Originally Posted by Atilla (Post 4425211)

^where did he say that?? (stock wheels w/225/45's causing rubbing issues)

Originally Posted by J8635621 (Post 4425212)

1. Are you seriously asking if stock wheels/tires will fit? If so we have bigger problems.

2. What the hell does lowered on coilovers mean? That's highly variable.

That tire height + a considerably lowered car can lead to problems in the front fenderwells.

Originally Posted by michael Dombrowski (Post 4443688)

Here is some insight from my experience. My 8 is stock. I run a staggered offset 245/35/19 and 275/30/19 in the summer and the stock size in the winter. It is always a bummer when I put my summer tires on because the car has faster acceleration and gets better fuel economy with the winter (stock) tires. Handling is way better with the summer tires and it looks better, but the tail is much more lively with the stock size tires. The 275's just stick. no drifting, no peeling out, no drama. Regardless of speed, just point the car and mash the gas. Another thing to note is that it actually rides smoother with the bigger summer tires because they are heavy. If I had to do it again, I would go with 245/35/19 all the way around. Plenty of grip and easier to find tires. I have to use two different brands of tires to get the rolling diameter the same so that my ABS/Traction control don't go crazy. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by JCrane82 (Post 4443716)

Good to hear that you have realized that staggered is pointless on a low horsepower, near 50/50 weight distribution car. When you went staggered, you increased the car’s tendency to understeer, which is why you say the rear end is more stable.

I hope you now realize the importance of minimizing unsprung weight since you mention that your winter tires have better acceleration than your summer tires, even though your rear summer tires have a 1.8% gearing advantage. This is due to the extra rotational inertia that your summer set has. The larger/wider wheels and tires are a disadvantage when considering rotational inertia.

Also....you mention that the car rides "smoother" with your summer set. If by smoother you mean like a Cadillac, then that makes sense. The heavier wheels/tires make it harder for your suspension to react, causing a delayed phase response in the suspension system. Not good for a performance car.

Thanks for adding your experience, and hope you learn for the future.

Originally Posted by Blacknightz (Post 4443797)

what about going 245/35/17 when heading for the track to remove more unsprung weight?

Originally Posted by JCrane82 (Post 4443800)

J's #1 rule mentions that 17s are best for track. A 245/35R17 might be too short though. Most will run a 245/40R17 or 255/40R17, which is already shorter than stock. IThere shouldn't be a big weight difference between 245/35R17 and 245/40R17, but there is a big difference in overall gear ratio.

Originally Posted by michael Dombrowski (Post 4443688)

Here is some insight from my experience. My 8 is stock. I run a staggered offset 245/35/19 and 275/30/19 in the summer and the stock size in the winter. It is always a bummer when I put my summer tires on because the car has faster acceleration and gets better fuel economy with the winter (stock) tires. Handling is way better with the summer tires and it looks better, but the tail is much more lively with the stock size tires. The 275's just stick. no drifting, no peeling out, no drama. Regardless of speed, just point the car and mash the gas. Another thing to note is that it actually rides smoother with the bigger summer tires because they are heavy. If I had to do it again, I would go with 245/35/19 all the way around. Plenty of grip and easier to find tires. I have to use two different brands of tires to get the rolling diameter the same so that my ABS/Traction control don't go crazy. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by justin-lee (Post 4638520)

will 18" - 9 1/2J - Pressed Graphite - 5H x 114.3 - +40 these dimensions fit on a mazda rx8

Originally Posted by J8635621 (Post 4243588)

1. Stick to 17", 18", or 19" diameter wheels with 17" being more for autox/track work and 19" being more for bling bling. The really early automatic transmission cars can run 16" wheels due to their smaller front brakes.

2. Don't go thinner than 8" width. That's less than stock. Refer to #11. Some people want 7.5" wheels for snow tires. I have never seen snow, so I can't help with that.

3. Bolt pattern is 5x114.3mm or 5x4.5" as they are the same thing. This is the standard bolt pattern for many OEM brands like Nissan, Ford, newer Subaru, etc. Hub size is 67.1mm. This is not usually important as most aftermarket wheels are made excessively large in order to be compatible with more cars, but some OEM wheels are smaller and will need machined out for the wheel to sit correctly. For the wheel hubs larger than 67.1mm, it would be ideal to have rings that convert it to 67.1mm Link

4. Don't pick heavy ass wheels (greater than 25lbs) because you will notice a difference in daily driving comfort/performance. Try to stick to something 21lbs or less. Diameter plays a part into this but those general numbers should work.

5. Lower your car first if you are trying to be "flush." Do it right and do springs/struts or my personal favorite coilovers. Don't go cheap here. Thank me later.

6. Poke is bad, mmmmkay. If you don't know what poke is, don't learn because it is dumb. If you want poke then you are beyond the realm of this thread.

7. You don't NEED anything wider than 245s for street driving under 99% of conditions. Anything more will slow you down due to extra weight unless you have FI. Wider does look better to some people though.

8. Choice of offset is dependent on wheel width and also how much negative camber your car has (likely related to how low you are). These are general ranges which should be good to go for stock height. A lower number means the outer edge of the wheel is farther from the midline of the car.

8" wide - +30 to +50 with 225/45/18 or 245/40/18 (or equivalent for diameter)
8.5" wide - +35 to +50 with 245/40/18, 255/40/18
9" wide - +40 to +50 with 245/40/18, 255/40/18
9.5" wide - +45 to +50 with 245/40/18, 255/40/18, or 275/35/18.

265/35/18 (9" to 10"), and 235/40/18 (8" - 8.5") are good sizes as well if you are lowered quite a bit. (shorter sidewall means more wheel gap at a given ride height)

9. For every inch you are lowered, you can go about 5mm lower on offset, ie from +30 to +25ish. This is not perfect because not everyone has the same amount of camber but it is a decent general rule. When lowered though, stay away from 255/40/18 or 225/45/18 tires (or equivalent for your diameter). They can cause problems with their height.

10. Rolling fenders isn't hard or expensive and it doesn't make your car look different from the outside. It gives you more room though and will give you greater peace of mind. Pulling fenders is another matter though that is permanent and visible from the outside.

11. Most wheels look "better" when they are wider. Concave wheels will be more concave and wheels with a lip will have more lip. Some other wheels have offset work into that as well but they are far more rare (read that $$expensive$$).

12. Staggered is stupid too. Same width/offset all around for better handling and ability to rotate tires. Being staggered won't make your car explode or anything, but there is no reason to do it.


Anything within about 10mm of offset from this, feel free to ask in the Will It Fit thread. Everything else I won't help on because it probably wouldn't look good to me and I won't promote that. You shouldn't need this thread if you are trying to be hellaflush anyways.