which goes best on an FD? BBS RGR 17" or 18"
 

guys im looking to buy a set of wheels for my fd and i gotta say i just fell in love with the BBS RGRs in diamond black. My questions is .. i mean we know the bbs RGRs are the ones that came on the spirit R (correct me if im wrong but they sure as hell look like the ones in the Spirit R) but they have it in 17s and 18s with optional rear fitment and what not ..
Now I could get 17s and try to get the mazda center caps to make them look like the Spirit R wheels but around where i live not many people know a lot about Rx-7s let alone the type of wheels that came on the Spirit R... so getting Spirit R replicas would really be just for myself i guess...
Or i could get 18s which i think would look absolutely beaultiful on the car but im concerned about the ride comfort. I mean would it be too stiff or bumpy?

I know the 18s are almost double what the 17s are going for so im kind of leaning towards the 17s because of that. But i just wanted to get some thoughts on this and maybe i will wait until the 18s go on sale or until i have enough money to afford them:)

let me know what you guys think
thanks
Stephan

anybody? ^^

I would personally go for 17". I think 18 is too large for a performance car like the RX-7. Tires will be cheaper, and you still get a great selection of awesome street tires.

As for center caps, run the BBS ones. They charge 300 bucks a set for em, apparently. :eek:

Shots of the 18's:

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...4&postcount=29

Go 18"! Here's mine, same sizes as the silver one except I have 20mm spacers out back and pulled fenders.

and here are the 17's
 

High res action shots from Thunderhill.

http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/g...view=slideshow

Beast

PS - they both look great! I like the 17s for road racing because good tires are available for the most reasonable cost.

Go for 18" :-)

PM'ed

to OP:
Personally I have 19" in the rear and 18" up front (Blitz Technospeed Z1) on Apexi Coilovers.. I dont think I'd get a smaller wheel (than 18") as I, personally, like the look of it.

as for the remark `too big for a performance car like the rx7'; the 3rotor under the hood doesn't care that I'm running 19's out back :)

or you could buy my real spirit r wheels for $2000.

spirit r wheels are a good option to keep things close to stock, but the bbs wheels you can run more meat if needed.

Ride comfort is subjective. I'm not sure you are going to get much useful info from people who don't drive the roads that you are subject to. I've been on some Mass roads when I lived in the North East. I'd get the 17s. IMO, the extra side wall of the 17" rim/tire setup provides better ride while loosing nothing in performance on the street.

Very good point.. My ride is stiff and hard (short tire and suspension mods).
Not something I'd drive daily... :icon_no2:

I agree with gracer7-rx7 about the ride comfort concern.

I will say that mesh wheels are about the only 18" style wheels which don't look like monster truck wheels on the FD.

alright thanks for the input guys.. I think im gonna end up with the 17" but im having a real tough time finding them in black diamond. looks like BBS discontinued production on them and ive only been able to find two of them ...
18" is another story tho theyre everywhere but i drive the car pretty much every day except winter time so i might as well get 17"
Anyway thanks for the input guys
real good stuff
Stephan

The Spirit R wheels are a special edition of the RG-R, the gun metal color used on theType A is not the same as the DBK finish. The mazda version are ofcource 50mm offset and 8 / 8.5 in widths (back 8.5's do not fit over front RZ (large brakes).
The BBS market does make an 8.5 front and 9 and 9.5 rear that fit the FD; in fact my understanding is that the 8.5 was made as a Japan market FD upgrade. The us site now only lists the 8 / 9 but the 8.5 / 9.5 should still be available.

Unless lookes is the driving force, most tests show that the smallest dia. wheel that fits over the brakes is both the lightest and best handling; however if you want widths grater than 9.5 inch you are forced to an 18 inch dia.

