Anybody got 16 inch wheels on their FR-S /BRZ?

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Trettiosjuan

If you want a high dry/wet grip stiff sidewall tire I suspect the Yoko AD08R should be really sweet, surprised so few have tried it here.

I ordered yesterday AD08R. Very good race tire and not so heavy. My dealer says 205/55 R16 91V is about 8,5 kg.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I ordered yesterday AD08R. Very good race tire and not so heavy. My dealer says 205/55 R16 91V is about 8,5 kg.

Honest question; is that comma a typo or did you mean to use that instead of a decimal point? I only ask because that's the second time today I've seen those reversed from what I was taught and I'm wondering if that's something else that changes from region to region.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Calum

Honest question; is that comma a typo or did you mean to use that instead of a decimal point? I only ask because that's the second time today I've seen those reversed from what I was taught and I'm wondering if that's something else that changes from region to region.

Yes, it depends the country.

[M23]

@Kostamojen:

Sweet setup. But, I just noticed you went with 225/45, instead of 225/50 (or 205/55). Can I ask why you went smaller diameter? That's about a full 1" smaller diameter than OEM.

I know it'll be more light, and also slightly quicken/shorten the overall gear ratio. But at the same time might look too small for those large wheel wells.

[Kostamojen]

Don't care about the wheel wells. This was 100% a performance decision looks be damned. I already went the "looks" route and all it did was compromise the car.

And yes, shortens the gearing, lowers the car a little, saves weight.

[enouf]

I just changed back to the stock 16" from 17x8 rpf1 235/45 PSS and have to concede the car feels just that much better on 16", even though both setup weighed the same (around 17kg/37.5lb). Less tramlining, tiny decrease in noise and more lively. It'd be the best if I could keep that character but with more grip in the wet (the yoko's in wet is crazy slippery).

For those that went 215 or 225's - how does it compare to the 205/55 yoko/other tyres (given the same weight)? Did it make the steering more numb & sluggish?

[venturaII]

Originally Posted by Calum

Honest question; is that comma a typo or did you mean to use that instead of a decimal point? I only ask because that's the second time today I've seen those reversed from what I was taught and I'm wondering if that's something else that changes from region to region.

It seems to be a Continental Europe thing. From what I recall, England uses decimals and commas the same as North America, and I think all of Asia does as well.

[sam69]

I have RE002's / 225 50 16's on the original rims and they hang on like crazy in the dry but when they got about 9 to 10 K on them they are just plain scarey in the wet .

[MacOverSteer]

@ enouf
If you squeeze a 215 or 225 on a 16x6.5 you're going to get the balloon effect and that's never good in the wet. It's fine in the dry though, the tyre will morph when you push it and put more rubber on the ground. Not hard to find a better tyre than the yokodb. Honestly though the nature of this car is to go sideways, you can't push in the wet.

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

Don't care about the wheel wells. This was 100% a performance decision looks be damned. I already went the "looks" route and all it did was compromise the car.

And yes, shortens the gearing, lowers the car a little, saves weight.

In this "stance" age your reasoning is like a breath of fresh air.
And those wheels gives you car a great, classic look.

[Kostamojen]

Originally Posted by Sarlacc

In this "stance" age your reasoning is like a breath of fresh air.
And those wheels gives you car a great, classic look.

Thanks.

I've actually had a bit of an Epiphany about this car, so much so I'm contemplating starting a separate thread bout it.

Everyone sees this car as a underpowered Z car, or a RWD STI, or a inexpensive Cayman...

But what this car REALLY is, is a normally aspirated rear wheel drive Impreza.

Now I've owned N/A GC Imprezas for almost 13 years, modded every bit of them, know all the ins and outs... And when it comes down to it, there are more things in common with N/A Imprezas and this car than any other car.

What does that mean? Well first of all, the weights are similar. A 1998-2001 Impreza RS here in the states weighs EXACTLY the same as a BRZ. And what size tires did that car use? 205/55/16's.

You couldn't fit anything larger than 215's on that car without rolling the fenders SIGNIFICANTLY, which I was one of the first people to squeeze 225's on that car without it rubbing everywhere. People these days cut the fenders and do crazy stuff to fit 245+ tires on the GC's, but really thats not what the car was meant for.

The same idea applies to the BRZ/FRS/GT86. What was this car meant to be as opposed to what you are trying to force it to be? It comes with 215's, and we've seen it with optional 225's. Sure the fenders on this car can fit 265's unlike the old GC's, but that doesn't mean it will be better (besides looks).

The gearing on the old GC's was also much shorter than the BRZ and the redline also a lot lower (the N/A EJ25 ran out of juice at around 5000 rpms but had much much more torque earlier on) so running a shorter tire with the BRZ makes sense for most performance uses of the car.

Now I think I just need to uncork the engine a bit more and see what I can get out of it and see what I need to do to sort out the suspension with the change in wheels/tires...

[MacOverSteer]

Originally Posted by sam69

I have RE002's / 225 50 16's on the original rims and they hang on like crazy in the dry but when they got about 9 to 10 K on them they are just plain scarey in the wet .

Very temp sensitive too, go through some water runoff and you're back to zero. I've had a couple of close call 180 spins.

[Trettiosjuan]

I like where this thread is going

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

But what this car REALLY is, is a normally aspirated rear wheel drive Impreza.

Sorry, didn't know that even existed.

What it surely is, is the modern day equivalent of the BMW E30 M3, a legend. Just look at the weight and power figures and the general ideas about what it's like to drive this type of car. Our cars are so close it's scary, while no modern lardy isolated BMW is even in the same solar system...

With my subtle upgrades, mine is almost a mirror image of the E30 M3 Evo II version (or the latest Sport Evo perhaps?)

Oh and guess what. Yep, they ran15" and... 16", huge at the time

[M23]

These beefy profile tires look nyce! Starting to dig this look.