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Still working on my FD, bought a CF hood, spoiler, and it is currently being sanded after being primed so that I can take it to get wrapped (going to save up for a while to get a worthwhile paint job).
So now I am looking to get some wheels and tires to tie it all together, and I've looked through the forums a lot and used the wheel/tire spreadsheet and think I have landed on wheels and tires that will work, but to save myself some stress it would be awesome if someone can just confirm with me that nothing will go wrong. I couldn't match the offsets perfect for what the spreadsheet was telling me but I should be within tolerances. Here's what I plan on going with:
17x8 5x114.3 38mm wheels with 225/45 tires up front
17x9 5x114.3 40mm wheels with 255/40 tires in the back
As long as I'm not a complete idiot these should work, but again if someone can let me know that I AM begin an idiot before I pull the trigger I would appreciate it.
yea those specs will work but theyre kind of weak. what kind of fitment are you going for? are you lowering it? if so, by how much? the specs you have there will get you a not so clean fitment. it really all depends what youre looking for styling wise.
The offsets work. Stock is +50 for reference.
You can always add a small 5mm spacer if you want more flush.
You can probably do 235 or 245 tires on the front wheels.
All i basically have to work with are 8 +38, 9 +40, and 9.5 +40. So a bit rough haha
If your like me this might make your head-spin, but other things that are often considered…
*Are you on stock suspension
*If on adjustable height coil overs, how low do you want to be
*Is rolling fenders an option.
*Will the car be strictly street driven
*Consider aspect ratio and overall tire+wheel height if you want the speedometer to remain close
*If you think you might need spacers make sure you’ll have enough wheel stud length…especially on the rear.
*when choosing wheel style, will you need tuner lugs or can you stay with standard lug nuts
If your like me this might make your head-spin, but other things that are often considered…
*Are you on stock suspension
*If on adjustable height coil overs, how low do you want to be
*Is rolling fenders an option.
*Will the car be strictly street driven
*Consider aspect ratio and overall tire+wheel height if you want the speedometer to remain close
*If you think you might need spacers make sure you’ll have enough wheel stud length…especially on the rear.
*when choosing wheel style, will you need tuner lugs or can you stay with standard lug nuts
Head definitely spinning lol. I honestly thought from everything I read that as long as I followed the spreadsheet I should be golden. Luckily it does cover suggestions and speed variation and all that, but considering stud length definitely makes sense and it hasn’t even crossed my mind.
The car definitely has Tein coilovers. Looking through what was done to the car it has 8K front and 6K rear spring rate. So lowered but I need to figure out how much lower that translates to. And would rather not roll fenders if avoidable.
Most people add their wheels spec when they post in the FD Wheel thread. Might be worth looking through. The teins are height adjustable, so ride height won't be an issue. I'd try to find some wheels that will work without spacers though, for a few reasons. Wheel stud length and wear on suspension are two.
One other thing I'm glad I did was get a squared-up wheel set. mine are 17x10 all around. Rotating the tires will make them last a lot longer.
Also, it's a fine line between making the car look flush and ruining the ride and cornering. Correct offsets are key.
FWIW back when I was struggling with this issue I figured out early on I was not going with the pricey 2 pc wheels that you could custom order. They were pretty, but I didn’t want to panic-attack over every pothole and be afraid to park it where I couldn’t check on it every 30 seconds. So.. I had to compromise with a set that I liked (and still like) but wasn’t my first choice style-wise. They came “off-the-shelf” in a suitable size 17x 9 +48), were strong, relatively light, and I didn’t need a second mortgage to afford…I think my daughter was still in college. They aren’t hella-flush but look good for my tastes. That size/off-set btw, allowed me with GC coil overs at slightly lower (~ 1”) ride height to go 255/40 square, and no fender rolling. It also kept the speedometer close and enough sidewalk for decent performance and ride quality on the street. YRMV
Center bore is 67.1mm btw. You will need hub centric rings if the wheel is different or risk vibration and damage. Personally I recommend aluminum rings.
You should show us pics of other FDs you think look good, so we know what you like.
Cause the 17x8 +38, 17x9 +40 and 18x9.5 +40 you list as possibilities are all nearly identical fitment as far as tire width that will fit and will work well front and rear with the same size tires.
Just depends on if you want some stretch on your tires.
