why are aftermarket wheels so wide?

[CSG Mike]

wide/square 235 or normal 245/255 look nice on a 9"....

[evo4g63]

Originally Posted by f0rge

Wide wheels is all about the look, the wider the rims the more concave it can be.

There is also the flushness, which could be achieved with offsets on a more narrow rim, but then you lose some of the concavity.

The mild stretch on the tires is to avoid rubbing issues mostly.

+1

[GTB/ZR-1]

Uh... My wide wheels (9" w/ 245s), are all abt performance. A beefier look is a side benefit. My .02...

[gmookher]

if youre running 225s you can even save weight and rock a 7.5...

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by GTB/ZR-1

Uh... My wide wheels (9" w/ 245s), are all abt performance. A beefier look is a side benefit. My .02...

There's a balance between wheel width and tire width where you can tailor the sidewall response, but obviously there's a rational wheel width range for a given tire width.

Some OEM examples:
Miata & MINI use a 205 on a 7" wheel
New C7 Covette uses a 245 front on a 8.5" wheel
Lotus Exige uses a 195 front on 6.5", 225 rear on 7.5"
VW Golf TDI uses 225 on 7" wide wheel
Evo IX uses a 235 tire on 8" wheel
Subaru STI 18"s are a 245 tire on a 8.5" wheel [same as Corvette front]

You can see there is a range, but a general trend. The 86's 215 tire on 7" wheel isn't abnormal, it's average.

Of course, if you want some stretch to look good, you'll do it. A certain amount of stretch will improve steering response, but too much affects the contact patch beyond the scope of the tire design. It goes the other way too; too wide a tire on a narrow wheel looks balloonish and negatively impacts contact patch performance.

Cheers,
Ryan

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by gmookher

if youre running 225s you can even save weight and rock a 7.5...

Wider wheel, wider contact patch. Proven to be faster (in most cases), given identical cars and tires.

Stretching out of spec not included of course.

[GTB/ZR-1]

Originally Posted by GTB/ZR-1

Uh... My wide wheels (9" w/ 245s), are all abt performance. A beefier look is a side benefit. My .02...

Forgot to mention, my wider setup is within half a pound of the stock setup--so a negligible weight increase. The handling envelope is tremendously improved.

[Kido1986]

Originally Posted by GTB/ZR-1

That's why I went STX. If they'd have been 8", well... Lol

Lies. I think you understand the words "Stock car" as well as NASCAR car builders do.

[just86]

after seeing that 18x9.5 pokes on everybody car, i changed my mind and getting 17x9, its just a more practical looking and flush, rpf1 17x9 + 35, something like that

[sierra]

Originally Posted by just86

after seeing that 18x9.5 pokes on everybody car, i changed my mind and getting 17x9, its just a more practical looking and flush, rpf1 17x9 + 35, something like that

265/40-17 would be a perfect fit on those and only 2.9% or 18mm larger dia which is nothing and will make your speedo just about spot on. Just a bit over still.

[just86]

Originally Posted by sierra

265/40-17 would be a perfect fit on those and only 2.9% or 18mm larger dia which is nothing and will make your speedo just about spot on. Just a bit over still.

I'm looking to run square setup, and 265 in the front is overkill no thanks

[NorseLegend]

I'm really liking the looks of the EV5 and SR6 Enkei's on TireRack.





Sadly, I'm not too good with wheels, so I'm fairly lost here.

[BRZfan]

The wider the tire the higher the probability that it will find that nail.

Originally Posted by white_knight

Always been curious about the pros and cons of using either or (narrow vs. wide, in relation to wheel width).

[BRZfan]

Just because wider wheels are available and with a specific bolt pattern, does not mean they were all designed for the BRZ.

Originally Posted by VoiD

I can't seem to search this.. but why do aftermarket rims come in such wide widths for this car? 9.5 wide wheels with 245 tires?? wouldn't the tires over-stretch? i remember having 19x9.5 wheels with 275 tires and they seemed too narrow.. Am I missing something?