coldfire

iTrader: (1)

i am looking to purchase aftermarket wheels, and i've decided that 16 inch diameter by 8 inch width is the wheel size i prefer. i think it provides a large contact patch with minimal rotational intertia (compared to larger diameter wheels). the only problem is that it is hard to find this particular wheel size (especially < $1000 US / set). i thought it would be a good idea to start a thread listing all the 16x8 wheels people are either using or know of that fit on the 2nd gen RX-7. if you could also put offset and note anything else noteable (i.e. if the rims fit or not).

i'll start off with a few i know of:

- 3rd gen RX-7 FD3S (factory wheel): +50mm offset
note: requires ~20+mm spacer in front


- RAYS Volk TE-37: http://www.rayswheels.co.jp/cgi-bin/...modelName=TE37
note: also make a 8.5 inch wide wheel that will fit in the rear, however may not fit in the front


- RAYS Volk CE-28: http://www.rayswheels.co.jp/cgi-bin/...odelName=CE28N
note: also comes in 8.5 and 9 inch widths (may/may not fit in front).


- RAYS Mazdaspeed MS-01S: +38


wow, can someone say expensive?
hopefully a few of you can post some less costly wheels.

snub disphenoid

SSR Competition, and Kosei K1 Wheels are both on tire rack, and are very reasonably priced. The SSRs are actually lighter than the Volks, too.

drft_180sx

Coldfire, I'm in the same boat as you...i love the look of 16 inch wheels and they are more cost effective when it comes to tires and also less people wanna steal your car :P...

Does anyone know what offsets for the front/rear would fit good with stock fenders/rolled fenders. (If I remember correctly the offsets are +25 (both f/r)??? can anyone verify that?)

If anyone has pictures of their 16" wheels on their cars (FC), please post them and state the offset and width (obviously 16" diameter), and maybe the tire size you are running as well. Thanks.

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

i'm not entirely sure about offsets. you may want to check the official FC wheel thread. but depending on tire size, i think for cleareance you want something with less than +40 (max around +35 i would say) to clear the front suspension. i'm not quite sure about how low offset you can go, but i would imagine you don't want to go much lower than +20. the rears aren't really that big of an issue with these offsets, unless you get some stupid tire size.

and from the 2nd gen FAQ:
stock 5-bolt sizes all have an offset of 40mm or 40 ET and are:
15x6 w/ 114.3x5 bolt pattern (GXL, Sport, GTU, 91 coupe)
15x6.5 w/ 114.3x5 bolt pattern (convertible)
16x7 w/ 114.3x5 bolt pattern (Turbo, GTUs, Infini IV)


i totally forgot about the SSRs. they are still a little pricey but thanks for adding it to the list.

also checking tire rack, i saw the following in 16x8:

- BBS RX: not sure of offset but they fit
note: expensive


although i started this thread for primarly 16x8 wheels, i see that people are interested in 16 inch diameter in general. so please feel free to list any good 16 inch wheels, especially if they don't cost a lot. also PICS are appreciated!

YF19

this is what 16x8 looks like. obivously you're smart enough to make sure you get the right sized tires so your speedo isn't +/- mph.

Also, make sure you have a really nice suspension. I had stock saggy worn-out springs and shocks. I took an uphill driveway too fast and rubbed my front right fenderlip pretty bad. Got newer OEM replacements. No problems.

Advan Sienna Battle Version 16x8 +35. I got 5mm spacers to bring the down to +30.

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

YF19, seems like a nice fitment. how about some pics from the side

and you are definetly correct about tire sizes, getting closest to stock speedometer rating and choosing a tire correct for the tire width is common sense. i use the tire size calculator here to be sure:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

what tire size(s) are you running, YF?

YF19

i used:

- the miata link
- tirerack's online calculator
- Ted's site (http://www.fc3spro.com/TECH/MODS/RT/tires.htm).

i believe 225/50/16. i kept both front and back wheels the same so i could rotate them if i needed. staggered setup is nice but ...

here's a side pic...

Anotheraznguy

This is what i've done. I got these spacers. I have 20mm for the front and 25mm for the rear. Nets me a +30 and +25 with the FD stock wheels. It's perfect for the FC. Here's a pic of them. AutoRnD has them, they are a vendor here. PM ARD T2 if you're interested. They have metal hubcentric rings, it's a modular design which makes it nice switching thru applications if necessary.



They were like $200 shipped for the set with hubrings approximately.

Anotheraznguy

The FD wheel has a small cavity in the wheel pad for any minute stud that may stick thru the spacer. I can take pics of that tomorrow too if you decide to go with fd wheels.

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

YF, your car looks very clean, i like it

i was seriously considering FD wheels. however the issue i have is a safety one. i am plan on doing some road racing and autocross, and i don't know if spacers that big are really something that can be fully trusted. if anything i would go with a hub centric design spacer, but even then i've seen them sheared from a hard drag launch. considering that the spacers are fairly pricey, i don't know if i really want to go that way.
but thanks for the input.

oh, also who makes those spacers that you showed? i know H&R makes hub centric spacers in the proper size...

