i have the dimensions for the rims for the 8, but do not know where to look, or what to look for in rims? Where can i find good material on how to shop for rims, who are good manufactures and who are good dealers? One question which is better chrome or aluminum, is it just come to personal choice? IF so why did you choose what you chose?


thanks for the help

sam

 

www.tirerack.com has a lot of technical information about wheels, it's a great starting place for getting educated.

Chrome vs. aluminum - chroming is really just a coating process, it can be applied to aluminum alloy wheels. But - there's only one area where chrome is better - it's shinier. If you want really shiny wheels, chrome is the way to go. In every other aspect of wheel performance, chrome is worse. It makes wheels heavier (1 or 2 pounds per wheel), and it makes the underlying metal weaker. In other words, a chrome wheel is always heavier and weaker than an equivalent alloy wheel. Polished alloy wheels are nearly as shiny, without the downsides of chrome.

The other thing to keep in mind - unsprung weight is key to keeping good performance, so buy the lightest wheels you can afford. Always ask about wheel weight - for 18" wheels, don't go any heavier than 20 lbs for the RX-8 if you can help it (and you can). (If you want a style and look and don't mind trading off ride and handling performance, then go ahead and get heavy wheels.)

Regards,
Gordon

 

hey thanks for the help Gordon, i am going to start at the tire rack, what is a good price for rims?

 

That really depends on what Rims you are getting.

My Volk TE37 Gunmetal 18x8.5 with Bridgestone Potenza S03s ran me $2850 with tax mounting etc.

But those are very light FORGED rims with very sticky tires. Forged rims are lighter and stronger than Cast rims. Cast rims are cheaper to make, and therefore most of the cheap rims you will see for sale at places like tire rack are cast. If you are looking for performance I would definately recommend you look towards Forged rims.

 

Slavearm,
Where did you purchase the TE37s? How much were the wheels, just the wheels?
Also, how do you think SSR Comps compare (price, weight) with the TE37s?

Thanks

Al