1993 wheels VS. Spirit R (2002) wheels, performance-wise?
 

Hello guys,

I'm trying to justify a purchase for my FD. I still got my OEM wheels after 10 years of ownership.

1993: 15 lbs, 225/50-16 tires
2002: 19 lbs, 255/40-17 & 235/45-17

Which wheels win? Do not consider esthetic factor.

The stock wheels if you can find a modern sticky compound in 245 width. Then there is the issue of brakes, are you on stock brakes? 17 or 18 inch wheels allow larger rotors... It never ends chasing perfection.

I don't think either is ideal at this point. I'm running 18-inch RX-8 wheels (because the car came with them). Having a lower-profile sidewall will give you better performance on the track, if that's the kind of performance you're talking about (so the Spirit R wheels), but you can get lighter wheels for much less money. For example, on Tire Rack, I can see that the Enkei RPF1 is listed at 15.5 lbs. at the 17x8 size.

Comparing the wheels one to another with the same times and everything, the weight of the wheel isn't something you will notice unless you're a pro race car driver.

The big thing with going to 17" wheels is way more selection in tires. You'll be able to have a lot more options in performance tires and a good tire can transform how a car drives and handles.

I'm guessing your car is somewhat close to stock, when upgrading power you have to upgrade to larger width tires just to keep traction.

Dale

The price tag of the Spirit-R wheels is only justified if you love the style and want the OEM/JDM legitmo cred IMO. Keep in mind they come in OEM (read: nasty) offsets so without spacers you'll be sunken battleship, only slightly better than the USDM 93 setup.

Look into a used set of BBS RG-R, or as mentioned RPF1, PF01 etc depending on budget.

^This is what I ran into. Stock tire size on the 93 wheels was 225/50/16 but a lot of us ran 245/45/16 for years without issues. Little bigger contact patch and better look (at least IMO). But the 245/45's became kind of an obsolete size. I moved to a 17" with ALOT more choices and a little better look still.
FWIW, Enkei PFO1SS in 17x9 +48. Strong, relatively light, not silly expensive and takes 255/40 all around. You just need hubcentric rings which IIRC were less than $20...
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/...ps74d779a3.jpg

Spirit R ANYthing is pretty much garage queen at this point. It'd be stupid to pay all that money and then curb rash em. Especially if a set of 16s from a 92-3 are even on your radar.

I have a plain ol' set of 1999 spec wheels that I cruise around on. The more I look at the car with them, the less I want to put my CCWs back on.
Cheap, available, OEM RX-7, and not bad looking.

Not my car but here's a pic of '99 specs.
http://s3.caradvice.com.au/thumb/770...a-RX7-1999.jpg

SgtBlue, those wheels on your FD look freaking pimp my man :bubrub:

Natey, cmon now...... curbing nice/rare wheels is a shitty situation, but that's no reason not to rock high-end wheels 24/7. One thing I like about Fikses-- it's not a huge ordeal to have minor curb rash worked out of the outer lip. Uncoated polished aluminum and three piece construction have their benefits in this case :)

On a related note, just saw a set of pristine S-R wheels on ebay the other day....... for $3450. Ouch.

GoodFella,
Since you are a Certified Wheel Whore, what is your recommended 17" size for near flush, don't have to roll anything?

Natey's setup looks good, but I'd like some clarity.

I too have been dreaming of the Spirit R wheels, but the prices are just silly. Checking out the RG-R you mentioned and the prices seem to be within the realm of sanity. At least they are within reason of affordability for my budget.

Vince

Big Vince,

17s are a bit tough IMO because to go nice and wide out back you are forced into overly tall rear tires, which kill your gearing and slow you down.

What are your power goals and usage?

One option:
17x8.5 +38 front with a 245/40
17x10 +43 rear with a 265/40 or 275/40 <----mega tall 25.7 inches yo.

Another option:
17x8.5 +38 with a 225/40
17x9.5 +38 with a 255/40
Less rubber, but less weight and more ideal 25 inch OD. With today's tire tech the right rubber (*cough* RE-71R) will hold at pretty stout power levels.....my 265/35-18 rear RE-71Rs hold 20 psi on a PT6466 on the street, after first gear anyway :rofl:

Curious about the offset too. I have a set of RZ wheels and the +50 offset puts them a little non-flush looking. I don't want to install longer studs since this is a nasty job in the rear, so this means a max 5mm spacer on the OEM studs or a 15mm spacer that works with the stock studs. So the question is, can the OEM 17" wheels and OEM tire sizes (235F / 255R) work without interference with 15mm spacers? The front fenders are rolled by a previous owner, but the rears are not rolled. It looks like it might be close with the extra 15mm.

On a buddy's car I recently mounted 20mm front and 30mm rear spacers and his OEM 16x8 +50 wheels really looked so much better, filled out the wheel wells.

With your RZs you can go the same route. Get high quality spacers like H&R, Eibach etc, make sure to torque them properly with top quality lugs. For the lugs that bolt the wheel down I love the McGard spline-drive:

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...hrome-1115635/

Rich,

Thanks for the advice!

As far as power goals, my end goal is bolt ons, twin power or sake bomb ignition, and a tune, wherever that ends up. I'm not interested in going single or BNRs, because:
A) Money factor
B) It's fast enough for my skill level
C) I don't want to ruin how nice it is being close to stock

Nice wheels would just be icing on the cake. For your 17x8.5 and 17x9.5 scenario, that would be a really nice plus 1 upgrade and shouldn't ruin the ride wth too stiff of a side wall?

Next dumb question, making the front wider and pushing the offset outward, does it have much affect on the steering? My napkin math figures 0.5" ~12.5mm and the offset is changing 12mm so it should keep the inside of the wheel nearly in the same position. Or, I'm completely messing that up.

Vince