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Seeking Advice re wheel setup

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Old Feb 28, 2017 | 10:03 AM
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Question Seeking Advice re wheel setup

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the help so far....forum is really helpful and learning a lot.

I wanted some advice regarding running a 10.5" rear wheel on a stock body FD. Tire size will be either 275 or 285. Will I need to roll the rears or should I go with a 9.5" wheel instead? Thing is I like the aggressive look of the 10.5" so would try to keep that setup if possible.

I'm sure this has been discussed, if anyone can point me in the right direction or chime in with their opinion I would be most grateful.

Greatly appreciated....
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Old Feb 28, 2017 | 10:36 AM
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Most likely you will need to roll the rear fenders. Not saying you will need a huge push-out flare or anything, just to tuck the inner fender lip in so the tire doesn't catch it.

An Eastwood fender roller makes quick work of the job. May want to see if someone local to you has one to rent/borrow, or buy one and resell it. They are a little pricey but they work SO well.

Dale
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Old Feb 28, 2017 | 10:46 AM
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If you use +45 to +50 offset you will not have to roll the rear fender lip if you have around -1.5 degrees negative camber (which is not excessive).

You can find some Black Enkei PF01 right now in 18x10.5 +47, but the high offset we need is usually hard to find in wider wheels.

This is also the offset you would want if you wanted to run the same 18x10.5 w/ 285/30-18 up front (which will require rolling the fender lip under) as well as around -2 camber (which is pretty high for the street).

Or you could run the 18x10.5 +47 up front with a 265/35-18 on a stock front fender with camber maxed (around -2.4 degrees) or with regular camber and the front fender lip rolled under.
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Old Feb 28, 2017 | 11:56 AM
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Thanks for the input guys, really appreciate it.

Thanks @DaleClark always a pleasure getting advice from you. I do have a friend of mine that has a roller and I could borrow it no problem. No experience rolling rear fenders but should be able to manage. YouTube lol!!

Thanks @BlueTII finding those high offsets in wheels I like are a bit rare to come by and then if I do the $$$ is rather high.

Will consider the 10.5" wheel with a rolled rear fender and the 275 tire

Thanks gents
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 09:56 AM
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I would think that ride height will also be a factor. Is the car on stock springs, or will it be lowered?
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 10:19 AM
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adam c

I would think that ride height will also be a factor. Is the car on stock springs, or will it be lowered?


Why would ride height matter?
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 12:07 PM
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I plan to lower the car with Coilovers. But not low to the point of needing serious negative camber. Just enough for a look that won't have a massive wheel arch gap.

The wheel offset I am considering is ET20 (18x10.5)

Thanks
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 12:35 PM
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Offset is important.

You will be limited to a 225/40-18 on that 18x10.5 +20 without rolling the fenders

and the fender edge will still be in danger of catching the tire sidewall down at the bead where it meets the wheel on big bumps since the wheels will stick out past the body of the car.
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 12:50 PM
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Originally Posted by BLUE TII
Why would ride height matter?
huh? I may be missing something here but in comparison to a stock ride height car: a lowered car has less distance to travel to be able to rub against a fender.

Last edited by Montego; Mar 1, 2017 at 12:55 PM.
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 12:59 PM
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Oh, I see.

I don't understand that thinking though.

If its stock height it is probably on soft stock springs and if the wheel and tire don't fit they will hit the fender on a big bump anyways just the same as if the car was lowered on stiffer springs.

With the right offset the ride height doesn't matter since the tire cannot hit the fender.
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 01:35 PM
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Thanks for all the input.

Definitely not running a 225 tire, not a fan of the "ultra stretch" look. I will gladly roll the fenders. Maybe even a slight pull.

Cheers
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 02:38 PM
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Originally Posted by BLUE TII
Oh, I see.

I don't understand that thinking though.