YF19

thanks.

if you want to do autocross then don't worry about what your wheels look like as long as they're the lightest (or light-er then normal). my friend has an 90's integra and normally he has a set of buddy clubs. not bad, looks good but when he goes to the SCCA autoX meets, he switches to some wierd flourescent orange wheels. enkei or advan or something. they don't make them anymore but they're specifically for racing so they're something like 11.5lbs each.

i used ted's advice and got my spacers from summitracing for like 25$. it breaks down to 1 pkg has 2 spacers at 11$ each so x2 = 22 and manhandling my stuff came out to be 25. i wouldn't worry about spacers and drag launches. if you think about it .. the wheel and spacer are suppose to be held on with what 60-100-something ft/lbs on each bolt according to the manual. unless you're at the very edge of it or near the edge, i wouldn't worry about it. you're probably going to break something else before a wheel pops off. 20-25mm is a big spacer. 5mm is roughly 4 dimes in a stack, so x4 .. damn.

get some wheels with a nice fat lip ...

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

I have Kosei Seneka S8As in 16 x 8 which I bought on eBay about a year ago. The date of manufacture stamped on them was 1996, and I'm pretty sure they've long been discontinued. They have kind of an 80s old school charm to them. I like that they look like they could be OEM from 1990 and aren't too "21st Century."

They weigh 19.5 lb. each. Offset is 38mm and I am currently running Pirelli P Zero Neros in the 225-50-16 size. No rubbing on the stock front suspension, though if you turn the steering wheel to full lock, you can get the slightest bit of rub of the tread on the edge of the sway bar. This is a daily driver (no auto-X) so it hasn't been a problem.

REFLUX

Skyline GTR 16x8 +30mm should fit as well
might need a small spacer (5mm?)

that's what I plan to go for
cheap, forged, look good, gunmetal, not flashy, thick 5 spokes *drool*

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

what offset are you using? i think it would be a good piece of information to know...

reflux, i really like the GTR wheels. unfortuantely they are very hard to find here in North America...if someone knows where these can be purchased, please share

YF19

it's really wierd .. wheel design (the look) is your own personal preference, but it seems like a lot of people that i know go for the old school styles. like someone said, maybe it's the charm of them or whatever the reason. i'd figure there would be more people importing parts from japan then here in the US. i ended up getting my set from a guy in florida after poking around for a couple months. my wheels are probably in the 16-18lb range. coming from 10AE wheels, which i found to be the heaviest of all the FC wheels ever made, the weight reduction is nice.

another suggestion is going custom. a buddy of mine is ordering konig rewinds from a tuner shop. the guy who owns the shop is an authorized dealer for konig wheels. so you have the old school look but made today.. and it's a custom fit. the design for the rewinds are basically a copycat of panasports or if you really want me to say it .. from initial d. he's ordered a set for his 86 - 16x8 with -9 offset. he'll need a fenderlip because they'll stick out but they look really really good.

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

It was in my original post, but they are +38 mm. I'd say the fronts are as close to flush with the front fenders as I'd want. If the offset were any lower, they'd probably be sticking out.

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

yeah, i definetly agree with your point on the old school wheels. i think what has to be realized is that FCs ARE old school, so i guess older style rims just look good on them. and classic looks never fade away...

custom is obviously one route to go (and i know some manufacturers can make whatever offset you want, etc.). it is usually a more expensive way to go however.
i may look into the konig's you mentioned. an offset of -9 seems kind of crazy, but by custom do you mean that they are able to make whatever offset you want?

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

I thought these pictures might help illustrate where a 16X8 wheel with +38 mm offset sits on my car wearing 225-50-16 Pirelli P Zero Neros. As you can see, it may actually be sticking out a few millimeters past flush, though there are no fender clearance issues with the stock suspension.

RX-7s are old school. Old school is cool.

YF19

mine wheels don't stick out but remember the tires bulge. also i think the yokohama es100's have that wheel-lip protector designed into the sidewall which makes the whole thing bulkier. i might take off my front spacers to bring the wheels back in a little to avoid the possibility that i might rip the fender lip again.

custom job. i'm not sure the details but you pick 1 of X sizes offered and the offset from a range offered. pricewise, it's a pretty good deal. my friend told me that the set of 4 rewinds custom built for him (16x8 with -9 offset) will cost him something like 700$. he's going to go rattle-can flat black. i suggested powdercoat them black or gunmetal or either color but leave the lip silver. the wait list is pretty long. he said konig will ship the first batch of wheels to the shop in 3-4 weeks and then do the 2nd batch - roughly 80 people ordered. i bet the shop can get such a great deal because of the big order. i'll see if i can get you some more info if you want.

i'm looking into getting another set or at least another 2 wheels so i can have some fun with. autoX, maybe go to a drift event.

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

some good stuff so far, just bumping this thread up.

YF19, thanks for the info, i'll let you know if i become more interested in those.

REFLUX

what kind of suspension are you running though?

YF19

i'm running eibach springs and kyb agx's...