So here's my problem- i want 17" wheels. I want somewhat wide 17" wheels. It seems that the market now is for 18's. I don't want 18's, i want 17's; and i want them wider than 7".

So where do i find *decent looking* 17x8.5+ wheels in our offsets for less than a bazzillion dollars that *aren't* racing wheels?

Did i mention that i want them staggered?

I might as well ask for the crown jewels.

 

5zigen FN-01RC..... under $300 per rim in 17x9, +43 offset. And they look pretty good too.

Call Rishie at Auto RnD with a realistic budget, he can hook you up.

 

Ok, let's start with some basic questions:

1. What's your budget for just wheels only?

2. What wheel style are you interested in (5 spoke, mesh, multi-spoke)?

You have established that you want 17" rims and you want to run a staggered setup. Just FYI, you can run a staggered tire setup with the same sized rims all around.

 

$2000 on wheels & tires so... ~11-1200 wheels & tires will be spring & summer only. I'll put the stockers back on for winter & fall.

5 spoke or multi spoke, not mesh.

I could deal with the same size wheel w/ staggered tires but i like the look of a fairly wide rear tire. I made a post a month or so ago regarding staggered wheels and the effect on handling. I've read to the contrary lately- someone's wrong.

I like the look of this wheel but it's an 18" and weighs 28lbs- that's a no go.

 

How about some Work Meisters or SSR SP1s?

IIRC they both offer 17x9 and 17x10 still.

I had this problem a couple months ago. I was all paid for to get some Fabulous Expands. And they discontinued the 17s. 18+ only now.



I settled on some Work VS-KFs. Dunno if you like those or if they fit your budget, but they have up to 17x10, with everything in between.



Of course other wheels in good 17 sizes are TE37s, but you said no "race wheels"

 

Ok, so about $300 per wheel.

Strong, light, cheap. Pick which two you want.

 

Start by browsing this thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/interior-exterior-audio-26/lightweight-17s-dont-look-like-ass-623027/

 

I meant "race wheels"

as in wheels for a race car.

 

Yeah, that's reasonable


How about strong, not heavy, and not expensive? I'm not asking for mags, or oem cheap. But 28lbs/ wheel for wheels that are 1" bigger than I want isn't a possibility.

What does the oem wheel weigh? and what's the effect of moving more mass to the outside of the wheel? (as in going up a size). I'm not going to shaft myself twice with one puchase.

 

Honestly, you are basically limited to 2 manufacturers with that: 5zigen and Rota. However, even the 5zigen aren't going to be stock rim or Volk's light.

The OEM rim is about 16-17lbs. In your price range, probably only Rota comes close to OEM rim weight with offsets that will work for the FD. However, in their "lightweight" rims catagory, they basically only go up to 8.5" widths (I have looked in this area a lot).

As far as the effect of more mass, it really depends on what you will be using the wheels for.... IMO, you need to pick the right wheel for the right application. I have some "heavy" wheels on my FD which I use on the street. I didn't (and still don't) notice a darn thing on the street with the so-called heavy rims. However, if I was at the track with rims of similar weights, I'm sure I would notice the difference. The real question is would I care? A buddy of my used to track his FD with Supra rims which were probably heavier than most aftermarkets wheels around. He got them for basically nothing (he needed 17" rims to clear his brake kit) which is why he used them and he never complained about the performance. He did eventually go with some lighter 5zigen wheels for the track but after many years of using the Supra's wheels.

So, start off by figuring out what the rims will be used for and then that will give you a better idea if you need to up your budget or not.

 

It's not going to happen...

Cheap and light are just not going to happen, especially in wider widths.

When you get serious, look up Panasports.
They make like 17" diameters up to at least 12" if not wider, like 14".


-Ted

 

I'm not looking for light, cheap, strong wheels. I'm looking for wheels that aren't heavy, and that i won't have to auction a kidney for. I don't understand why i have to choose between 7" wide wheels and 30lb anchors w/o spending $500+ per wheel. Get serious?

The car is my daily which is why a) i don't want 18"s (Baltimore has some hellasious potholes) and b) i don't want to spend $3000 on wheels and tires.

 

If you can be satisfied with something maxxing out at 9.0" wide, then you should be okay.
Going wider than that will give you limited options.
You might want to look at the Mustang replica wheels (Summit Racing) that can go 10.0" wide?

If you want "strong", this usually means more mass which means "heavy".
Going "strong" and "light" usually means "EXPENSIVE".

Check out JDM importers, and you might get lucky.
http://www.wheelchoice.com/
http://www.takumiproject.com/
Or, eBay http://www.ebay.com/


-Ted

 

I understand the relationship between strong and heavy. I've been looking at the mustang replica wheels and the only problem there is that they're.... mustang replica wheels.

I looked at tires for the sizes i want. This is going to be a major PITA.

In other news the panasports look teh sechs but they're a bit retro (most styles) for an FD. If I ever win the lottery and start building an RBx 240z i'll put panasports on it. Their new styles didn't have any good pictures or documentation. -and i know what it means when they don't list prices.

Also- there's a set of RE Amemiya AW-7's at takumiproject for $950. not my style but that seems to be a great price for JDM goodness.

EDIT: on tire rack there are two enkei's that aren't bad- RP03's and RPF-1's both come 17x8, 17x9, and 17x9.5 $316 is the highest price per wheel.

 

Sorry this page is in Japanese, but it's the best one I look at for Panasport wheels...

http://www.panasport-racing.com/src/pana_wheel.php

The page has been redone recently, as they used to list insane widths like 12.0" to 14.0", but I don't see anything that goes that wide now.
Looks like the widest is 17" x 10.0"...


-Ted

 

The RP03's don't come in good offsets for a stock bodied FD in widths over 8.5":

http://www.autornd.com/catalog/produ...7f7a5996fbd631

The RPF-1 is a good wheel; one of the lighter wheels you can get in the sizes they offer. However, just like the RP03's, the offsets are a little *iffy* for the FD. Rishie recently just did a special order on those for FD's fitment (17x9 +45). If you are interested in something like that wheel, I would suggest calling Rishie ASAP.

 

If you are going to run stock brakes, I think you'd be a fool NOT to buy those special order RPF-1s from Rishie. Unless you can't stand the aesthetics.

 

Rishie's RPF1 thread.