Rxmfn7

iTrader: (4)

So I wanted to get some input from the guys who have experience tracking the FD with various wheel/tire setups and make a thread with some personal observations of how the car handles and reacts to various sizes. I realize no two setups are identical, and the handling can vary greatly depending on many other factors.... but I think it would help to get some sort of generalization of what you can expect from both. I myself am a bit of a wheel *****, and Ive had many different sets of various sizes on my FD, but unfortunately never tracked the car with any of them to really gain an understanding of how the car behaves "at the limit"with them. Im now at a point where Id like to order a set of wheels for my car again, but am having trouble deciding what setup will best suit my needs.

So,onto my question. On my current build Ive become pretty obsessed in cutting unnecessary weight from the car. My last wheel/tire setup was the 18x10 +50 CCWs with 285/30 all around. I now find myself asking if I should again go with an 18" wheel or should be considering 17s. Do I really need that extra width and weight of the 285 up front, or would maybe a 9" wheel with a 245-255 do just as well. These are the things I think would be helpful to discuss, and list the tradeoffs of different setups. So for a dual purpose car that sees some track time with aggressive street tires, staggered vs symmetrical, and 17 or 18?

Now before anyone else says it, yes there is already a plethora of information on these subjects, both in recent threads and in the stickies. Here is a recent one with some good info also:

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-20/maximum-wheel-tire-width-fitment-guide-fd-892901/

My reason for posting is because it seems like very recently there has been a change in alot of the popular sizing for these cars, and guys are doing things now that have never really been done before. So Im hoping a thread like this may consolidate information as well as maybe bring some new setups into the light that have been overlooked in the past.

Miata_mx5

Depends a lot on your personal style, and what you are going for. 18 offers wider tire choices, I think the FD looks good with 17 or 18 depending on wheel style. I like running same size all around on most Japanese cars, makes for good tire rotation too. If doing staggered, I like keeping the same wheel diameter front to back, and keeping the overall diameter of the tires the same. If tracking on a road course, unless the chassis/suspension is setup for it, 285 in the front is too much weight and is increasing the chance of excessive understeer. In the end it all boils down to the tire. Pick a good brand, compound type, and decide what sizes you want. Then build everything around that.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

IMO, unless you are running in the advanced group of your track day organization, you don't need 285s up front. As a newbie or intermediate driver, you will be fine with 245s or 255s up front on some 9" wide wheels and a good offset like +45 or +50 (stock). Heck, I know some very advanced drivers that still run 245s and 255s all around. Some of them still on stock wheels.

As for rear width, I would think that is dependent on your power levels. I'd do 255s or larger.

Whether to go with 17" or 18" is completely up to you. Less sidewall of 18" wheels will give a little more feel but for street use, you might not want that much feel. The extra sidewall of the 17" wheels add some cushion and better road manners on bumpy crappy roads.


Personally, I run 255/40/17s on 17" x 9" wheels all around and am satisfied with them.
BTW, If you are thinking of Fikse's talk to Goodfellas.


Beside that recent thread, check out some of the oldies but goodies in the Suspension archives:
https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-archive-112/fd-rx7-wheel-tire-fitment-questions-answered-here-41789/
https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-archive-112/17-vs-18-racing-mind-narrow-vs-wide-tires-292194/