Need Advice for Rims and Tires
 

I have seen several opinions posted for rims and tires. And I have seen a couple of conflicting bits of information on the stock rims. I need some fresh opinions and some accurate information on the oem rims.
1) How much do the stock 18" rims weigh?
2) How much do the stock lugs weigh?
3) Are the stock 18" rims 8" or 8.5" in width?
4) What are the widest tires that will fit properly on the stock rims? (235,245,255)
5) What are some fresh opinions on tires that will supply excellent lateral and forward traction?
6) What are some good 18 by 8.5 aftermarket rims that are lightweight and reasonably priced? ($150 to $300 each)
Again, I know that these subjects have been covered before, but I would really appreciate some updated/accurate info. and some fresh opinions.

War Eagle, man.

stock wheels are about 22# but there are two suppliers so the other supplier could be lighter or heavier

For question #6. Steve Bontrager said, "light, strong, cheap....Pick two.

The largest tire I would go with would be a 245. Maybe a 255, but that would be really pushing it and you would get a crown.

There are a lot of good tires. Consider the BFG KDW2s (I just bought some). The F1 eagles are rated very high. There is a lot of thought on these in here.

Boost. Could use some fresh advice.
Carbon: War Eagle!
I am heading over to Orlando on the 2nd to the A.U. vs Wisc. bowl. I lose track of the names of bowls these days with all of the sponsors. I believe it is still the Citrus Bowl though.

I like the sound of 245's. I like the BFG's also, but what is the W and 2 for. W=suited for wet conditions? 2= second version?
What do you think of them now that you have had them for a little while?
Forward traction? Lateral traction?

why is this in suggestions?

^ haha, yea...

good question. Moved to wheels and tires section.

First thread. I did not even see that I had a choice of where it would go. Tell me how to move it and I will be glad to.
But I guess any of you could have made suggestions if you had any!

Well, I just measured the width of a stock 18" rim: it is officially 8". I found several folks listing as 8.5 or 9. That would be a measurement that would include the entire lip of the rim. I will have the weight next. Thank you all for your help......

Yes, that's why you'll find "18x8" printed on the inside of your rim...(no need to measure). The weight, in general terms, was given in the first reply - 22 pounds, depending on supplier. I suppose if it really matters to you what your specific, individual wheels weigh, then there was no point in anyone bothering to respond, was there?

As was said, these questions have been asked and answered many, many times, and a search here will turn up those earlier threads. Since many newbies hate being told "do a search", forums evolve so that many of the people who know the answers, and have posted the answers many times now, just don't bother answering the same old questions anymore.

Please take that into consideration before you continue getting more sarcastic about the lack of enthusiastic responses to your questions here! If you leave the sarcasm outside the forum, maybe try a search or two before posting a question (and state in your post that you tried searching for the answer before posting) you will get excellent help here.

Regards,
Gordon

Who the f said 8.5 or 9? Dumbasses. My advice.... don't listen to dumb people.
<end lesson>

5) If you check tirerack.com you can find reviews from the owners of tires. Alot of auto-x'ers post on there, and usually have some quality information.
6) Why stop at 8.5? Your car can fit 18X9 and sometimes 18X9.5 all the way around. My suggestion... dont get too crazy about weight. Find something really wide under 20lbs that you can afford. You'll see more benefit for more grip then from a wheel that is just 1 or 2lbs lighter.
Rota, 5Zigen, Black Wheels... these are all some decent rims that should be under $300 a peice.


Also, what is your purpose here. Are these bling-bling daily driver rims, race wheels, boulevard cruisers???? If you let us know what your looking for, then it'll be alot easier to suggest rims.

-hS

I have a set of the Goodrich KDW2's and so far I'm happy with them. The DW stands for Dry/Wet which means the tread is designed for performance in both those conditions. The 2 (or NT as Goodrich officially lists it which stands for New Tread) refers to this as being the 2nd generation design of this tire.

The only problem I've had with the tires is at certain speeds on certain surfaces such as grooved concrete which the freeways have here in southern California, the tires will make a howling noise. It's about a 3 mph range of sensitivity (i.e. 69-71 mph) so all I have to do is slow down or speed up a bit and it goes away.

Around town driving is great and the tires perform like a champ on wet roads. Even with hard-driving rain and standing water on the street there's no sense of "floatiness" and braking feels solid with no sliding.

Ole spiff and Big O, thank your for the input and education. Gordy, you have anger issues. If you will read my initial inquiry. You will see that one of the first things I said was that I already know that there have been several posts on the subject, but I was looking for fresh advice on the tires. As far as rim weight. I realize the answer was covered in the first response. That was kind of the point to me asking the question. As far as the rim width, I just received a PM last night from another member that said that they are 18 X 7. I have seen people post on RX8 club and other sites with answers varying now from 7 to 8.5. As previously stated, I know now that they are 8". I wont't blast the person that said 18X7. But that is why I asked because the sizes listed have varied. Let's see what other cheery thing did you have to add to the thread....oh yeah, sarcasm towards rude people. I don't see any legitimate sarcasm until provoked by you. Carbon, Big O, and Spiff, I appreciate the assistance in my research. Gordo, I will give the same advice that I gave Mugato...take a deep breath, smile and have a great day!

the best advice of all;

STFU with the BS commentary, listen, take what you want, and then just ignore the rest ;)

:rolleyes: No, I don't have anger issues, I have newbies-who-want-answers-handed-to-them-on-a-plate-and-that-have-an-attitude issues! :D: (Yeah, I mean you - and yeah, it is my business as a forum moderator who's job here is to facilitate the smooth operations of this forum and ensure that all forum rules and guidelines are followed). I certainly didn't give you an angry response.

