Hello,

This is my first post on these forums mainly because I have only had my RX-7 for about 5 days. I recently upgraded from my 1983 Porsche 944 to a 1990 RX-7 GTU (non-turbo).

I was wondering if there is any "general knowledge" of a typical RX7 wheel/tire set-up. I talked to a few people I know who own or love RX7s, and from what I can tell I should probably go with 17" diameter on the wheels, and stagger the tire width. (Apparently the RX7 is wider in the back than in the front - it's MADE for staggered tires.)

What do you guys think of my choice?

http://www.bigwheels.net/?location=w...%20Steel%20Lip

Sportmax - 009 Gun Metal Stainless Steel Lip
Size: 17x8, Finish: Gun Metal
Bolt Pattern: 5x4.5, Offset: 35

Nexen N3000 Tires
Size: 225/45WR17
Rating: Ultra High Performance

Sportmax - 009 Gun Metal Stainless Steel Lip
Size: 17x9, Finish: Gun Metal
Bolt Pattern: 5x4.5, Offset: 35

Nexen N3000 Tires
Size: 255/40WR17
Rating: Ultra High Performance

 

the front will need 5mm spacers but other than that great choice

 

You have a GTU, that means that it's an NA, which means it doesn't have lots of power, which means wide rear tires aren't needed. Wider rears will only make it an understeering pig, that's not what you want now is it? I highly reccomend going with equal tire sizes in the front and back, it'll be cheaper, you can rotate the tires, the handling will be better and you'll get better acceleration from not having oversized rears.

For wheels and tires, a 17x8 with about a 30mm offset with some 225/45/17's is a good setup for all corners. 17's look right IMHO, 18's are too big, 16's are a little small. For acceleration 15's are better, but the tire selection isn't very good. Lighter wheels are better for performance, but can be more fragile and are almost always more expensive. The Mustang GT wheels off of a 99-04 model are quite cheap, fit perfectly, and aren't that heavy. I use them and am very happy with them. Even Mustang owners don't always recognise them (no hubcaps though).

FOR GOD'S SAKE GET GOOD TIRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're the only thing connecting the car to the ground.

Those aren't good tires. For something fairly high performance and cheap I reccomend the Kumho SPT, I've used them and they're quite good. You can also try to get a set of Bridgestone RE070's used from a Subaru WRX STi (that's what I just did).

Welcome, do some searching, read through some old treads, especially the official FC wheel fittment guide and all the stickies in the 2nd gen section, this section and any other sections that you intend to post in.

 

Thank you for your help.

Although the tires I picked don't cost much at all, two people I know swear by them, and I figure at the low price, I'll give it a shot.

Are wider rear tires better for;
drifting?
taking sharp corners?
minimizing wheel spin on acceleration?

What are the pros and cons of wide rear tires vs. equal size tires?

-Scotty

 

Wider rear tires are better for drag and higher hp cars that need the extra width for traction. Running wider rears on a RWD car that doesn't have much hp will promote understeer, or push, which usually isn't good for cornering unless your driving style prefers understeer. Running the same width all around gives the car a more neutral feel and allows you to rotate your tires (a.k.a save money).

 

I've been using the 225/45/17s front and rear for a few years now, that includes many autocross runs and 4 days on track. I've got Racing Beat swaybars, stock springs and shocks and the handling balance is pretty good. I can get the back end to step out with agressive throttle application in 1st, but other than that there's just slight understeer, so the back end stays planted. Any wider in the rear and it'll understeer more. I can launch the car pretty hard without getting wheelspin, so wider isn't needed for that. For drifting with wide rears you'll need a lot more power.

The only downside to the equal size tires is looks (if you like that) and the ability to put down massive amounts of power, which isn't an issue here.

Do those freinds that swear by those tires have any basis of comparison? If not then they don't know what they're talking about. Just because they're better than the crappy all seasons they've been driving on for the rest of their lives doesn't make them good performance tires.

Check out the Tire Rack, they do tire tests and post the results so you can compare tires to one another to see which has the best performance.

If you look around on the NASIOC boards you should be able to find some slightly used RE070's (225/45/17, the only size) off of an STi for not much money. They're very sticky and even last quite a long time for such a high performance tire.