diagram I drew up here somewhere if you remind me I will look for it in the AM.

What is the exact size of the 215 or which tire specifically so I can look at the specs?

 

[Original J-Pat]

Can you show that chart if you can cuz I want to run as wide as i can with 17x8 just idk about the offset and I don't want roll fenders cuz im leasing my car

 

[RAAMaudio]

You can loosen the front fenders a bit, tweak a few things, pull them out, very mild roll, 99.999999% of those involved in lease returns are not going to notice if done well.

For the rear you can only roll a bit but done carefully it will not really show, just roll the lip a bit and trim off the sealant strip and gain a bit, nobody will know.

I did not consider that I drew up just want I needed to work with on my car with many mods versus a stock car in these areas so my data is not going to be completely correct.

Something like a 17x8, +40 or so should be OK from what I can tell but others will know more about this than I as my car was bought to be modded a great deal and not much is applicable to less modded cars.



Just in case you needed to do a bit of a mod to make what you want fit.

One area and you can get away with it, the lower bolt on the fender to bumper cover mount, remove it and grind off the metal as it was the only place rubbing on my car, spray some undercoat on it, etc, they will never know.

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[Original J-Pat]

Alright thanks for the help haven't bought new wheels yet but just trying to see what size I need to run

 

[RAAMaudio]

The best estimate I can give for now is probably going to be a 17x8 +42mm, check on the Team Dynamics in 17x8 that are available from PCA, a great vendor here, not sure if he is selling them yet, etc..but he would know what fits I am sure.

 

[Original J-Pat]

Yea Ill ask him once I get closer to buying them rims thanks for the help

 

[RAAMaudio]

I like those wheels but they are a bit heavy for my needs, too bad about that.

 

[Original J-Pat]

Well they are the lightest wheels I could find that I liked

 

[stuntdoogie]

Raam so its ok to remove that fender bumper bolt and shave it down? I shaved alot around that bolt area but still rubbing on hard bumps. Wont the bumper fender disconnect some and show a gap?

 

[PCA-1]

Yea I think I'll stick with 17 probably Team Dynamics Pro Race in white if i can find them

All you have to do is ask .

 

[PCA-1]

The best estimate I can give for now is probably going to be a 17x8 +42mm, check on the Team Dynamics in 17x8 that are available from PCA, a great vendor here, not sure if he is selling them yet, etc..but he would know what fits I am sure.

Spec ordering season is around the corner. To get your Team Dynamics wheels how you want them, factory spec ordering is the way to go. ETA is 12 weeks for an order container shipped. Will be announcing a new program this year to help enthusiasts get their wheels in the spring. Stay tuned to the PCA vendor forum.

 

[meFiSTo]

Spec ordering season is around the corner. To get your Team Dynamics wheels how you want them, factory spec ordering is the way to go. ETA is 12 weeks for an order container shipped. Will be announcing a new program this year to help enthusiasts get their wheels in the spring. Stay tuned to the PCA vendor forum.

Hmmm. I will have to keep an eye on this.

 

[RAAMaudio]

I had cut the mounting area when pulling and rolling the fenders with plans to weld it back later, which I did, then found I was hitting it still on my race tires, not my street setup. It was Razor than mentioned cutting off the while area, which I did and have no gap.

I was going to mod the area closer to the body that this all mounts to that has a large flat area I though would contact but it did not rub jumping curbs at speed at the track and I was hauling arse over them, I might of had all four off a few times, it felt like it, much fun

 

[Original J-Pat]

I had cut the mounting area when pulling and rolling the fenders with plans to weld it back later, which I did, then found I was hitting it still on my race tires, not my street setup. It was Razor than mentioned cutting off the while area, which I did and have no gap.

I was going to mod the area closer to the body that this all mounts to that has a large flat area I though would contact but it did not rub jumping curbs at speed at the track and I was hauling arse over them, I might of had all four off a few times, it felt like it, much fun

Which wheels do u have?