I'd go with the 18's

Japan market availability of BBS RG-R .. US model number is same w/o "-R"

TYPE SIZE ET H/P.C.D BORE WEIGHT

RG-R 720 17×8.0 40 5/114.3 PFS 7.7kg

RG-R 721 17×8.0 32 5/114.3 PFS 8.1kg

RG-R 722 17×8.5 37 5/114.3 PFS 8.3kg

RG-R 724 17×9.0 42 5/114.3 PFS 7.8kg * rear only

RG-R 726 17×9.5 38 5/114.3 PFS 8.1kg * "

RG-R 742 17×8.5 43 5/114.3 PFS 8.2kg * "

RG-R 743 17×9.0 14 5/114.3 PFS 8.5kg * "

RG-R 745 17×8.5 55 5/114.3 PFS 8.1kg * "



RG-R 700 18×8.5 36 5/114.3 PFS 8.6kg *

RG-R 701 18×9.5 38 5/114.3 PFS 8.6kg * *

RG-R 702 18×8.5 25 5/114.3 PFS 8.1kg *

RG-R 703 18×8.0 40 5/114.3 PFS 8.2kg *

RG-R 704 18×9.0 42 5/114.3 PFS 8.5kg * *

RG-R 708 18×9.5 20 5/114.3 PFS 9.1kg *

RG-R 738 18×7.5 45 5/114.3 PFS 8.2kg

RG-R 739 18×8.5 49 5/114.3 PFS 8.2kg *

RG-R 749 18×7.5 50 5/114.3 PFS 8.2kg

RG-R 750 18×8.5 53 5/114.3 PFS 8.3kg *

RG-R 753 18×8.0 35 5/114.3 PFS 8.3kg *

RG-R 754 18×9.0 35 5/114.3 PFS 8.6kg * *

RG-R 756 18×10.0 42 5/114.3 PFS 9.0kg * *

RG-R 768 18×8.5 23 5/114.3 PFS 9.1kg

RG-R 769 18×9.5 25 5/114.3 PFS 9.3kg *

RG-R 774 18×8.0 42 5/114.3 PFS 8.6kg *

RG-R 781 18×9.0 48 5/114.3 PFS 8.7kg *

RG-R 782 18×8.5 43 5/114.3 PFS

RG-R 783 18×9.5 45 5/114.3 PFS *

RG-R 786 18×8.5 48 5/114.3 PFS *

RG-R 789 18×7.5 56 5/114.3 PFS

Yeah but i spoke to a bbs representative today and he told me bbs discontinued the 17" RGR he said theres not really that great of a demand for 17" wheels anymore.. So im either gonna have to go with 17 x 8 in the fronts and 17 x 9 in the back because thats pretty much what i have been able to find. or i gotta wait a little more and save up for the 18s ... i dont even know what to choose anymore to be honest...

I've run 17 inch Fikses for many years now and here in NJ you really need the extra tire sidewall due to the horrible roads. I briefly ran 18s with lower sidewalls and it was horrible....the ride was very harsh and the car rattled like a tin can.

I'd go with 17s.....Mass roads will be similar to what I've been dealing with.

Its pretty bad that style is overriding function

^^^^

There's no real "functional" problem with 18" wheels.

With regard to ride quality, my 18" RG-R's are my street wheels, so I use 255/35 and 275/35 tires, and I will assure you that the ride quality isn't significantly different than the 3-4 different 17" combinations I've used.

Ride quality is going to be more dependant on the brand of tire you use, and the stiffness of it's sidewall than than anything else, but avoiding the 245/35 & 285/30 combo on 18" helps a bit too.

Note also that the 9" +42 I use up front is listed as a "rear only" fitment, but it in fact does fit, even with Stop Tech big brakes.

The problem is with the '99 JDM RZ/Spirit Brakes, they need an offset of about about 40 mm or less to clear, unless dish is for a front wheel.

By fiunctionality rather than style, I meant for a given width, given tire type, etc; the lightest, and best handling wheel tire set up will be with a wheel that is smallest dia. to clear brakes. Many mag tests have shown this, and offcource at the unlitmate end of this sport. F1 wheels are small diameter, not just because rules say, but because no push to increase.

That's funny because I have the 18*9 +42's up front and there is plenty of clearance from my '99 rz brakes....

18" wheels are a better choice for track use imo as there are many more sizes available and the short sidewall will give you a lower ride height. You really can't get any wider than a 255/17 up front without raising the car to around 26" fender height.

A 255 + 275 width 17" combo is a great choice for the street if comfort is a concern.

we were talking 17's; JDM Mazda SE - RG-R's using the back wheels on the front