General Q's about wheels and coils

[treminaor]

I'm trying to plan out what I want to do to the wheels and coils of my DGM BRZ and I could really use some advice. Right now I'm on the stock wheels and tires. I daily drive this car and I don't track it, so I'll sacrifice some performance for comfort and looks if it comes down to it.

Here are my must-haves:
- Even wheel gap around the wheels
- Tires that aren't too low-profile for comfort - my last car had 235/65-35-19's and I was always worried about denting the rim or blowing the tire in potholes. For anyone familiar with NorCal I do a lot of driving in Oakland and it's pothole city.
- No rubbing with the steering wheel turned as far as it will go in a parking lot

Questions:
1) Currently I've noticed that I'm able to bottom out the suspension running tires into the wheel wells on a few of the mountain roads I frequent... which throws the TCS light on for a second and makes an unpleasant sound. I'm afraid if I lower the car at all this problem will get worse... is there a way to stop this based on coil configuration?
2) Would 18" wheels with tires thin enough to fit w/o rubbing be too low-profile for my taste? (see potholes above)

I really like the look of the Volk CE28's but even used they're out of my price range and I don't want a cheap imitation... so right now I have my eyes set on the Enkei RPF1's 17x7.5 with some Michelin PSS-225-45-17 tires, and lowering the car 1" or so with coils.

This is about the wheel gap I'm looking for, nothing too extreme:




Any help or advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.

[8R6]

Originally Posted by treminaor

... so right now I have my eyes set on the Enkei RPF1's 17x7.5 with some Michelin PSS-225-45-17 tires, and lowering the car 1" or so with coils.

that setup is pretty much what meets all your requirements and wants. for money savings, i'd just get springs like RCE Yellows or Hotchkis. For a little bit more money though, you could get ST's or the new Tein Flex Z's and have ample dampening for a daily driver, weekend canyon runner, have more clearance on the inside of the wheel well, and adjustability to go lower than 1" if you decide to in the future. and still under $1k easy. install yourself and save even more money.

[treminaor]

Originally Posted by 8R6

that setup is pretty much what meets all your requirements and wants. for money savings, i'd just get springs like RCE Yellows or Hotchkis. For a little bit more money though, you could get ST's or the new Tein Flex Z's and have ample dampening for a daily driver, weekend canyon runner, have more clearance on the inside of the wheel well, and adjustability to go lower than 1" if you decide to in the future. and still under $1k easy. install yourself and save even more money.

Are there significant performance advantages going with new coilovers vs lowering springs? For example the RCE Yellows vs the Tein Flex Z's. Is it just for the adjustability or is there more I should consider?

Thanks.

[tyler_win_photo]

If you're bottoming out on stock suspension right now switching to springs will make it worse.

[treminaor]

Originally Posted by tyler_win_photo

If you're bottoming out on stock suspension right now switching to springs will make it worse.

What are my options to improve that, if any? Aside from raising the car obviously.

[swarb]

Originally Posted by treminaor

What are my options to improve that, if any? Aside from raising the car obviously.

Stiffer springs or stiffer shocks. Or coilovers that don't have limited travel like stock when lowered.

[treminaor]

Originally Posted by swarb

Stiffer springs or stiffer shocks. Or coilovers that don't have limited travel like stock when lowered.

Makes sense. Do you have any recommendations on what to use?

[swarb]

Originally Posted by treminaor

Makes sense. Do you have any recommendations on what to use?

Rce yellows are 5k/5k spring rates.
Flex Z are 6k/6k.

I'd go flex z for the adjustable dampening to suit your comfort needs.