BillM

iTrader: (4)

I read that the stock wheels are only around 15 1/2 pounds each. Are there any aftermarket 17-18's that come close to that? Or would it be better to just get new slightly larger than stock tires?

sevensix

iTrader: (1)

the widest tire you can mount on 8 in wide wheels is 245

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Larger/heavier wheels and tires will definitely slow down a close-to-stock FD in the lower gears. Hell, I feel the difference between stockers and my Fikses with my current setup. You also have to consider the effect the larger wheels/tires will have on your overall rolling diameter, and thus your gearing. See this thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...lling+diameter

You can always run 245/45/16s all around to gain more contact patch.

ihavetwins

iTrader: (5)

^yea if u decided to keep the stockers make sure there 245' all the way around.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

What are you looking to do?

The stock rims are exceptionally well designed for maximum grip with the lowest possible unsprung weight. Unless you're putting down mega horsepower, have bigger brakes, or feel strongly about the look of bigger wheels, there isn't any pressing reason to go bigger.

IMHO, a better (read: more sticky and short-lived) tire is a huge bang/buck upgrade in traction, without any additional weight. A 245/45-R16 tire is the way to go, although most high performance 225/50-R16s have nearly the same tread width when mounted on an 8" rim (stock = 8").

Dave

BillM

iTrader: (4)

After seeing all the hot rims my first thought was to upgrade. But looks like I'll go for tires only since I run a stocker.

RX347

The wheel wells are a bit larger in the rear. Personally I prefer a size or two larger in the rear to fill the well eqaully with the front. The tires in pic. are 255 Mickey Thomson E/T streets (3 sizes larger) The fronts are 225. I need a set of 235s to match.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

If you're really concerned, look into one-piece forged 17" wheels. Some Models from Volk, SSR, and others are as light, or nearly as light as the stockers in wider widths. My old 17x9.5" SSR Competitions were under 16 lbs. each.

Then, make sure you look into lightweight tires. This is a VERY often overlooked component when everybody is looking at wheel weights all of the time, and the differences in different brands is HUGE.

The stock Bridgestone S01's were very light, but you can't get them anymore, and many of the models people wrap their stock wheels with (and then pat themselves on the back for "saving" weight with stock wheels) are bricks.

Some of the klighter ones i've seen are Toyo T1S, and several Pirelli models. The T1S's I put on my 18" wheels were 24.5 lbs. A comparable S03 was almost 30 lbs.

You could pick up some SSR comps or Volks, wrap them in T1Ss, and end up ahead of the game weight wise from the guy who bought heave tires for his stock wheels, and end up with better looks (depending on your taste), and more rubber on the road. A little weight tradeoff is a good thing for the tire width options that 17-18" wheel offer.

aznpoopy

interesting info ptrhahn... are there any resources online that list the varying weights for different tires and different sizes?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

There are weights in my chart here:
https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...0&postcount=25
which is only for stock wheel fitment.

I suspect the weight values are somewhat variable - a few retail sites appeared to have measured the weights on their own, and they were a pound or two different from the mfr listed weight.

Dave

3GRX7

iTrader: (1)

I'm interested in starting to autocross my car pretty soon....right now I have 18" ADR M-Sport rims with 285's in the rear....A friend of mine recommended that I get a second set of rims & tires for autocrossing. I still have my stock rims, so with good tires, is that the best option, or should I consider getting a second set of rims/tires with the same width for optimal traction, or is it not that necessary?

Obviously, the most cost effective solution would be to use the stockers, but I don't want to sacrifice performance/handling for cost.

TIA

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Unless your car has 400hp and will be running in A-mod, I think stock wheels are very good for autox. Small, light, wide, and sticky is the way to be. 245/45-16s on a stock wheel provide lots of grip. Unless the tires on your stockers are getting old, I suggest that you start by running them down since you'll get faster quicker on the street tires.

Dave

gainer_reniag

www.fdnewbieimports.com

I got the 99 oem 17's there 8.5'' rear and 8'' front i put some 255x40s on the rear and some 235x45s on the front. I went with the nitto 555R's. Very decent priced $675 out the door.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

IMO, unless you are competing or doing high performance driving, wheel weights don't matter. You aren't going to be or shouldn't be doing anything on public roads where wheel weights would matter. So, if all you are are doing is driving on the street, get whatever wheels you think "look" the best and fit your budget. Then, keep your stock wheels for some higher performance driving events "off" public roads.

You'll be fine with stock wheels and some performance tires for AutoX. You might look into some Kumho Ecsta V70A's. I believe you can get those in 245/16's and you'll be all set.

aznpoopy

thanks man! that's very helpful. i appreciate it.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

Try the manufacturers sites. Many of them, like Toyo, publish specs that include weights. Sometimes Tirerack reprints those weights as well.

In terms of "how much it matters" (wheel and tire weight), I think that you don't need to be obsessed with ever pound (I set a target for all my wheels to be under 20 lbs, I don't get caught up in the difference between 15.5 and 17).

However, I think it DOES matter even if you're not "competing". If you put a set of cheap 27 lb. rims and 30 lb. tires on your car, you'll FEEL the difference. The shocks won't work as well, the ride won't be as nice, the cornering won't be as crisp, and the acceleration won't be as quick. The "feel" of this car is part of why many of us bought it, so I think you should endeavor to do as well as you can to get good lightweight wheels and tires to preserve the dynamics ballanced against your other needs.

aznpoopy

i agree.

back in the day when i was a bigger nub than i am now, i bought some 17" knock offs and threw them on my 240sx. omfg. the car literally felt like a tank. acceleration and steering feel suffered the most. i had those on for about 2 weeks before i put the stockers back on.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Adding more weight anywhere to a car that has 110HP (or 140HP if you had the expensive version) is going to cause changes to everything (acceleration, handling). Hardly anyone here can drive or is driving their car at 10/10th. That is only time when it really matter.

