i was wondering if someone could point me toward some cheap wheels that will support a 225/45-15 autox tire.

 

Call the tire rack. They may still have some 15x8 Kosei K1 blanks. They'll machine them to the correct bolt pattern and centerbore for you. I'm not sure of the offset, but that may be adjustable too. I beleive the offset is within the usable range though. The Kosei K1 is quite cheap, reasonably light and strong.

 

Get some convertible wheels. Cheap & super light, made by BBS. Got mine for about $50 for four. I used to run 225/50-15 on them.

-Jack

 

225/45/15's aren't reccomended for 6.5" wide wheels (that's how wide the vert wheels are). They'll work on a wheel that's 7-9" wide. The reccomended width is 8", that's the size they'll work best on.

 

Sure a 7 inch wheel would be ideal, but no one says you cannot run a 225 on a 6.5 inch wheel. It still works and I bet he will not run into any problems on the autox course. He is on a budget and so am I. I ran the cheapest rims and saved the money for better tires. Which do you think will give him faster lap times? Big bling wheels or money for tires??

-Jack

 

kosei k1's are what i've been eyeing for a long time. i was wondering if there was anything cheaper though.

 

I run steel circle track wheels. Heavy, but strong and cheap. They are lug centric, so you have to at least look when putting them on the car. Mine are 15x8 and I think the wheels were under $50 USD each. If you want a lighter rim the Kosei is almost impossible to beat from a price standpoint. SSR 15x8's go for around $300 a rim. Custom racing wheels usually go for around $350-$400 a wheel. Other than that, they ust aren't a lot of 15" and 16" diameter 8 inch wide wheels. The difference from a 7" rim to an 8" with a wide tire is quite noticeable when you start pushing it through the corners, the initial set is much faster as the carcass isn't rolling on the rim and the steady state hold is better in my opinion.

-Trent

 

where did you get your circle track wheels from?

i was checking tirerack's ad in grassroots motorsports yesterday and noticed the kazera kz-m's for $99 a piece. not sure if they are available for the rx7 though. anyone know about this company?

 

You can't say this because the recommended width is based on what tire your are using though I do not know of any 225/45/15 that will work. The tire companies say it is out of spec because the results are not up to the performance standards (steering response), it is unsafe, or the tires side walls are just to stiff to get onto that rim. I mounted my tires myself so I can tell you this is a serious concern. Tire companies want to sell as many tires as possible so there has to be something wrong for them to turn the sale away. You also don't want to buy tires that no tire shop is going to be able to mount.

I bought my convertible BBS alloy rims for $150 so you can try and find a set of those. I will also be selling my rims when I sell the car this summer or possibly next summer if you are interest just send me a PM.

 

Well the debate of whether or not it's ok is somewhat of a moot point, the fact is the performance will be better on a wider wheel, so you might as well get a wider wheel. If you've got a choice between wide and light, go for wide every time.

There's actually another option now. You can get Rota Slipstreams in15x8 (I've got a set). They fit fine with a spacer (they're 40mm offset), are about 14.5lbs and $550 shipped from www.18racing.com

 

"Cheap" is a subjective term. If you want the best bang for your buck in terms of quality/weight/price, look at Team Dynamics wheels - about $140 each
http://www.teamdynamicsracing.com/co...ion_wheels.htm
Be prepared to wait if they don't have the size/offset/color you want in the US warehouse.


Otherwise for bottom dollar go BBS vert wheels, I've ran a 225/50 with no problem - about $150/set.

Hoosier does recommend a 7-8.5 for a 225/45 but only a 6-8 for 225/50

 

Where did you get your Steels from?
Ive been looking all over for some
Thanks for the help

 

I've got a set of diamond wheels. Actually not too heavy. I've tracked them for 3+ yrs on my 1st gen no problem.

www.diamondracingwheels.com

 

I beleive the 15x8 steels all come in offsets that are at most on the low side, so you'll probably be rolling fenders.

There's another option, although not light. 94+ 15" mustang wheels are about 16lbs, 15x7, 5x114.3, 24mm offset. Ebay for under $100.

 

V6 mustang wheels off of a 1994-2004 (I think). 15x7, 5x114.3, 24 offset. Super strong, and when you take off the centres, they actually don't look bad.


These are the ones we have for our rain tires

These will also work:

 

I went to my local oval track race car supplier and had them weld the centers in the farthest offset I could get. They fit well with a 5/16 spacer to clear the brake rotors.

-Trent