wheels/tires and coilovers
 

Hey guys, Im new to the car world. I recently got a 2014 FRS and I want to change the wheels from the stock ones (215/45R17, 17x7+48) to some aftermarket ones (245/35R18, 18x8+38). the thing is, i dont want the wheels to rub because my suspension is still stock, so im thinking about going on coilovers. the thing with that is that i read somewhere online that the cv joints on this car are weak, so i would need a diff/subframe riser if im going on coils. is that true? I want to keep the stock height, maybe lower it by .25-.5 of an inch. would i need a diff riser so that the cv joint doesnt break?

Why 18's? They are more expensive, heavier, and tires are more expensive.

There is an entire section of the forum with tire/wheel setups with pictures. I recommend looking there. People are getting away with 245's on stock struts.

The stock CV's are not an issue unless you are running stupid low, and even then it is not the issue people make it.

for .025 to 0.5 of an inch I don't think you need coilovers, I think lowering springs will do. Having said that, I do have 18 x 9.5 wheels with 255 or 265 tires and I am on coilovers and haven't needed any diff risers after 5 years...

^^ what he said. And I'll make it even easier.

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24

Because they look nicer looking on the car than 17's lol. Why do anything aesthetic on this car? Because it looks better! :thumbsup:

If that is your reasoning that is fine, a lot of people don't understand the negatives which is why it gets asked.

If you aren't planning too much of a drop you don't need to worry about diff raisers, this would be more of a track oriented modification or extreme low applications. I'm on Fortune Auto 500 coilovers with around a 2" drop and I've been pretty good. I'm also at around 400whp so any issues present would've made themselves more apparent. Check fitmentindustries' gallery out to get an idea of what wheels and tires would look like on our platform.

Those wheels and tires will make you car slower also. But if looks is all you are after then have fun.

The car is already incredibly slow. lol nothing short of turbo will make it reasonable.

if i were to go on lowering springs, will i be able to use the stock struts or would i have to buy new ones?

It depends how much they lower the car. RCE Yellows work fine with the stock struts and they lower the care by about 4/5 of an inch.

Hello buddy


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I'd go 225/40-18 on 18x8. 245/35-18 is a bit too wide for 8", technically within the allowed width range tho...

Lowering only 0.5", you don't have to worry about stock suspension or drive/halfshafts. Or going to coilovers or struts/shocks. RS-R Down springs will lower you ~0.5". If you go lower than RCE Yellows (0.8"), IMO you'd wanna get Bilstein B6, or go coilovers due to stock struts having limited bump travel.

Not to hijack a thread but, how much can you lower a 2013 FRS without having to worry about camber etc?

IMO bump travel is the first concern. Me, I lowered my '17 BRZ 1.5" and don't worry about camber etc. I do have Bilsteins, which have a lot more front travel than stock PP/Sachs struts.

Pretend I don't know much about suspensions.:iono: I'm guessing by "bump travel" you mean how far the suspension goes before bottoming out? A buddy has a lightly used set of Tein Z that I am looking at. I'd like to lower my car only about an inch.

Shouldn't be any problem with Tein Flex Z coilovers. It's the stock front struts that have limited bump travel, any decent aftermarket coilovers will be OK with over 1" lowering.

I ran Flex Z's for a bit and spent some time on track with them. They don't like being lower than -1.5 from stock. I ran -1.25 from stock and they handled that pretty well, trucking curbs at speed and everything.

WedsSport TC105X 18x8.5 +43 weighs only 16.4 lbs! It's one of the lightest, if not the lightest, wheel I've found so far in that size category even against forged ones.

Yes, I am aware there are outliers. 949 found more performance by going to an 18". Speaking in general with most wheels on the market, it is not the best. +43 offset is yuck though, I have enough clearance issues already.

18x8 is just fine with a quality wheel. I'd also reccomend a 225 instead of the 245 since it's a better fit for the 8 inch wide wheel.

Lowering springs do work well especially those that have a more mild drop. But if you're 2014 stock struts have a lot of miles on them...it would be worth considering swapping those out for Bilstein B6.

No need for diff risers unless you're slammed.

- Andrew

My 14 was almost 2 inches on RSR Superdown lowering springs. Nothing else special done. 150,000 miles with zero issues.

You didn't end up blowing the stock struts on superdowns? I had to upgrade to Bilstein B8s to compensate for that low of a drop.

Nope. The guy that bought it swapped everything out to track but all was still good.