Do heavier wheels have an effect on a car? YES! Nobody said it didn't. Does it matter on the street, aka public roads? Not if you are obeying traffic laws it doesn't. I just crack up on this forum where I see people looking for light wheels and then filling the truck full of speakers.

When dealing with wheels you have: Light, Strong, Cheap. Pick any two, but you can only pick two.

Also, unless you live in an area without winters (i.e. roads that don't get torn up), "light" wheels are not really ideal. Even "racing" wheels are not made for potholes. You'll end up spending a ton of money on wheels that are only going to get bent or curb rashed all over the place. Use your head when picking rims. If your car is not a show car, don't spend $4k on rims that will only get stolen or damged. Likewise, if you are going to track your car, don't get some $120 40lbs wheels.

Don't forget, it's often not just the wheels adding weight, tires also vary even at the same size. You can see almost a 5lb variance of tire weights at the exact same size, not to mention plus sizing.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

I definately mentioned the importance of tires in the equation. That said, I think that your post suggests there are no "performance" aspects to street driving, and since few "sportscars" sold are ever tracked, I'd have to wonder why anyone would buy them if that were the case.

You're correct that if all you're going to do is roll around the suburbs at the 35-45 mph posted limit, then no... wheel weight won't matter to you... but then again neither should virtually anything else about this car, so I'd have to wonder why you'd own it. Get a G35, or something comfortable and reliable with an auto trans.

If, however, you take a weekend blast down windy country roads, occasionally autocross on your one set of street wheels/tires, or even get in an occasional rolling highway street race, wheel weight absolutely matters, and lightweight wheel/tire combos will enhance (maintain) the performance characteristics of the car you paid for.

I don't think that you should buy cheap street wheels under the assumption that expensive wheels will be bent and curb rashed, or stolen so thus aren't worth it. Cheap wheel bend MORE easily. That's why you see all the ricer hondas with one stock wheel, and three aftermarket. Forged wheels are stonger, and will survive better than cheap cast things. Curb rash on any wheel... cheap or expensive... is a driver thing. I've owned alot of nice aftermarket wheels, and never curbed or bent a one. I suppose if you treat your car like a truck you might, so yes, if you're planning on abusing the car, buy cheap wheels. Being stolen or not is a matter of using wheel locks and parking in safe places. I would think you'd have to live in a pretty crappy area to have to really worry about this.

There are plenty of options for decent-looking, strong, relatively light, relatively inexpensive wheels out there. Enkei, 5Zigen, SSR, Weds, and even CCW all have viable options. You don't have to get Fikse, Kinesis, HRE, or BBS wheels.

tcb100

To agree with Peter on this point, Mazda paid a lot of attention to small differences in tire/wheel weight & if it mattered that much to the factory it ought to matter to us.

According to the Jack Yamaguchi book, Mazda's development engineer Kitajima, set wheel weight at 15.4 lbs and tire maximum weight at 23 lbs. Dunlops were rejected because they were borderline & Dunlop re-engineered them down to 22 lbs., the tire Mazda used on the automatics, the Dunlop D8050.

Perelli P-zero neros are as light as you can find in a street tire with a "softish" sidewall for a bit of street ride quality.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

That was more for aznpoopy and his 200sx wheel upgrade statement.

Why do people by sports cars and not drive them like sports cars? Because they look damn cool thats why. That is the #1 reason most owners keep a problematic RX-7. How many Viper owners do you see doing highway pulls? Why do people buy Ferrari's and other expensive cars only to garage them? Because they can and they look good.

The simple fact is that you shouldn't be doing that type of driving on public roads. Now, I'm not saying do as I do, more do as I say. Which is; I'm not saying I don't do it, but I don't tell others to do it either. Leave it for the track where you can do it in a safer more controlled environment and spend the money on "good, lightweight wheels" for those occasion (where it really matters).

No need for a G35:
http://mahjik.homestead.com/files/ho...5_01/M3_03.jpg

Once again, I'm not saying it doesn't have an effect on the car. I'm saying that the "limited" effect isn't worth it unless you are competing or performance driving (and that you shouldn't be doing any of those on the street). Now, I'm not saying that I don't do anything of those on the street, but then again I'm not telling someone to stick with stock rims over aftermarket ones for non-performance driving.

If the guy/gal plans to AutoX the car, then that falls into the "competing or performance driving catagory". However if he/she is not doing either, the .3 seconds they may loose on a 0-60 is going to be inconsequential.

Curb rash is more of a "term" to describe a type of damage to a rim, but doesn't just happen from "curbs". You can (and do) get curb rash on wheels from potholes. I can show you pictures from my BMW, it has them all over the wheels and I've never hit a curb.

Once again, driving at 10/10ths, sure it does make a difference. What if the engineer said maximum weight was 17lbs, or 20lbs or 22lbs. He picked an arbitriarty number. Does that mean Vette, Viper and other wheels suck because they aren't 15 lbs? Not really.

Obvisously you need to balance weight increases with performance. As I mentioned in the last post, adding weight to a car that has 110HP is going to much more noticeable than one with 400hp.

What I'm saying is that if someone wants to update the "look" of their car by getting some "heavier than stock wheels", they should do so without people on this forum going ape-sh*t over the fact that they may not be Volks, Gram Lights or any of the other major brands people may not want to spend the money on. This is the only forum I've seen were people are so brand named biased over stuff that doesn't even matter.

I have heavier than stock wheels and there is very little difference in my car. However, I don't drive the car with those wheels like I do with the stock wheels, because the stock wheels are used for the track right now and the others "are my street wheels".