need help sizing tires and rims a bit long but I really need help
 

I have an 85 GSL-SE and the idiot dealer who sold me 14" rims, mounted the tires I brought in but didn't have him mount them on the car because it was November. Well I mounted them in spring and they rubbed on the front fenders

When I bought the rims (american racing forgot the model) the dealer told me the 14"ers would fit with my standard se 205 60 14's. Well he was wrong, and at first told me to take a hike because the car was suppose to have 195's idiot didn't due his research although I gave him everything expecting him to be the expert. He even called his vender who gave the green light. Since I needed rims I reconditioned my stocks and mounted the 205, 60 14's. I finally got in touch with the owner and told him that I have free legal council and will be taking him to court. He is offering me Sacchi 14X6 saying they are $35 more each than the ones I originally purchased. I have since joined SCCA and can mount tires up to 7.5" wide. What size wheel and tire combo can I use prefer not to break the bank but I don't want to buy cheap and regret it. Do I I need to go to 15's or 16's. I want to mount some shaved tread tires or solo slicks and dedicate the combo for racing. The do make the Sacchi in 15x7's but I don't trust these guys to make the call. They won't give me a cash refund but I won't buy the tires from these guys. I have read about guys putting on 16" tires. I don't want to have to change anything in the suspension or do any additional work.
Your thoughts? Thans for taking the time to help me.

uh... so what is the question?

on a 7" wide wheel you should have a 35-40mm offset. I ran 16x7 for years that way.


the factory wheels are 14x 5.5" w/ a 38mm offset.

that is basically what I need but also would like to know
 

I am ignorant with the vocab about wheels and tires

For street I have stock 14 5.5's with 205/60 R14.

If I use 16x7's with a 35-40mm offset what tire size can/should I use for autocross? 215 or 225? 45,50 or 60's. Does that give a better discription of what I am asking

gotcha... well you are really pretty limited on what you can run up front...

on a 16x7 wheel, you're probably not going to get much wider than a 205/45-16 up there. If you have a *perfect* offset wheel (that'll vary by what springs you're running) and a tire with just the right edge shape you might be able to get a 215 up there, but you'd be one of the few.

on the rear you've got a bit more space to work with.. you can easily fit a wider tire back there. However... 1st gens are generally right on 50/50 weith distribution, and they're not usually putting down excessive amounts of torque, so a staggered setup doesn't really serve much benefit other than to unsettle the balance of the car (requiring different shock/spring/sway bar tuning to get back to...


Now... For pure autocrossing? I run in CSP and went a totally different way.. I run 13x8" wheels w/ 4" backspacing and a 235/45-13 tire. Sticks out and looks funny, but helps both gearing (smaller dia tire = quicker accel) and allows a nice wide tire I couldn't fit w/ a 16" wheel....

thanks
 

I have read about weight distribution, and after what I experianced I think I will stay with the 205's and keep consistant all around. Money is tight now and I am just getting it in good shape for the street. The new headers,coils,plugs,wires,muffler,k&n,strut towers, and tokiko adjustables have made a big difference.

again thanks for the help, I think due to the few number of rx7's dealers work with they just don't dig in and look at the difference of an se vs std.

I'll let you know how it works out...cheers..Bob