juice87

has anybody tried installing 18 inch rims on there FC i want to see some pics. Im currently lookin for some rims and tires and i want to put 18's on but i dont want it to jack up my ride hieght too far or cause rubbing problems if anybody knows bout this please help me out.

Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

18s will fit fine, depending on width and offset, and shouldnt affect ride height too much as long as the correct sized tires are installed.
You are aware that that large of a wheel will affect performance, due to the increased rotational mass..
Whether or not it looks good is all up to you. I personally think 18s are a touch too big for a FC, but its all personal preference.

This is the only pic of a FC with 18s I remember offhand..

juice87

do you know if the Enkei RSF-2 18's will fit? right there 18x7 the lug is 4x114.3 so i know that part fits. also im not great with tire sizes and all that so if you know what would be a good size and type for just a daily driver any help would be greatly appriciated

zer0_to_6ixty

my wheel size is in my profile, and fits quite well with 17" rims.... not sure though with 18", but i have no rubbing (stock suspension). so maybe you could have 18" with the same or lower profile tires.... not sure if you lower if you still won't rub, but I'm gonna try to lower mine about 1 1/2 to 2 inches to get the tires set bettter in the tire well.
Let me know how it goes...
-Cyrus

Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

For a 7" wide wheel you would want a offset of 35-40mm for a FC. Tire size should be 215/40/18, maybe 225/40/18 out back...

You might want to post this is the wheel/tire/suspension forum, and there are people there that really know alot more than I about tire and wheel combos...

juice87

do you know it this would cause any rubbing problems? or if it would be able to be lowered at all?

juice87

i dont want to sound like a dumbass but could somebody explain to me what exactly the offset means ive never really had the funds to even think about rims and now that i do i guess i should learn this **** please help

juice87

just another question if i were to put on some Exel Pak-5 Blue 17x7 rims does anybody know if it would look good or if somebody could put them on a pic of a 7 for me? i think the rims look nice but i dont know if they would on a 7 plus it would resolve the too big problem

Josepi

Here's a really nice easy to understand article explaining offests.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm

casio

its not quite that simple. rotational mass is 'all relative.' the closer the mass is to the center, the less affect it will have. also, 17s dont look like 17s on FCs in my opinion because there's so much room left in the wheelwell. it looks funny with low profile tires. also, wheels seem lighter than tires in many cases and tires are further from the center. so please explain how you mean rotational mass is affected in more detail.

andrew lohaus

18" wheels will affect your performace if they are heavier than the stokers and have a higher rotational ineritia. you might be able to find a pair of ultra light 18" that arent much heavier than stock, that will take care of the suspension defficit from unsprung wight. but they are almost certain to have a higher rotational inertia from baieng larger in diameter. this will slow your accelerition in compound with the higher effective final drive ratio from a larger diameter tire.

something to keep in mind, do it for looks but not performance.

casio

there's a lot of variables, but anyone pushing power shouldnt be holding onto their 15x6" wheels. no doubt most aftermarket wheels will be heavier than stock, but they should also be wider. i was more thinking a 17" with more diameter tire that would be about as tall as an 18" wheel with a lower profile tire.

juice87

what about 17x7's? i found some rims i like in that size but i dont know the offset or anything i just know the lug pattern is right and that they are 17's so they will fit. will 7 inch wides work out good or no? i dont wanna go too wide i dont have power steering so if i go too wide it will be hard as hell to turn the steering wheel. by the way wut is the factory with of my 87 n/a base model. i can tell u that the tire size is 195/70/r14 and i have the 8 hole rims.i have never dealt with rims before and i dont wanna screw myself over and can somebody put these rims on a FC for me to see

igottafc

iTrader: (6)

i dunno man, just be looking at the top half of that wheel, it gives me the jitters, no offence, IMO i wouldnt go with a wheel that looks that cheesy, then again its your car, your choice. -alex

juice87

im not dead set on that wheel im just looking for a nice wheel that isnt too pricy and looks good i want to be able to get a decent set of wheels and tires for $1000 or less if you got any ideas send them too me with some pictures

den

i've got 18's at the moment, 225's front and 245's rear with no rubbing problems at all. i think they suit the car fine but cant help thinking they look a touch too big. they grip really well and the ride is alot smoother than before. everyone who see's the car says they look good and suit it well but i deffinatley should've got 17's. looking back 18's are overkill, 17's would have been perfect.

Icemark

Actually many people doing autoX and real performance racing (not that street/stop light crap) are using 15x6 or 15x6.5 or by the absolute largest a 16x7.

A good rule of thumb is for every 5 lbs extra per wheel, that will translate to a 5 HP loss to the road for the car.

So if you had a vert with it's stock 11 lbs 15x6.5 wheels and you went with a 17x7 25 lbs aftermarket wheel, you would be adding about 15 HP loss from the engine HP to what gets put down on the road.

Conversly if you had the stock heavy 87-88 Turbo 16x7 wheels and changed to the uberlichect BBS vert wheels, it would feel like you gained 15 HP!

And I won't even get into what happens to the suspension and road holding when you drop to a 40/35 series (or smaller) side wall.

deltr0n`

ive got 18x8.5 in the rear of mine, it fits but i think it rubs a little, but thats because i have bad struts with intrax springs.

casio

right, but what power are they pushing? i dont know, i dont think i'd wanna run a powerful car on 6" wide wheels. i have conv't wheels on my car now, but plan to loose them at about the same time i go turbo. you're right, even road course people have thin wheels and tires sometimes, but they make me feel uneasy. autox people also do a lot of skidding, right? autox'ing and street driving are also different. i assume these 18's are for daily street use.

Sideways7

iTrader: (7)

How heavy are the stock TII wheels?

andrew lohaus

you have to recognize that most of these people are using dot legal slicks and r compound rubber. they dont need as large a contact patch for the same amount of power. also many of them are restricted by classes that either keep power down or prohibit larger wheels. a good rule of thumb is to only go with as much wheel needed to cover the caliper. cont go to small/light as long as it fits.

casio

exactly, but thats racing use. i'm thinking this guy wants 18s to roll around, to for DOT runner or any "class" for racing. this guy will prolly be running mid-grade street tires in which case he'll prolly want a nice width rim as well; i would at least. youre talkin roud coursing or autox'ing which i think is far from the original question.

:::and yes, drags on road course cars can be very fun, even when the wheel isnt god awful width. again, depending on the class. i've driven a spec miata around a parking lot and it handled like a go-kart.
autox'ing i know even less about.
this guy just wants some 18s if they look good (and dont completely screw with performance i assume). i've wondered the same because 17s just dont fill enough.

[D1 RX7]

dude over in sydney has racing hart 19's, in my opinion they look the ****. bigger the better, wheels dont make THAT much difference to performance, and theres always a solution. more horsepower...
http://www.pbase.com/mak07/ygo20b

juice87

right now i just want something that will look good and perform better that stock. I'm not into racing yet as i dont have the funds till i can get out of college and get a real job but until then i want to put some nice rims preferably 18's that wont perform worse than stock and arent way over my budget. i agree that the 19's are overkill and im not quite sure about the 18's as i havent seen enough pictures of them.

West TX RX-7

I'd recommend using 17's. 18's barely fit on a stock ride height car and your performance will suffer. For looks and still keeping performance 17's is the way to go.