Completely new to buying tires and wheels.

[sshole]

Originally Posted by CSG David

Rays makes cast wheels. Volk is a Forged lineup.

Caught me on a technicality there

Originally Posted by STV3

A set off XXR's run about $400-$450. I am actually looking at the XXR 530 for my FRS which are replicas of (please correct me if I am wrong) the BBS CH-R's which run about $600 a wheel. So one single BBS wheel cost more than a set of 4 XXR's. Unless I was using my FRS as a race car where I want to shave off every last ounce of weight that I can, I don't see the logic in me spending over $2k on wheels.

Honestly, you're probably better off with the XXRs in this case. The BBS CH-Rs are still cast wheels and heavy because of it.

[STV3]

Originally Posted by sshole

Honestly, you're probably better off with the XXRs in this case. The BBS CH-Rs are still cast wheels and heavy because of it.

Good to know. Also BBS doesn't offer them in the 17" size that I want.

[Jive Turkey]

my $.02 for what it's worth.

dont do staggered, the car handles better square.

if you're going to do replicas, go for it. sure they work, but just when you hit a pothole or slide into somehting and it shatters, dont say no one told you so. i'm not saying you need forged wheels, but i'm saying support the companies that took the time to bring a product to hte market, not a company that took the design, copied it and sells it for not that much less.


real name brand wheels are not that much more expensive then a set of rotas. in 17's enkei and works are REALLY not that much money especially if you open up the used market spectrum. SO MANY available for good prices OBO.

lastly you need to think of strut clearance if you're on stock suspension, going to aggressive will be more hassle than its worth.

at the end of the day, this is a public forum, and asking opinions about "wheels" is a very touchy subject so take what every one says with a grain of salt.

bottom line, theres nothing wrong with replicas, besides the fact that well...they are replicas. will they work for street driving...more than likely you'll be fine. but also just know that if you have replica wheels, no matter what you do to the car, if oyu're on replica wheels, it WILL be frowned upon by die hard/real enthusiasts. the its a 25k car i'm not spending XXX amount on it argument doesn't fly, EVER.

[King Tut]

I will be your friend here and tell you:

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Frishkorn

Looking to add new wheels and tires as my first mod to the car. I've never bought wheels and tires, especially for a sports car. I'm thinking of doing 17x8's in the front (245/40R17) and 17x9's in the rear (255/40R17). Are there any pros / cons to having a different size in the front versus rear?

Wheels, 17x8/9 Rota DPT - Flat Black (5x100/114.3/e48F/e42R/73).
Tires, Bridgestone Potenza RE-11A.

Thanks for all your help in advance.

Great tires, cheap wheels.

You wouldn't get filipino/knockoff tires would you?

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by STV3

A set off XXR's run about $400-$450. I am actually looking at the XXR 530 for my FRS which are replicas of (please correct me if I am wrong) the BBS CH-R's which run about $600 a wheel. So one single BBS wheel cost more than a set of 4 XXR's. Unless I was using my FRS as a race car where I want to shave off every last ounce of weight that I can, I don't see the logic in me spending over $2k on wheels.

All wheels can bend, all wheels can crack. Are high end wheels less prone to this? Probably, does that mean an XXR is going to shatter into pieces the first time I hit a bump... no. This isn't like buying an eBay turbo vs buying a Garrett or Precision. Like I said I've owned two sets and they have been very sturdy wheels for me.

I have nothing against people who don't mind dropping big bucks on high end wheels, I am just not one of them.

Not going to lie. Most people care about the looks than the actual end result of the function. The very ethic of respect is just ingrained in my character and I am a firm supporter of those who engineer, test, and manufacture stuff properly. Money is a dangerous topic to touch upon and the best I can do is reward those who put effort into advancing technological platforms rather than setting it back into the dark ages.

[mav1178]

www.tirerack.com is your friend. Your only friend.

-alex

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by mav1178

www.tirerack.com is your friend. Your only friend.

-alex

It responds well to input.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by CSG David

It responds well to input.

Yup... but more importantly, for the beginner who knows nothing about wheels and tires, that's about the best place you can start for information.

-alex

[ericmpena]

Geez, too many people are narrow minded on here. Look, it's a $25k car that you're driving primarily on public roads. Don't let the people who have dumped $10k+ into mods convince you to spend $2,000 on a set of wheels when you can get a set for $500 that work perfectly fine for daily driving.

