did a search couldnt find a real answer to MY question so here goes, I'm thinking of getting wider wheels with the standard size 18 cause I heard that wider wheels give better cornering performance? true? if this is true what is the widest wheel I could run on the standard 18'' without rubbing issues? Also with wider wheels would I have to change the offset? Any ill affects of having wider whees if the wheel is lighter than stock? Ive heard that staggered setups have bad affects on suspension so I'd be keeping both sets of wheels the same size

 

all has been answered if you look hard.

yes wider wheels can improve cornering but depends on many things; so in general yes.

have a look at my post and make a judgment.

it is best to stick close to stock offset to maintain your cars factory handling.

with wider wheels you can change the offset to help prevent rubbing but in the end you can only fit so much rubber.

only effect I can think of with ligter wider wheels is increased rolling resistance (minor top speed and acceleration decrease) there could be others.

 

so could I shove some 18 by 10 under there withought rubbing issues?

 

well kelrx8 has 10" on the back with rubbing issues. you might be able to change the offset to 50+ to stop it, or it might still rub and it might also rub on the inside of the arch. 9.5" would be safe people have done it with no problems.

 

I'm running 19s - 8.5 up front with+43 offset and 9.5 in rear with +45 offset with no rubbing issues. Yes wider wheels will increase handling performance. You will hear this point argued to death about wider wheels in the rear leading to more understeer but that can be countered with a upgraded rear sway bar. And the benifits of more rubber in the rear are increased traction. The offsets will greatly depend upon what wheels you are planning on but as long as you stay with in +50 to +43 front and +50 to +45 rear you should be fine with no rubbing.

 

Vivid did you have to lip the guards to stop rubbing?

 

Can't you get a track spacer to reduce rubbing? I believe Eibach has a set for this car.

 

If by this you mean rolling the fenders...yes. I think I would have been OK with out it though I knew I'd be using coilovers and lowering it a bit more than most people as well as taking it to the track so rolling the fenders was more of a precausionary mod if anything else.

 

The track spacers (Eibach or other ) don't reduce the rubbing. The push the wheel further out to the corners for a wider stance. If anything this would increase the chances of rubbing.

 

I can't seem to visualize. Explain, please?

 

The track spacers are just that. The are spacers that fit inbetween the rotor and wheel. Imagine two blocks of wood side by side. One represents the rotor the other the wheel. Push them to gether so they touch like the wheel would touch the rotor. Now separate them a bit and slide another block inbetween the two. Now the block of wood that represents the wheel is further away from the block of wood representing the rotor. Does this help?

 

I've x10's in the rear without any problems if that helps.

 

I should also point out that I'm running 285's in the rear. There wide

 

Other than aesthetics, I don't understand the point of such a setup using a 285. I suspect FF-like understeer. I was hoping something around a 235 front, and a 265 rear.

Also, how does a track spacer increase rubbing?

 

OK I'll try this one more time... The spacer moves the whole wheel out away from the mounting point (rotor) the distance of the width of the spacer. While the wheel moves further away from the rotor the wheel well of the fender stays put and doesn't move. So with the spacer on the rubber of the tire is now closer or directly under the lip of the wheel well. The stock suspension is set up so that when is compresses the wheel moves upward into the wheel well but with the track spacers the wheel is now further out from the rotor and closer to the lip of the fender. Now when the suspension compresses the wheel will still move up ward but it will now rub against the inner fender causing rub. I can't explain it better than that.

As for the staggard set up on tire sizing yes it's mostly for asthetics but also adds more traction to the rear wheels where the power goes. Think of a dragster. The amount of under steer is hardly noicable if at all. Really if you think about it, comparing a 235 front/ 265 rear isn't that much different from my 245 front/ 285 rear. In fact I will have less understeer because I'm running the wider tire up front. I hope this all sinks in. If not try a serch on the net and look for some pics to help you understand the wheel spacing issue. Also, I should point out that the Falken 451 (what I have) is a tad smaller in sizing compared to other tires and measures out to be like a 275 in other tires.

 

Thank you for clarifying that Huff.

Sorry if I sounded stupid.

 

NP, hope I wasn't too harsh! Don't worry about sounding stupid, that's why we have the forums, to learn. The only stupid question is the one unasked.

 

so from what Ive heard, hard driving wears on the front tires more than the rears wouldnt it be better to have two of the same size wheels/tires front and rear than a staggered setup

 

So if i get 19in volk sf challenges.... it IS possible to get 8.5 in front with 245 tires and 10 in the rear with 285 tires.... right???? Is this possible??? :p and if rubbing does occur... i can get it fixed by the people who do my offsets??? Just wondering ... cause i would definitely get 10s in the back if i can! ~fingers crossed~

 

you should be able to. but for the 10" rear you need offsets round +48 to +50 to have a chance of clearing without rubbing. if you want to roll the guards then you might get away with +44 or do some research on the forum.

 

what exactly do you have to do to roll the guards?
im thinking of getting 19x8 to 19x9 if i can find an appropriate wheel that i like. also, i want to match tires to keep close to the same circumference as stock so that the odometer calibration stays true.
anyone have a quick link to a good list of rx8 wheels that come in these sizes, or at least are compatible with the TPMS?

 

Huff i gotta ask...Is that u in the picture?

 

There is no reason to go with anything wider than 9.5 in the rear and 8.5 up front... Anything wider than a 265 front or rear is also not going to improve anything unless you completely change the suspension and are running over 400hp...

A well sized package does not require spacers or rolling of fenders...

A 235/265 combo is a much better setup than a 245/285... There is a big difference from a 265 to a 285 and a 285 is too big...

 

With the RX8 is you go wider in the back, contrary to what most are doing you need to increase the positive offset not decrease it... If you go with a 9.5 wheel the best offset is 55, it keeps the geometry constant and clears very nicely on both sides (fender and coil)...

On the front you should tray to keep the track as close to the rear as possible... So if you went with the 9.5 and 55 in the rear you should do a 45-47 in the front...

 

im sorry, i wasnt very clear.
i am planning on having the same size of wheel front and back. 19" and then anywhere from 8 to 9" wide. im not doing any crazy horsepower tweaks, so it seems i should just stick with the same wheels front and back to match the beautiful weight ratio of the 8.

and still, i dont know whats involved with rolling of the guards. out of curiousity, what is that exactly?

thanks