CF hood, wing and wrap sounds like you like aftermarket look- I would recommend having the front fenders rolled before the wrap job. Otherwise front fitment will always have to be "weak" to keep tires from grabbing front fender lip turning up an incline.
If you dont roll the front fenders and tire grabs it it wrecks the fender.
With rolled front fenders 17x9.5 +40 255/40-17 front/rear. If you like more stretch tire look, run a narrower tire.
Most people add their wheels spec when they post in the FD Wheel thread. Might be worth looking through. The teins are height adjustable, so ride height won't be an issue. I'd try to find some wheels that will work without spacers though, for a few reasons. Wheel stud length and wear on suspension are two.
One other thing I'm glad I did was get a squared-up wheel set. mine are 17x10 all around. Rotating the tires will make them last a lot longer.
Also, it's a fine line between making the car look flush and ruining the ride and cornering. Correct offsets are key.
I actually went through that thread after you mentioned it. Definitely a lot of good info and ideas there. The inly issue I had was the missing info I guess. Unsure of how much someone’s car was lowered and if they have rolled fenders, etc. Still good nonetheless.
Was talking to my friend about maybe going with the same size wheels for rotation as well.
You should show us pics of other FDs you think look good, so we know what you like.
Cause the 17x8 +38, 17x9 +40 and 18x9.5 +40 you list as possibilities are all nearly identical fitment as far as tire width that will fit and will work well front and rear with the same size tires.
Just depends on if you want some stretch on your tires.
CF hood, wing and wrap sounds like you like aftermarket look- I would recommend having the front fenders rolled before the wrap job. Otherwise front fitment will always have to be "weak" to keep tires from grabbing front fender lip turning up an incline.
If you dont roll the front fenders and tire grabs it it wrecks the fender.
With rolled front fenders 17x9.5 +40 255/40-17 front/rear. If you like more stretch tire look, run a narrower tire.
Yeah I think I may go with the same size tire as long as nothing rubs but really wanted to avoid rolling fenders. Car is currently already primed and sanded and am unsure how sensitive that will be to the rolling.
I’m not super trying to get a very aggressive look as I definitely lean more toward something that makes sense than something that looks cooler but is a pain in the ***. I am a fan of thicker tires though, so now I’m just worried about my fender lol.
This is all more complicated than I thought, so if the easiest answer is that these will work and I can have 245 tires up front, I'm just gonna go with that lol. I appreciate your help!
Where in Cali are you? If it's near the Monterey Bay, you're more than welcome to check out and take a ride in my FD.
I'm in Santa Cruz and have nearly identical specs as what BLUE TII posted above.
I'm unfortunately about 6 hours away from you haha. But I do appreciate the offer. Did you have to roll your fenders? If not I will definitely go with that setup. If you did I will probably go with what I originally said but with bigger front tires.
fwiw, I run 17x9 +45 with 255/40/17s. It's an ages old fitment from 20 years ago that allows easy rotation.
Front will occasionally rub - ex: up driveways executing a right turn with lots of steering angle.
Rears are a bit sunk in and could use a spacer for a flusher look - if that is what you want.
I'd definitely recommend rolling the fenders before painting. It's a lot less risky to do that now and facilitates more aggressive fitments down the line.
fwiw, I run 17x9 +45 with 255/40/17s. It's an ages old fitment from 20 years ago that allows easy rotation.
Front will occasionally rub - ex: up driveways executing a right turn with lots of steering angle.
Rears are a bit sunk in and could use a spacer for a flusher look - if that is what you want.
I'd definitely recommend rolling the fenders before painting. It's a lot less risky to do that now and facilitates more aggressive fitments down the line.
Rubbing is definitely what I want to avoid. It’s nice not having to worry about that at all. Maybe I’ll go with a slightly smaller tire up front? And I was reading a lot about spacers and an open to using them but a lot of people seem to warn against them.
Rubbing is definitely what I want to avoid. It’s nice not having to worry about that at all. Maybe I’ll go with a slightly smaller tire up front? And I was reading a lot about spacers and an open to using them but a lot of people seem to warn against them.
Forgot to mention, my fenders were not rolled. I suspect if they were rolled, the tires would not rub.
Here are the latest pictures, boys. Needed to use imgur as the files were too large. Everything looking great, just waiting for the lights to come in for the 99 spec then off to get wrapped! Looks like I will need to get the fenders rolled just to be on the safe side, So I'll squeeze that in between now and time for the wrap!
