Tire Width & Fun Factor Discussion

[Phantobe]

Originally Posted by djdnz

Fair enough, but he asked why would you want wide wheels without necessarily wanting wide tires and the three reasons in my mind are all aesthetics - the wheel you want only comes in that width, you like concavity, or you like having stretched tires?

I'm not sure I get it xD.

For example, you can 17x8 RPF1s or 17x9 RPF1s. I see no difference in concavity or are you talking about in general if you want a concave style wheel you need wide wheels, I'd agree with that.

But for a "daily" I can't see why you'd need a 17x9 unless you're all about aesthetics. I'm just trying to justify a 17x8 because you save money and weight :P

[djdnz]

Originally Posted by Phantobe

I'm not sure I get it xD.

For example, you can 17x8 RPF1s or 17x9 RPF1s. I see no difference in concavity or are you talking about in general if you want a concave style wheel you need wide wheels, I'd agree with that.

But for a "daily" I can't see why you'd need a 17x9 unless you're all about aesthetics. I'm just trying to justify a 17x8 because you save money and weight :P

Absolutely, if you are happy with the looks and you don't want a lot more tire than stock, definitely go for a narrower wheel to save weight and cost on both the wheels and the tires.

[bhmax]

Interested in this discussion for sure. I've definitely lost a bit of feel of nimbleness when going wider on an Evo. I'm not sure I'd say that I lost a lot of "fun" though. My plan when I wear out the Primacys is to go with a set of probably Bridgestone S-04 in 205/45 on the stock wheels and stay on the stock suspension for a while. If I have the car a long time I see myself lowering an inch, 17x9 57xtreme with 245/45 (because everyone loves concavity!) to better go with a SC. It'll be interesting to see how the feel changes.

[churchx]

17x9 245 with SC? Sure. Possibly i'd do that myself if went for FI, except maybe /40 instead of /45 for speedo to read the same. But not at stock NA power for DD.

[bhmax]

Originally Posted by churchx

17x9 245 with SC? Sure. Possibly i'd do that myself if went for FI, except maybe /40 instead of /45 for speedo to read the same. But not at stock NA power for DD.

Yep, I actually meant 245/40, thanks.

[Benschneider06]

I get that some people's definition of fun is having tons of grip but I don't think it's possible to say getting sideways has never put a smile on your face...

So from what I've read so far it looks like 18x8.5 wheels won't make me lose the sideways factor & will also give me more mechanical grip which sounds great to me.

I'm thinking of going with some matte black works emotion cr kai's

While I have all of your attention- will 18x8.5 on 1" lowering springs rub? What offset would I need? (+47 +38 +30)? Seems that those are my only offset choices for that wheel.

[Lynxis]

Originally Posted by Benschneider06

I'm thinking of going with some matte black works emotion cr kai's

While I have all of your attention- will 18x8.5 on 1" lowering springs rub? What offset would I need? (+47 +38 +30)? Seems that those are my only offset choices for that wheel.

+30 will poke and +47 might not have spring perch clearance so I'd suggest the +38 which should fit fine.

Edit: Might need to dial in a bit of negative camber to tuck the top but definitely doable.

[Pete156]

Originally Posted by Benschneider06

I get that some people's definition of fun is having tons of grip but I don't think it's possible to say getting sideways has never put a smile on your face...

So from what I've read so far it looks like 18x8.5wheels won't make me lose the sideways factor & will also give me more mechanical grip which sounds great to me.

I'm thinking of going with some matte black works emotion cr kai's

While I have all of your attention- will 18x8.5on 1" lowering springs rub? What offset would I need? (+47 +38 +30)? Seems that those are my only offset choices for that wheel.

Sideways factor, or Slideability(as you describe it) and mechanical grip are more dependent on tire size and tread compound than actual wheel size. ExampleI could put 13" wide wheels on my Lamborghini, but if I had Rough Country Off Road Radial tires that were 195SR65/19 on them the car would be a PIG!)
By the way I have Flat Black Emotion Kai's in 18x9.5 +38 with 255/35 PSS on my BRZ (excellent wheel style choice). I also put 300HP to the wheels with FI to ensure rear wheel slip! Makes a huge difference.