Hellspawn

So I'm looking at a set of 18x8.5 f 18x9.5 r wheels that come in +40 and +45 offsets.

I'm thinking +45 rear, and was going to go with +45 front, but I may want to get a brake kit in the future, so now I'm thinking that a +40 may fit over the brakes better. what do you guys think?

I was also initially planning on 245/35/18s and 275/35/18s, but if I go with a +40 offset instead of + 45 I'm afraid the 245's will rub up front. I would then have to go with 235/40/18's, which in turn makes me wary of understeer (although these are my street tires/wheels so I'm not SUPER concerned about understeer, I have another set for racing).

So I'm wonderin that if I HAVE to go with 235's up front if I should go with 265's in back. The thing is this vehicle has 430rwhp, so I was trying to get as much rubber under the back as possible, using 275's on the 18x9.5's.

opinions on my offset/tire predicament?

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

The offset has less to do with brake clearance rthan the make/model of the wheel does.... and the fit will depend on the brake upgrade you go with. The '99 spec brakes seem to need alot of clearance, but AP kits need comparitively very little. StopTech's are about in the middle, but I think most wheels still fit them. Unless your picking a wheel with a massive deep-dish effect, you should be fine.

On the tire choice, generally a taller front tire (235/40) tends to rub more than a wider and shorter one. For instance, my 255/35/18 front tire rubs less thanb the 235/45/17 it replaced.

Hellspawn

so would +45 offset be safe for the front with most brake kits? I could always add spacers if I needed to right?

your 255/35/18's didn't rub too much? should I go with that instead of 235/40/18's or 245/35/18's?

rynberg

What wheels are you looking at? And, no, 255/35 18 doesn't fit very well on a 18x8.5" wheel.

Hellspawn

double-post

Hellspawn

they are axis supermesh wheels.

POM HB

Oh no.....don't say it!

You will get many flame

Hellspawn

Why's that? from doing searches here and on many other automotive forums, axis seems to be a lightweight, good quality wheel and I haven't read a single complaint from anyone who has them.

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

Axis wheels are lightweight compared to what, a boat anchor???

Axis Mag-Lite wheels are lightweight, however, everything else in there line is not. From doing a quick search, I got 22.5 lbs. for a 17x7 Axis "Mesh" wheel. You can bet your *** that an 18x8.5 is going to be heavier!

Hellspawn

different wheel you are talking about, weight is not an issue with the specific axis wheel I mentioned.

Anyone else have a reccomendation on going with a +40 vs. +45 offset to clear a brake kit? or 235/40 vs. 245/35 up front?

rynberg

We already told you, offset has little to do with brake clearance, it's pad height that matters and that depends on the basic wheel design. For example, you can get a +20 offset Volk wheel that wouldn't clear the brakes, but a +40 offset version of the same wheel with a different pad height (or disk in Volk speak), will clear.

And the wheels you are looking at are low quality wheels that are well into the mid-20 lb range, which is HEAVY. But no one makes lightweight mesh wheels at a reasonable price.

Hellspawn

negative on both the low quality and the weight, you are unfamiliar with this wheel. I am fully aware of the build quality and weight of the wheel I mentioned. But I do appreciate your feedback .

I guess I will have to call axis directly to make sure about caliper clearance on brake kits.

POM HB

hee hee hee, I told ya you'd got flames, but it's all good....

BTW, what kind of axis model is it that you're interested? Seems very good.

rynberg

Wrong. They are $280/wheel and they weigh well over 20 lbs in an 18x8 size. If you know differently, please post a link. 18x8" wheels that cost $280/wheel and weigh well over 20 lbs are not lightweight nor good quality.

Yep. I would however bet that no one at Axis will be able to answer your question. The best you can hope for is that they send you a wheel profile measurement/drawing.

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, sure you are.

If these wheels are so great, how come no one here uses them???

If you check out what the track and AutoX guys are running, you'll find Kinesis, Fikse, CCW, Volk, BBS, SSR, etc. well represented, even stock FD wheels, but no Axis.

Do an informal search on the web (I did), and the general consensus of the owners of these wheels is that they are indeed heavy. Axis is more of a "floss" brand like ADR and TSW, rather than one that makes performance-oriented wheels like the ones I just mentioned.

Hellspawn

ok sounds good

Hellspawn

oops double post

Hellspawn

so I'm thinking just go with 40 offset up front, just in case. both 40 and 45 should work fine with an 18x8.5 up front.

As I said in my VERY FIRST post, these are street wheels and I have separate wheels for racing, so the fact that auto-x guys aren't running these wheels is irrelevent. OBVIOUSLY forged wheels are stronger than cast wheels lol.

You did not search well enough if you still think the SPECIFIC wheels I mentioned are heavy. A "general consensus" does not constitute an accurate statement lol, there are various sources that have the EXACT weight of this wheel. Not all Axis wheels weigh the same. Of course, "heavy" is a relative word, some people think that anything heavier than SSR comps are heavy.

However, this thread is not about wheel weights, please keep further posts on this thread relevent to the initial inquiry.

7racer

ok...then I will stay on topic and quote the answer that was already givin to you. What you want to look at is pad height in regards to caliper clearance not offset.

here is Fikse wheel fitment diagram
http://www.fikse.com/fitment.html

as you can see...you can have a wheel with the same offset but add more "meat" to measurement #5 (pad height) to clear big brake kits.

I went thru this same issue when I was purchasing my volks and needed to get "offset B" to clear the 99 spec brakes.
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...9&page=1&pp=15

Hellspawn

thanks, yeah I was just saying that I think I may as well just go with the 40, already checked out pad height issues. But it's good to have a link to your similar issues as well.

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

Sounds like you're just stroking yourself off to these wheels and don't want to hear any different.

Since you're so hung up on them and want to argue the weight of these wheels with me, why don't you post what they weigh?

And guess what? I actually spent a good half hour looking up weights for these specific "Supermesh" wheels, and found nothing, however, those that did have them mentioned that they *were* heavy. No, not scientific, but I'd take their word over yours any day since 1) you don't own these wheels, and 2) you have no proof to dispute what I'm saying. Fair enough?

And BTW, did you even call Axis, yet???