I guess it is a little late now but......I was looking for some opinions. I ordered a set of 19's for my car....19X8 with 235/40's front and rears 19X9.5 with 265/35's. I have heard people say to never put 19's on these cars. It is not lowered and will not be raced on a track. I am just looking for a killer look. Any experience with 19's and why or why not put them on. I will post pics once they are mounted, it will be at least a week. Thanks!

 

IMO, 19's look too big unless they are a step lip (I have had both). The 40 and 35 sidewall is going to be way too big, especially if the car is not lowered - your fd will look like a 4 x4. Go with a 35 sidewall up front and 30 in the rear, this will help things look more proportional.

here is my fd, 255/35/19 & 305/30/19

 

I will post pics when I get them put on.

 

I would not mount those size tires on your 19s, the overall diameter will be enormous.

IMO 17s look good on FDs and 18s are the biggest I've ever considered going with.

 

Well it is too late now anyways......They are on the way, we will see how they look! Thanks!

 

Your cars gonna sit high with stock suspension. I rocked 19s for a little while..

 

I'm with Rich ^

Look at the diameter differences:

Stock tire: 225/50/16
Diameter: 24.9"

Your Front: 235/40/19
Diameter: 26.4"

Your Rear: 265/35/19
Diameter: 26.3"

You're going to change the gearing of the car, as well as effect your speedometer/odometer much more than if you had done some homework and bought the correct size tires.

The ideal size for your wheels would be 255/30/19 all around (diameter: 25.0"), or 255/30/19 up front and 285/30/19 in the rear if you want to stagger the sizes. The 285/30/19 has a diameter of 25.7" which is a bit taller than stock, but nothing like the 26+ that your current tires are.

 

19s are ridiculous
also, considering the other issues with your car you need to mail that crap back and get a refund
and buy a damn boost controller

 

19s are ok if looks are your priority but not with those tyre sizes. You either have to stretch or have to get tyres with thinner sidewalls or like other said it'll look crap. Just look at how members PureRX7 and D Cups did it. Having said that I went with 18s myself cause I care more about handling and everyday drivability

 

I have a boost controller on the way. What does your car look like?


Actually I posted the size of the tires wrong...I do have 235/35's and 265/30's coming. And to all you nay sayers that say 19's are no good.....wait until I post pics! And as far as saying it will sit too high.....the car can be lowered.
Thanks for the input.

 

Well, those tire sizes will make a positive difference for you.

I will tell ya that with 26.4 overall diameter tires, you can't take the car any lower than that. Most people set their FD ride heights around 25.5 inches.... that's considering that the proper overall diameter should be around 25 inches, with a little bit higher pretty common (especially in the rear). So given the previous incorrect tire sizes you provided you'd be around 1 inch higher than is considered appropriate.

 

I think 19's are fine if thats what you want, i have 19's for my car. some people like them some dont, but remember one important thing ITS YOUR CAR AND YOUR MONEY. I do agree with Rich 26.4 is abit tall but hey again its your car and you do what pleases you. Im not a hard core track junkie but i do plan to do the occasional track day just to improve my driving skills, and will be doing it on my 19's.

 

Do you have any pics of it anywhere so I can take a look??

 

my fd arches are at 23" and I wish I could lower it more... I'm on 18's and sometimes I wish I would have went with 17's...

 

I'd consider 19" wheels for my STREET wheels, recognizing that all I really do on the street is cruise around. I've got track wheels.

The thing with wheels is, every few years there's a "new normal". The 16" wheels this car originally came with look ridiculous, as even family cars have 17-18" wheels. Most high performance cars now are coming with 19", 20" or larger wheels from the factory, so it adjusts your perspective. I love my 18" BBS street wheels, but I do occasionally look at my car and think they don't look "big" anymore... they look like what the car might have come with right from the factory.

You DO have the problem though of diameter, both with the dinky FD front wheel wells that are always a problem, and gearing, which of course you could correct with a shorter rear end.

 

Well I will get them mounted and see what happens and I will also post pics. Thanks!

