Hopefully wheel companies figure it out
 

As I have started looking for wheels I have been getting discouraged. If I had my 240sx still I would be thrilled with how many options there are in 5x114.
I know we have plenty of wheel options but it seems like there are quite a few sets especially in a 17 inch size that are not drilled for our lug pattern. Here's hoping that wheel manufacturers release a few more options in 5x100. Especially with how popular the car is.

240SX? Figure it out?

The S13 (and vast majority of S14s) were 4x114.3 bolt pattern.

5x100 is simply not a popular bolt pattern for aftermarket wheels, no matter what you want to believe. They've already figured it out, to be honest.

-alex

Im not sure who has less of a clue...you or the OP


Just so both of you know, there already has been an increase in 5x100 rim production from several manufacturers, I was looking to replace a blown tire this weekend (19's on friends 350Z) and found an advertized special for FRs/BRZ rims and tires at 3 of the 5 tire shops I visited.

There are plenty of options, less whining

Ok now....Mav I owned two 240s. And s13 and an s14. I am aware of the 4 lug pattern on the s13 and on the s14. I also knew how to switch the hubs to make it 5 lug.
And skull I do have a clue.
But thanks buddy. I was making a simple statement. There are quite a few wheel designs from VERY well known companies that are only offered in 5x114.
Considering there are quite a few cars running 5x100 you think there would be more options.

re-tooling takes time, but there has been a larger switch sooner than I expected,

Also if you are mad determined to get those hella JDM wheels on your Whip...Mackin Industries sells some spacers that are also adapters...I think they were by project kic's or whatever....not my deal, not my scene. but there it is

Then you should be able to switch hubs again if you like the 5x114 wheels so much.
and before you say adapters suck check out the hardrace hubs for our cars.

Switching hubs on a 240 is simple. You just have to either raid a junkyard or order the appropriate pieces. The frs is a little different.

I worked in the wheel industry for 10+ years, I have plenty of clue... but to answer it in more detail (arguing economics on forums is a futile gesture, to be honest):

The TAM of available users for the FRS will eventually increase over time, however you have three options:
- High-end wheel makers, that have certified wheel designs for JAWA/TUV and they cannot simply be "redrilled" in 5-100 bolt pattern (this is why some wheels have a minimum PCD of at least 108mm or so, due to the wheel design), and thus the existing wheel designs cannot be expanded beyond what is offered
- Cheap, knock-off wheels that can make any bolt pattern you want... but you run them at your own risk. Normal driving, they're fine. Aggressive/track driving, good luck with that.
- Something in between... do you make a wheel specific for this chassis, or something that appeals more to other cars (i.e. "the masses")? At what cost? Our cars require something similar to a WRX, except lower offset. You can't make one for both cars without some type of compromise.


See above, but for the S13/14 to swap hubs versus actually finding the right hubs, it's not that easy.

I was one of the first that did a S14 front spindle swap onto a S13, had to swap out for S14 FLCA ball joints and made my own metal inserts for the front spindle so I can run S13 front suspension with S13 front strut bolts on a S14 spindle. Rears were either S14 5-lug, or Z32 non-turbo rear hubs.

Mind you, this was before cheap hubs were available. I did my hub swap back in 2002 or so.

"Simple" is correct, however the only reason why finding "5x114.3" wheels is easier is because there's simply a much larger market of cars that use that bolt pattern, plain and simple.

Let's list the cars that run a 5x100 bolt pattern that enthusiasts care about:

Toyota Celica
Subaru WRX/STi
Um....

I hope you see my point. Unless production insanely shifts and the market is flooded with tons of new BRZ/FRS, the Total Available Market won't jump overnight.

As a general rule of thumb, a mold for a cast wheel (each unique bolt pattern/size/width/offset) generally costs $10-15k from a cheap factory. This fee is a set fee... and does not account for material/production/shipping from origin. So knowing that, how many wheel companies are going to jump out into a niche market?

-alex

Just the WRX and 04 STi run 5x100.

I get what you're saying. There's just so many more cars that are regularly modified extensively that use 5x114 bolt pattern. The rear issue isn't the fact that there's a lack of wheels in 5x100.

It's that there is a lack of 5x100 wheels in the sizes and offsets we're looking for.

I can find 5x100 wheels all day but in a lot of cases, they are 7.5j and +50 something offsets. Companies have definitely gotten better cause of this car and I've seen a lot of new wheels and old wheels be introduced with new sizes catered to this car.

It's just gonna take time. Eventually, I think we'll see more than enough options to choose from in the right size and offset that don't need to be special ordered.

I've had no issues finding wheels I wanted in 5x100 for my car twice now.

There's some random vintage of VW that's 5x100...

My Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 was 5x100...

Audi tt, mk4 golf and jetta

The 99-06 Celica had a 5x100 bolt pattern, with around a ~+35 offset wheel for most aftermarket applications. Turns out, a lot of WRX guys that ran autocross liked running a low offset wheel with a meaty tire, so a lot of wheels designed for the Celica ended up being used for the WRX as well.

It's kind of simple... if there's a market for a product with enough demand, someone will make it eventually. Look at the older Mercedes or BMWs (5x112 and 5x120mm, respectively) and look at the wheels offered for those cars. There's a lot of replica wheels with odd offset/size combinations specific for certain cars, and they are doing fine as long as supply doesn't outstrip demand.

-alex