THSCC Forums

For those who didnt see it. I cracked 3 of the 5 spokes on one of my 3rd Gen RX-7 race wheels. Kind of a scary experience when I sat down and thought about it. Kevin Allen has pics, maybe he will post them if he see this thread.

This is the 2nd rim I have had fail in this way, so I have learned my lesson and am in market for some new race rims. Plus my current race tires are pretty much dead, so if I do go to a bigger rim, im not stuck with bastard tires.

The ones I have been using were 16 X 8 and weighed in at 14.5lbs (see why I used them). Other guys with 1st Gen DSM's have ran the 5 spoke 17 x 9 Mustang Cobra rims with no problem. Plus they are CHEAP! I have found a set for roughly $300-$400 with free shipping. Only problem is they weight in at a hefty 23lbs! More unsprung weight... ughhhh....

Plus this will affect my gearing:

Size Width Dia
*245/45/16 9.1 24.3
265/45/16 9.9 25.3
255/40/17 9.7 24.8
275/40/17 10.3 25.3
* is what im currently running.

So my question is, it worth going to the bigger 17x9 rims with 255/45/17's to pick up the .6" of width, but increase my dia by .5" and sprung (or is it unsprung) weight by almost 10lbs a corner.

I dont know if I can get the 275's to fit and not rub REAL bad. Im gonna try Joel Heywoods before I buy. I am almost certain that the 275's would be worth the weight and extra height if they will fit. Plus it will be cool just to pimp 275's on an import car

The 265/45/16 is awful interesting too, but finding an 16 x 9" rim is not easy all, and most are out of the current budget. I think the Diamond Racing rims are the only ones I have found yet.

Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated!

Ryan

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

Yikes! Time to ditch my RX-7 wheels, my car is a LOT heavier than yours...

BTW, how do you tell which wheels were the brittle ones and which ones were the "stronger" ones?

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Jonathan
'86.5 Toyota Supra
'89 Porsche 928 GT

The lip of the brittle ones are suppose to have FD3S cast into the lip on the front side.

The one in the pic does not have the FD3S on the lip. I just dont think these rims can support pig ass cars like ours...

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

Hey Ryan, what's the offset and bolt pattern you desire? - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

Now a reply to your question: It ain't worth the extra weight and taller gearing. I've been there with 215/45/16 Azenis vs 225/45/17 Azenis, and the acceleration and response was much better with the smaller tires, but the grip wasn't that different. But... for me the gearing was better with the larger tires as far as staying in 2nd longer and not having to upshift/ downshift constantly between 2nd & 3rd. I'll most likely be using 225/50/16 R compounds next year, which is the stock diameter - redline in 2nd @ ~54mph.

Bolt pattern is 5 x 114.5 (4.5)

As far as offset is concerened. I dont really care what the offset is as long as I can fit as much rubber as possible under the car without rubbing. 275's would be nice.

The Mustang Cobra rims are anywhere from +25mm to +27mm,

The 3rd Gen RX7 rims are +50mm offset (and require me to run a 5mm spacer) and still rub slightly at full lock with 245/45/16's.

My street rims are a +40 offset with 235/45/17's and dont rub at all.

Hope this is what you were asking...

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

Kosei K1, 16X7.5, $159 each

edit: apparently I can't link directly to the page I wanted to show...



anyway, here's a link

http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/ ... toModClar=

Apparently Ryan didn't clarify that we aren't trying to break the bank on these new wheels. Since we didn't plan on having to buy new tires AND wheels $400 or less for a set is about what we are looking to spend *if* we can.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

Back in the day when I had my DSM, I knew of at least 2 folks who had the 8.5" wide K1's from tire rack. TireRack has undrilled K1's from Kosei that they will custom drill for you. The 8.5" rim isn't advertised, and unfortunately will cost more than the 7.5" K1 - I seem to remember them being $199 a piece.

If you want to crack some more RX-7 rims, I think Les still has mine, or maybe they now belong to Jim F. since he now owns the Laser...

Cheap, Light, and Strong rims - pick any two...

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Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

I own a 3rd gen RX-7, and if anyone is going to be getting rid of their wheels, drop me a line, I may be interested, and I'm local. I'm also familiar with the "issues" with these wheels, so they would probably be used as a street only set.

FYI

The 5 lug 94+ Factory Mustang V8 16 X 7.5 and 17 X 8 wheels have a bolt circle of 4.5 inches (114.3 mm) and an offset of 30 mm. Backside spacing is 5.72 inches on the 17's. The 16's and 17's came in numerous different styles so they should be readily available used. The current V6 Stangs may use the 16's on the upgraded wheel versions. The current V8's all have one of the 17X8 styles. The OEM tire size for the 17's is 245/45X17. The 16's might be your best bet for weight and tire OD.

http://www.buyfordmotorsport.com/
Diversified Products Marketing in Michigan sells new genuine Ford wheels for extremely low prices. Takeoffs are available from several sources.

Backside spacing for the 5 lug Cobra R Ford 17 X 9 wheels is about 5.95 which means the offset is probably about 24 mm (the spec isn't in either of my Mustang shop manuals).

Obviously the OEM Ford wheels are strong. Watch out for reproductions though.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT