I searched around and found the only recommendation was not to, but with nothing to show why. I want to run 285/30R18 in the front and 285/30R18 or 295/30R18 in the rear. What complications will this setup cause if used on the street. Of couse by the time I get such a setup I'll have the nessasary mods to fit the tires; coil-over, toe links, trailing arms, and possiblely rolled fenders. I've been looking at doing this for a while, but I'm just not finding and info on this other than what people like Damian(I know it used to be Fitz's car, but nice) have been using on the track, which is fine since I will also use it on the track at least 4 times a year.

 

The tire profile of the 18" is so low that the wheel lips are not well protected and a hard hit to a pothole etc can bend them more easily.

 

Other than that, what else are the problems?

 

you will have to roll the fenders in front for sure. 285/30/18 hoosiers are a pretty close fit in the back near the fender but work fine. not sure about 295 but it depends on the profile and roundness of the edge of the tire. i don't see any major problems running them on the street but i hope you like a rough ride.

 

It'll ride like ****, and you'll lose some steering response from the weight. Seriously, why do people like you bother to ruin the car like this? Mazda's engineers spent a LOT of time and money to make the FD as agile as it is, and handle as well as it does, and now you want to weigh down the car w/ heavy *** wheels and tires.

 

When done, the car will be a 1/2Bridge-ported GT35R, so I'll need the traction when I want to use the full power of the car. I'm still thinking of other setups, but just wanted to get a few more details on this one.

 

Do you have any idea how much an 18x10 CCW actually weighs? The steering response is actually better with all that extra rubber it will just be slightly heavier. Of course a wider wheel and tire will always weigh more than a narrower one but the advantages of increased contact patch outweigh that.

 

If I remember correctly, they weighed in at 18-20 lbs a peice. Not that much more than stockers, but the also add some more from the wider tires... The amount of grip you get really offsets the weight. Rolling the fenders doesn't bother me since I was going to get it repainted mb.

 

According to Max Cooper's website, 22lbs. and 46.4lbs. w/ tires. I don't know that his Modular wheels are the race or street model, but assuming the former, which shouldn't be used on the street, the latter will be even heavier. That's not exactly light weight, and my post was in reference to "street use". Increased contact patch doesn't really matter when you're picking up the wife or groceries now, does it? Run the stockers on the street and the race wheels on the track.

 

Mine are the track model, but with heavy hardware and no swiss cheese work. I ran them on the street to heat cycle some tires once and the ride was pretty harsh. However, that may have been due to the tires (BFG R1a) as much as it was due to the 30-series sidewalls. Or not, I don't know.

-Max

 

Not sure if you remember Kevin tan, but he had CCW 18's and that car rode really rough... Wyum's car is much smoother w/ 17's as well as mine...

 

No reason you can't run a 275/35/18 rear and 265/35 or 255/35 front on 10" wheels on the street, and have a little more real-world comfort.

 

I was going to go 18*10 all round with the 285/30, but opted for 10 outback and 9.5 up front and 275/35 rear 255/35 front.
You should be ok with the fenders as CCW use high offsets for the fd, unless you specified a lower offset.

If you're only going to track a few times a year you might be better off going with the same set-up, you'll appreciate the slightly taller sidewall and skinnier wheel/tyre up front for road use.Only drawback is you won't be able to rotate them.

 

I was looking at 265/35R18 for the front, and they seamed like they'd fit better than the 255 on a 9.5" wheel.

 

Damon B is right. I run them up front with rolled fenders and coilovers. The weight with Hoosier A3SO4 is 41 lbs. Stock wheel with 245/45/16 Victor racers is 42.5 lbs. So the weight is not the issue, it is the size that will slow the response. however the grip will put a smile on your face.

Spank

 

You obviously haven't tried this setup. The turn in is phenominal and will leave stock tires sliding all over the road trying to keep up. IMO it makes the car look better than any other change you can make to the appearance. They are fine for daily driving in the country but I wouldn't recommend them for cities with bad roads or no place to enjoy them. Lastly, with just a few bolt ons the FD has 275 rwhp and it needs more tire. Hell it needs more tire in stock form.

As far as riding like **** I personally love feeling the road. I'm having fun driving not listening to the radio whistling a tune. I have an FD to drive it if I wanted a Cadilac I'd get one.

Sorry Speedking didn't mean to freak out on you like that but that was same pretty lame **** to say.

 

Awesome, but the biggest problem I now have is getting same type of tire for the front. In which 265/35R18 I can get as PS2's just like the rear, but 285/30R18 fronts really limits me on street tire options. I don't mind the extremely harsh ride from playing with shifter karts since I was young. This car is has just the same feel to me and even more so when I finish it.

 

No worries, I guess it just depends on perspective. I had 18s on my old '91 300ZX Twin Turbo, and 17s on a turbo kitted Miata and I hated both. I live in the city, and with road irregularities, pot holes, and debris and whatnot, I found the ride with the big wheels and slim sidewalls to be overly harsh and it was tiring on a daily basis. As well, there were annoying ancillary effects such as more cabin noise and squeaking and having the CD skip ALL the time. I also found that acceleration and steering response were a bit slower. Everyone likes to "upgrade" the car w/ new shocks and springs or coilovers and plus sized wheels w/ rubber band tires, and I'll be the first to say that it transforms the car look-wise, but IMHO, it does give a shitty ride, and that's the compromise you make when you want to improve aesthetics. No offense intended, just giving my $.02.

 

City life is a whole different ball game. I would think some 275 40 17s would feel ok and handle the bumps in the city along with allowing for a more enjoyable recreational drive as time permits. Actually I'm full of **** because my daily driver will probably end up on stock tires which are more fun to play around on anyway

I also had 90 300zx which I think was one of the best cars made

 

I say get some ssr comps and put some 275 40 17s on them. Look great, handle great, and are about 16lbs

 

Guys... someplace in between the 285/30/18 and the 275/40/17 is the 275/35/18. I can't tell you how much i love this setup on the road, and it makes 18" wheels livable even when I take my car into work in the city... If I had 18" track-only wheels, i'd probably run the 285/30, but for the street, this is really the better choice.

 

I run 265/35/18's on my 18x10 CCW's all around no problems. I drive the car on the street like this with no issues. Sure it will ride a little more rough but the tradeoff's are well worth it.

 

So the rears are 10 x 18 with 275/35-18? What sizes are up front? Gorgeous setup, BTW--Pete!

 

Thanks man... the fronts are 255/35's on a 9" wheel. I suppose I could have run a 265/35 up front, since Toyo makes it, but i really think its about right.

I hope to have more pics up soon.