I'm moving to 2.5" coil-overs on my car and I have an extra pair of SE37A's, 18x9.5, with, if I remember correctly, a 44 or 45mm offset. Rishie, et all, do you think it would be possible to run these rims on the front? It'd be nice to have the tire/wheel combo fully balanced front to rear, and be able to rotate the tires as well. If they do fit, I'll have three 18x8.5's (two brand new in box) and one used (two weeks, not a mark) for sale. I won't have a chance to run over to the shop for about a week to actually check for myself, although the car is on the frame machine anyhow. Thanks in advance for help/info.

 

I'd be interested in your 2 brand new in the box 18x8.5 SE37A. What color are they and what's the offset? Also, how much?

 

You'll need roll your front fender lips.

The 2.5 inch coil overs allow you to run a 2.25 inch offset for a 9.5-inch wide (10.5-inch overall width) wheel, but with a 1.73 to 1.77-inch offset, the increased back space clearance afforded by 2.5-inch diameter springs won't help you.

Maximum front space clearance is generally accepted as 3.5 inches for the FD. Your 9.5 x 18s, 44 mm offsets will have: 10.5/2 - 1.73 = 3.52. With a 45 mm offset the front space becomes 10.5/2- 1.77 = 3.48

It will very close, so clearance will be based on the tire you choose. The 245/35-18 yields an overall tire diameter of 24.8, while the 255/35-18 yields 25 inches. With 9.5-inch wide wheels, 255s would be optimal, since you'd be wasting wheel width if you choose the more conservative 245/35-18. If you do go with 255s, raise the left-front corner of the car to keep the tire shoulders away from that stupid fender liner bolt!

Even with ride height adjustability, I'd still be careful entering driveways with your wheel cranked to the left!

 

Excellent post and information! Fortunately, I've specified them to roll all four fenders for possible future upgrades. Most of the car is going to be repainted, so it's no biggie for them to roll the fenders. Thanks again. When I get a chance, I'll trial fit one of the rear rims. Currently, they're playing host to a 265/35-series Kumho which, I believe, is slightly taller than a stock wheel. 255's would be about the same diameter. If I can get the 265's to fit in front, I can run a slightly larger tire in the rear although I'm introducing a bit of understeer by doing so. I've upgraded the suspension almost entirely however, including sway bars/mounts, toe and trailing arms, etc...so there's some adjustability to dial out understeeer. Wouldn't want to dial ALL of it out however as I'm sure it'll save my butt when I try to drive above my limited ability :-)
Michel

 

You were thinking ahead, that's excellent. Should be no worries, especially with ride adjustability. The 265/35s might be pushing it a bit up front.

I currently have some understeer in my setup, with 1-inch wider in back compared with fronts. I've used the confidence boost to my advantage, and have turned faster laptimes; a little understeer isn't a bad thing...you just have to be patient and not overcook the turn-in!

Good luck, and Happy New Year!

 

I am running this setup fine. Of course, I rolled my fenders as well. See the pics on my WWW icon:

265/35-18 - rears
225/40-18 - fronts

They run very nice and looks good.

regards

Rick
1993 RX-7

 

I ran 18x8.5's front, 33mm offset, with 235/40/18's and they were perfect. No problems. I haven't as of yet checked the 9.5's with a larger tire, but I may be doing that on Wednesday or Thursday as the car is about ready to be painted and all the new suspension components are going on. Turns out that they're 45mm offset, but that's not really much of a change from 44mm. My ultimate goal is to have identical rim widths and tire sizes all around to eliminate any handling discrepancies caused by the typical smaller front/larger rear setup. I love the Volks and for the price/weight/looks combo, they just can't be beat. 16.5lbs for an 18x9.5" rim.

 

rx7tt95, you have a pm.