Stock wheels look good all cleaned properly

[churchx]

Wheel width is fitting tire width. And tires are selected to not have too much grip for relatively low stock NA power levels. One can change tires and wheels to wider, but it will definitely change car handling characteristics. In my eyes/by my taste - to worse. Wider tires/wheels looks alone are not enough to justify that for me. Until/if i'll go forced-induction, i see no need to go for wider ones. Lighter? Yes. Wider - no. And even if one wants extra grip, better, more gripier compound tires such as MPSS even at stock sizes will provide enough of improvement over stock Primacies in daily driving with NA power.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by churchx

Wheel width is fitting tire width. And tires are selected to not have too much grip for relatively low stock NA power levels. One can change tires and wheels to wider, but it will definitely change car handling characteristics. In my eyes/by my taste - to worse. Wider tires/wheels looks alone are not enough to justify that for me. Until/if i'll go forced-induction, i see no need to go for wider ones. Lighter? Yes. Wider - no. And even if one wants extra grip, better, more gripier compound tires such as MPSS even at stock sizes will provide enough of improvement over stock Primacies in daily driving with NA power.

Yep agreed!
My Subaru had around 305ish hp and i ran 225/45/17 tires. Now of course it's AWD but either way i never saw the need to go 235 or 245 like many guys would go in the subaru's.

Same with this car, stock wise 215 is more than enough and even with bolt ons, 215/45/17 is still enough. Just get sticker tires. I plan to get Yokohama S Drives cause i had them on the subaru and liked the grip and side wall protection.

I'll only go 225/45/17 if i turbo this car.

I see many members go like 245 on these cars etc...and in terms of looks it looks awesome and mean, but in terms of performance and everyday drive...i prefer the nimble feeling.

[Lynxis]

I think the stock wheels go well against a white or black body but don't suit the other colors very well. I think a solid color would have been better, regardless if it was silver or black. The other problems I have with appearance of the stock wheels are related to the fitment. Part of this isn't the wheels fault because the body of the car should sit about an inch lower stock but the wheel offset should have been at least a +35 so it lined up with the fender better.

With this in mind, I'm going to lower my car about an inch next spring and I'd use the stock wheels if they were a lower offset but they suck in way too much once lowered. I thought of buying spacers but I'd be looking at about $350 for a set of 4 20mm spacers. Instead, I'm going to sell my stock wheels and get something that fits properly for nearly the same amount as the spacers would cost.

[DarkSunrise]

I don't mind them on my whiteout FR-S and use them for the winter.

That said, there are many better looking wheels that fill out the wheel arches more fully.

[timmydatooth]

The only performance upgrades i have are a catback exhaust and an intake. Would it be a bad idea to get wider tires? Was gonna get 17x9 but will it just hurt my mpg? Trying to get the most from my DD lol

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by ZZT86

Are you saying all aftermarket wheels which are different in size no good for this cars driving experience provided it was as light as stock ?

Well, there's some nuance to the topic. Forgive me if I overdo the explanation. Just doing my best to be clear and most importantly, it's all personal preference.

1. This car was conceived and developed from the ground-up with priorities on the driving experience right up there with the price point.

2. Forget for a minute so many people's bitches about how people complain about it being slow. That's bullshit, BUT it's no muscle car so there's a great deal of effort that went into sqeezing the most they could out of 2 litres while passing modern emissions standards and keeping it reliable. People tend to forget those latter points when they rag on the powerplant.

So, out of the box we get a nice little sports car that clearly delivers on its promise.

Then we complain about the fender gap and "Aaaugh! The stock wheels have no traction." Well, duh, that was the whole point. They do have traction. Especially given the available power, they have enough traction and with the magic of the newer LRR compounds, feel gloriously light-footed. It's just like the difference between riding a touring bike with thin little tires versus some beach cruiser.

Taller wheels put the bulk of the rotating mass further outward which makes them more resistant to change in direction. The effect is real. Not devastating but it's a noticeable difference and not in keeping with the spirit of this car.

Grippier tires are just like the beach cruiser. Ok for putzing around the neighborhood but no way am I going to pedal it for more than a couple miles. Plus, I LIKE feedback from the road.

I've driven a few of my friend's modded cars. Fantastic traction but all have been just a little more numb in the butt and hands. On the flip side, I've had many people with modded cars drive mine and remark that they've forgotten how nice the stock ones feel to drive.

I just love how the car feels. It's practically a miracle and I'm in no hurry to change it.

[ajaxthebetter]

^Hmm. Strange. I found almost the complete opposite when I installed my new wheels. 17x8. 15.8 lbs. I love the wider track--makes you feel as if you are sweeping the road. The feedback through the tires (235/40/17) is substantially more than stock, in my opinion, as I feel most every nuance. Another bonus I did not forsee is once I installed my RCE yellows and whitleine camber bolts the turning felt a bit too light and effortless--such is the case no more.