 

No i have not mounted them yet. Still have to get tires and they are to wide for my stock fenders, my overfenders will be here tomorrow then i will get tires and send her off to the body shop.

 

my car is only for aggressive street cruising and for looks, i dont track it, so i went 19" rear, 18" front. i felt that fits the shape/size of the FD best...and a lot of modern cars use this staggered front/rear setup, like ferraris, vettes, etc.
19s up front can sometimes look TOO big, but i felt 18s rear look a bit too small. also, having 18s in the front makes for cheaper tires, and less fitment issues.

im only on springs, so my front is riding a little too high, im getting some coilover soon to fix that.

 

19's are only going to work if the car is SLAMMMED. Basically, the bigger the rim, the shorter the sidewall, so you will need to go lower to keep it aesthetically sound. The optical illusion is this: The gap between the top of the tire and the fender arch needs to be LESS THAN the height of the TIRE SIDEWALL. If you do that it will look good. ERGO, bigger rim has smaller sidewall so car needs "MORE LOW", in modern facebook/hipster terminology, hehe. I spell correctly tho, they would say MOAR*.

If you were to run 19's this is what the tires should be:

Front options
225/3519
235/35/19
245/30/19
255/30/19

Rear Options:
245/30/19
255/30/19
265/30/19
285/25/19

"PURE's" FD looks spectacular ONLY because it has a widebody and is kitted. As a result the front fender arch must have more "radius" than a stock FD Front fender. If you put the same tire diameters, not width, on a stock fender FD it would be horrid imho and possibly dysfunctional due to front scrub radius.

Rishie

 

Your car looks good to me! I am sure I will wind up buying lowering springs for mine too. What do you recommend, how much lower can I go?? I don't want it to look too low. Do they make different springs to adjust the car different heights? I saw some Tein springs on ebay for like about $150.00. Let me know, Thanks! Hey also, that side skirt you have on the car, who makes that and what do you call it exactly??


Thanks...what do you recommend for springs??

 

I recommend coil-overs, not springs. Don't be cheap, modify your car correctly.

Contact ARD T2 about coil-over options... contact ARD T2 about pretty much anything wheel/tire/suspension related. Rishie knows what he's talking about.

 

Thanks Baynes. <3

Honestly I don't have any experience with springs. I can't remember the last time we sold them. Probably when RSR had the race springs for the FD. These days I guess it's between Tanabe or Tein if you want something with a decent drop. My favorite lowering spring is SWIFT by far, but they are made for handling, not looks.

Rishie

 

i agree with the guys above, spend the extra money and get coilovers instead of just lowering springs.
i tried to save money and got just springs at first, and i regret it. theres nothing wrong with my springs at all, in fact they ride great and gave a good drop (tanabe GF), but i want the adjustability of coilovers so i can dial in the exact height, and the better handling of a spring/damper package that is specifically designed to work together.

the side skirts are a replica of a FEED part, i got my from the forum vendor ShineAutoProject, there thread is here: https://www.rx7club.com/shineautoproject-161/fd3s-feed-type-ii-r-front-bumper-feed-sides-571409/

 

I built my set-up the exact same way (aggresive street cruising and for looks). I have a staggered set-up as well with molded Pettit flares and full kit.

Front 18x9.5--- 235/40/18
Rear 19x11---- 295/30/19

Those tire sizes keep my overall tire diameter at 26" and lower.

The spacer that came with my rear wheels to compensate for my flares didn't push the wheel out far enough so I just ordered a wider spacer. The pre-fitment with the new spacer looks fantastic when I removed my shocks and jacked the wheel up to MY VISUAL ideal ride height. I need to get my car painted once I get some time off work as my car has just been sitting in the shop being neglected in it's primered state.

 

Ok this is for all the negative comments about 19's looking.......I believe one of the words was RIDICULOUS!! I think not! No mods, no rubbing, no noticeable difference in performance, JUST A PERFECT FIT AND A KILLER LOOK!! You be the judge!!

Damn these 19's MADE this car!!