"...and some accurate information on the oem rims". Don't forget that part of your initial inquiry. You asked about rim width, then went to measure it yourself. I was just pointing out that you didn't need to measure it, like every alloy wheel the dimensions are molded right into the wheel.

And then you were going to measure that yourself anyway. I'm not sure why you figured that people responding to this thread would have more accurate data now than when those same people may have contributed to earlier OEM wheel weight threads, but whatever...

The sarcasm came FROM you, which is why I suggested that YOU should avoid it if you desired helpful responses. Specifically, you wrote "But I guess any of you could have made suggestions if you had any!". To be clear, since you don't seem to get the point, I'm suggesting that YOU being sarcastic about other people who've done you the courtesy of replying to your thread will tend to not get you helpful responses.

Thanks, but I don't need your advice on how to participate in this forum. I will give you some advice, however - take a while when you join a new forum to learn how that particular forum operates, and don't assume that it's the same as other forums that you may participate in. Take a few minutes to read OUR FAQ and rules - we're serious about them.

If you feel like ignoring that advice and complaining further or picking fights with the moderators of this forum (hint - read the rules to see why that is a problem) - then your stay here may be shortlived.

Regards,
Gordon

Thank you for your clarifications on the subject gordo. But for the record, I was making a joke about giving me "suggestions", not being sarcastic. Chill out bro. We are on the same team here.

Ok, well, back to the matter at hand. Anyone who wishes to read my first post and answer any questions not answered so far, I would appreciate it greatly.

Big O, to answer your question, it will mainly be a daily driver. I like a bit of an aggressive look, but not blingish. I basically want to improve the performance of the vehicle without trashing the warranty. I see your point in putting more rubber on the road instead of worrying about weight so much. I thought that losing 20 to 30 lbs due to lighter rims and lugs might be an additional benefit, but 20 to 30 sounds a little unrealistic on a reasonable budget. I still haven't seen a weight on the stock locking lugs. Anybody?

A bit different take on the width vs. weight discussion... I think it is significant and worthwhile to get the lightest wheels you can afford. I run 17" alloys for my winter wheels that are 16 lbs, ie 6 lbs lighter than the OEM 18" alloys, and the 17' tires are 1 lb lighter than the Bridgestone OEM 18"tires. 7 lbs lighter per corner - makes a VERY noticeable difference in the ride quality and responsiveness of the car. A few forum members have gone so far as to run light 17" summer wheel/tire setups for this very reason.

You can still go wide in 17" for the best of both. But - the extra width, assuming you have an equally sticky tire - only benefits you when you're driving at that last 10/10ths, ie the very limits - and on public roads, even deserted ones, that's simply never a good idea (save that last 10th for the track). If you only get to 9/10ths, you'll never benefit from the extra width - but if you get lighter wheels/tires, you'll benefit 100% of the time from the improved ride and responsiveness qualities and more nimble feel.

For some interesting related reading (and I have to applaud you for NOT asking about a staggered setup! ;) ), check out two of the sticky threads in this forum section, first about unsprung weight links and also the staggered wheel sticky thread. You can also check out the Racing forum section, some of the autocross and track guys have written about the wheel/tire combos that they're using.

Other tires to consider that are leaders of the pack for traction:
- Falken Azenis RT-615
- Kumho Ecsta MX
- Hankook Ventus RS-2
- Bridgestone S-03
- Toyo T1-R
- Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
(Michelin and Pirelli each have a top performance model as well, but those tend to be significantly more expensive for little to no extra performance)

So far, when it comes time to replace my summer tires, the Ecsta MX and Ventus RS-2 are at the top of my list of candidates.

Regards,
Gordon

But GORD...we like the sarcasm.... :scratchhe

FlyingLeggs...War Damn Eagle..except WTF happened on Tues...sheesh...i'm in AU if you ever need any help..used to own a custom audio/tuning shop and worked at Jimmy's..so hit me up if you need anything...

I would look at the Falken Azenis ST115.. a little heavy but damn they have great traction dry and wet...edgeracing.com has some pricing you can't beat...

Yeah, the bowl game sucked. I had free tickets and a ride over to Orlando in my buddies new Aston Martin. I'm in Clearwater, FL so it's only about 2 hours. Maybe 30 minutes in the Aston. But, I screwed up my knee and let my wife (an Auburn grad) and her friends go without me. Guess I didn't miss much. I will check out the Falken's. I lived right down the road from Jimmy's when I was going to Auburn. Thanks for the input. War Eagle!

I have the tires narrowed down.
Bridgestone S-03
Nitto 555
I have an extra pair of stock rims, so I might get some Nitto 555 D/R for playing around.
Any input on the Bridgestones or Nittos?

That makes it easy - S-03s, no question. Nittos have a reputation for making crap tires that (not to be too blunt) poseurs put on their car when they buy big wheels and can't afford good tires. In the past, the 555s were truly bad tires, but beloved by the Sport Compact crowd for their Civics. It's said that the latest version of the 555 is made for Nitto by Toyo - but I'd sooner buy real Toyos than take a chance on their rejects funneled through Nitto.

Some of the other cheap brands like Hankook, Kumho, and Falken have turned around and made at least one genuinely great performance model in the past couple of years (the RS-2, Ecsta MX, and Azenis RT-215 or RT-615 respectively), but I've yet to hear any good things about Nitto.

i hope you were joking :Eyecrazy:

Last night I called a buddy that has a sweet RX7-FD. He said tha I should also consider Michellin Pilot Sport. Any input?