Those are the same people who would try to sell you Nike's most expensive athletic shoes so that you can walk your dog around the block.
Sure, when you're passionate about sports cars then you're going to want nothing but the best invested into yours, but the enthusiasts need to stop pushing that bullshit onto the other 90% of us daily drivers out there.

If you're a track fanatic then obviously you wouldn't be on here asking such a novice question. If you're a simple driver that wants to take a safe step towards making your vehicle look nicer then get what YOU want.

Don't let people bullshit you about weight, handling, blah blah. Even if your handling isn't ideal, your car will still handle better than a lot of other vehicles on the road right now. Do those other Kia/Honda Vans/Hyundai/etc. cars seem to have issues getting from point A to B? Handling isn't important when you're on a public highway...and you'll never notice the few extra pounds gained from a set of 18" wheels when you're driving block to block downtown.

Buy what YOU want, and don't let other people try to push unnecessary prices on you because that's what THEY opted to go for.

Ask yourself this question: Are you interested in buying new wheels so you can shave seconds off of your trip time to Wal-Mart? Or are you doing it because the wheels you want look nice? That's as black and white as it gets for daily drivers.

Hope that helps you...and be sure to post pictures after you make a decision!

[CSG David]

We provide suggestions based on data, testing, performance, safety, reliability, and experiences.

225/45/17 on 17x8 and 245/40/17 on 17x9 are safe setups.

[Vracer111]

Tire compound is what really gives you the grip, not the tire width (coefficient of friction doesn't really care what the area is in contact between the surfaces, mu is mu), so a wider tire is mainly for looks with very MINIMAL improvement in grip over the same tire in a narrower size. You also need to factor in unsprung mass - the more you add, the more you are handicapping you suspension and sacrificing ride quality and agility. Tire size is really the first thing you should figure out, then base you wheel size choice accordingly.

Looking for the most agility and responsiveness from a setup? Then go with the absolutely LIGHTEST wheel with widest size recommended for the selected tire, and the selected tire size should not be any larger or heavier than stock. My FRS is actually riding on 205/45-17 Max performance tires on 17x7.5 wheels and it has much more grip than stock with much better reflexes and a smoother, more refined ride quality (because of 5lb less a corner of unsprung mass). Looking for a lot more grip (with some sacrifice in agility)? Then get a REALLY sticky tire in a near stock size, with wheels sized to be from the middle range to widest range of fitment for the tires.

Seriously, sticky tires in stock size on the widest fitment wheels for them are way more than the car needs for daily driving - and frankly that setup kills some of the enjoyment of the chassis by bringing the cornering limits so high you might as well be in a supercar/racecar. The stock Michelin Primacy HP's are good for .96G of roadholding grip when mounted on an FRS... A nice Max-Performance category tire in close to stock size riding on lighter and wider wheels will serve the car well without too much of a compromise to the chassis's responsiveness. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend an high grip setup unless it's for the track and you have track experience. Serves no purpose on the street other than raising the cornering limits so extremely high it would be instant jail-time if you get caught exploring the grip...were talking burying the tach needle near redline in 4th gear territory.

[Frishkorn]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Great tires, cheap wheels.

You wouldn't get filipino/knockoff tires would you?

Good tires are much cheaper then good wheels and I'm on a budget. Guess mods will have to wait until the car is paid off. I just figured this was a classic case of Company A has a profit margin of 60% while Company B has one of 10%.

Don't want to install complete junk though. Won't save much money if the wheel breaks apart and sends the car flying into a wall.

Thanks for all your help guys.

[Figo]

Just wanna let u know that I got a set of Rota Grids and used them for a year.

They are cheap and strong, but heavy. They work with daily drive cars well, but you will always know that you are using a Rota.

I love them; however, my new TE37SL will be delivered next week.

So as you see, if you want to mod on your car seriously, you will change your Rota in the end. I'v seen many people got Rota as their first set of wheels and change to some other wheels finally.

But if you are not sure about what wheel size you are going to run, go Rota as your first set of rims. Then you will not lose much $$$ when you get your second set of wheels.

BTW a set of RPF1s are only $300 or $400 more than Rotas, and they are alot better.


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