If its stock height it is probably on soft stock springs and if the wheel and tire don't fit they will hit the fender on a big bump anyways just the same as if the car was lowered on stiffer springs.
Aw gotcha. Though I don't quite agree that it would hit just the same because stock height is rather high. But I get your point and honestly who wants to ride around on stock height and aftermarket wheels?

Originally Posted by BLUE TII
With the right offset the ride height doesn't matter since the tire cannot hit the fender.
Agreed that offset for our purposes is key. But to play devil's advocate, the opposite holds true as well. Where the offset doesn't matter if the car is high enough. But we aren't a monster truck forum... or are we?

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zoom zoom

Last edited by Montego; Mar 1, 2017 at 02:44 PM.
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Old Mar 1, 2017 | 02:56 PM
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Where the offset doesn't matter if the car is high enough.

Touche
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Old Mar 7, 2017 | 07:32 AM
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Thanks for the input guys....

Considering the TE37SL's but can only find 18x9.0 ET45 for the front. If I run 245/35 tires will there be any issues with turning etc.. rubbing the inner part of the fender?

Rear: 18x9.5 ET22 - assume this would require rolling the rear fenders ??....... could consider the ET35 but I am a fan of the concave aggressive look

Cheers
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Old Mar 7, 2017 | 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Trinityevo13
Considering the TE37SL's but can only find 18x9.0 ET45 for the front. If I run 245/35 tires will there be any issues with turning etc.. rubbing the inner part of the fender?
Should be OK, might need to roll fenders if not running much negative camber.

Rear: 18x9.5 ET22 - assume this would require rolling the rear fenders ??....... could consider the ET35 but I am a fan of the concave aggressive look
Subjective, but gawd how I hate the look of low-offset wheels with narrowish wheels/tires...

I would go with the available 18x10 +40 size, I think you should be able to run 265/35-18 or 275/35-18 without rolling, particularly with some negative camber.

And that would avoid a major mismatch between front/rear "poke"...

Last edited by ZDan; Mar 7, 2017 at 09:38 AM.
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Old Mar 7, 2017 | 01:24 PM
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Didn't run thru the numbers for the sizes mentioned, but if it's mostly a streeted car, keeping the speedometer close might be a consideration.
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Old Mar 7, 2017 | 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Sgtblue
Didn't run thru the numbers for the sizes mentioned, but if it's mostly a streeted car, keeping the speedometer close might be a consideration.
255/35-18 OD = +0.1%
265/35-18 OD = +1.0%
275/35-18 OD = +2.8%

With the 275s, *if* stock speedo is dead-nuts, you'd be reading 75mph at 77mph.
Most speedometers run a bit high due to EU regs that require the indicated speed to be higher than actual even with one-size oversized tires installed, so it's possible that 275/35-18 would give more accurate speed reading than stock. But with <3% odometer error (would read less than actual distance).
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Old Mar 11, 2017 | 06:53 PM
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Thanks for all the help gents...really appreciated
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Old Mar 12, 2017 | 03:42 PM
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If running a 9.5 wheel up front, would 245/35/18 cause any understeering issues? The rear would be 265 or 275

Thanks
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Old Mar 12, 2017 | 05:54 PM
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understeer can be adjusted with alignment.
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Old Mar 12, 2017 | 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Trinityevo13
If running a 9.5 wheel up front, would 245/35/18 cause any understeering issues? The rear would be 265 or 275

Thanks
Have you looked into how many quality high performance street tires are actually available in that size? Hint: Barely any. Plus, it's a very short sidewall so not very street friendly. 255/35-18 opens up a lot of choices
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Old Mar 13, 2017 | 08:33 AM
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Thanks adam and Goodfella.... Saw some very nice Bridgestone and Continental tires in the 245/35....couple Dunlops as well.

I was mainly concerned about any understeer issues with such a wide front tire at 245. However, I found that the Hankook 235/40 tires seem to have a pretty strong sidewall that doesn't seem to stretch as much as others out there...so that's an option as well
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