The new set up takes some muscle to rotate the wheel, which I love. The car feels like it was suppose to run on 17x8, in my opinion. I think any wider a tire and I might mute it a bit, but 235 feels pretty spot on.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by ajaxthebetter

^Hmm. Strange. I found almost the complete opposite when I installed my new wheels. 17x8. 15.8 lbs. I love the wider track--makes you feel as if you are sweeping the road. The feedback through the tires (235/40/17) is substantially more than stock, in my opinion, as I feel most every nuance. Another bonus I did not forsee is once I installed my RCE yellows and whitleine camber bolts the turning felt a bit too light and effortless--such is the case no more.

The new set up takes some muscle to rotate the wheel, which I love. The car feels like it was suppose to run on 17x8, in my opinion. I think any wider a tire and I might mute it a bit, but 235 feels pretty spot on.

When you say feedback, do you feel it in the butt, or in the steering wheel? I started learning the hard way by fucking up my 240Z. Slightly lowered and went with some wider rims. Problem was they moved the contact patch out and introduced some wicked bump-steer. I ever so slightly grazed a curb once and it grabbed so hard I almost broke my wrist. Taught me respect for the geometry really fast.

[ajaxthebetter]

Hard to describe, really. The only thing I would say I feel from the seat with respect to the new set up would be a bit more supple ride (RCE responsible here). Most the vibrations/added feel seem to transmit through the wheel. I am still learning a lot, but I don't believe I have experienced any bump steer yet. My fun drive involves descending a cork screw with rolled pavement, where the outside rolls up while inside rolls down with a sharp drop off after that which always challenges my TC lights. A harsh challenge for the car, but it tackles it beatifully now. I would think the speed and suspension travel on this section may induce some undesirable effects, but the car feels predictable.

I wonder if I hadn't done any camber tinkering if the effects (bump steer) may be more noticeable? The goal was to change things but only slightly. Small drop. Small camber. I am incredibly pleased with how its turned out thus far. With this car, I am finding suspension to be infinitely more interesting than any of the mechanical stuff.

If I had to put it into a few words. Stock, the car feels like a rewarding toy--not a disrespect. It now feels a bit more like a tool or instrument. Stabbing the throttle mid corner still sends its booty flying though, haha.

[Ultramaroon]

Sheesh! This is the first time I publicly discussed the handling woes with my old Z. I'm really glad I second-guessed myself because I was WRONG! My apologies.

What I've been calling the effects of bump steer are actually the effects of changing scrub radius. <slaps forehead> I ruined the handling by introducing a large positive scrub radius which made it react very strongly to bumps in the road and uneven traction conditions under braking.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I've driven a few of my friend's modded cars. Fantastic traction but all have been just a little more numb in the butt and hands. On the flip side, I've had many people with modded cars drive mine and remark that they've forgotten how nice the stock ones feel to drive.

I just love how the car feels. It's practically a miracle and I'm in no hurry to change it.

Oh this reminds me of my Subaru and coilovers. I once drove my friends WRX on lowered springs and i was just going crazy about his ride comfort haha.

I learned some things on my subaru that i don't plan to do on this car, like messing with suspension since i don't track.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

Oh this reminds me of my Subaru and coilovers. I once drove my friends WRX on lowered springs and i was just going crazy about his ride comfort haha.

I learned some things on my subaru that i don't plan to do on this car, like messing with suspension since i don't track.

Haha.... yeah. I plan on at least improving my vocabulary before messing with this one. Clearly I need some work.

[ajaxthebetter]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Sheesh! This is the first time I publicly discussed the handling woes with my old Z. I'm really glad I second-guessed myself because I was WRONG! My apologies.

What I've been calling the effects of bump steer are actually the effects of changing scrub radius. <slaps forehead> I ruined the handling by introducing a large positive scrub radius which made it react very strongly to bumps in the road and uneven traction conditions under braking.

Ha. I'm going to have to learn about scrub radius.

In the wheel and alignment section there is a thread where PNWFRS asks about his setup, and a poster posts a video from tirerack. Video is very informative on larger wheel/tire size, with peformance graphs to show differences. Another great thread is one called "Roll Center Adjustment--options and benefits." I'd link them but I cant get it done on my phone. Great read. The CSG dudes offer up their opinions, which are highky valuable. I looked these up after you invited some paranoia into my mind, haha.

What I gathered: the positives of dropping the car an inch or so outweigh the negatives--if that is all that is holding you back then I can't recommend the RCEs enough. Smoother ride, etc. The wider wheel/tire thing seems to be positively reinforced by tirerack video.

Going to Google scrub radius.

[stevesnj]

Anywhoo they are still not dirty. The stuff is working good :P