I have read information on here for the last few month trying to understand it all and to be honest I do not understand most of it :P I am a computer person not really a car person so hopefully I will find some people who will help me out other then the response of use search which I have been for awhile now I am looking for someone to give me a dumb explanation of a few things.


I am looking to change out my wheels/tires in the next 3-4 months and am trying to figure out what is best, so far from what I have gathered you want a higher offset to get the flush look correct?

I am not looking for a flush look so would I need to change my offset at all?

My goal is to get a better look (I am getting the Work SC1) with out sacrificing the quality of the ride that much, so I am going for just 18s or 19s.

I would like to keep cost in mind and I have read alot that 19s are more costly then 20s as they are not in demand as much and the stock is lower. Would I be better going with 18s?

Staggered, I am not sure if I would need this as well, is this more for the tuner type of 2GS?

Suspension, if I am looking to maintain the stock ride would I be changing the suspension at all? Anything to improve the quality of the ride? Lowering it a few inchs will drastically change the quality or just minor?

Right now I guess I am looking at 18s or 19s x8 and with a tire of 235/35/19(18)?

Again my goal is to improve the look of my ride but keeping the quality of the ride intact.

 

Curious what your budget is. That will make it easier to suggest a course of action.

A general rule of thumb is that the larger the wheel diameter (18", 19"), the more compromised the ride quality will be due to the shorter sidewall of the tires you will need. I'll let everyone else chime in here about various combinations.

You definitely don't NEED a staggered setup, on these cars its done for looks except if you have big horsepower mods and you need as much rear rubber as you can get. Plus, staggered setups require different tire sizes, which means you can't rotate them......

Best,
-Mirror

 

This is a highly opinionated subject. Here are mine:

18's will ride better but not enough to sacrifice the looks of a 19in.

19in tires are close in price to 18/20 QUALITY tires. More low cost tires are available in 18/20.

19in wheels are stock on many vehicles now so there are a lot more options then there used to be.

What part of the suspension are you looking to improve? more soft, more firm, Etc?

I think Tanabe NF springs are recommended for a the smallest drop with "best" stock-like ride. I am not the suspension expert. Someone else will chime in on this.

 

As far as budget, for wheels/tires I am looking to spend around $3000-3500?

I am assuming around 2000~2500 for the wheels, and the rest for tires? I am not looking to spend around 1k or something like that I understand the wheels and tires I want will cost money.




Okay, so what you are saying is the ride difference from 18s to 19s is so little I should go for 19s for the look as the ride is not much difference? (Please keep in mind I am at stock right now both stock height and wheel size which are 16s)

As far as tire quality, I was looking to go with Michelin or Goodyear I think these are in the higher quality tier correct?

I am not looking to change the suspension at all just keep the same smooth ride, so I guess I was mainly asking should I change suspension to make the ride look cleaner but will this hurt my suspension or should I just leave it stock or would I HAVE to drop it or change it with the wheel change?

 

from the sound of it... just buy some springs.. it'll drop around an inch or so and it'll still feel like stock.

that's a good price range for rims/tires..
does it have to be brand new?

 

No I have been looking for anyone on CL that is getting rid of them but I cannot find anyone that is looking to part ways for the price I would expect used wheels to be at, most seem to be at the same price as new or only a few hundred short of it, I will not pay $200-300 less for used vs new I would rather spend the extra $300 for new.


Buy some springs? What do I have in there now? Just shocks? So there are shocks, springs, and coilovers right?

 

Yes. the ride difference is negligible. Yes go with the better looking 19's. Neither 18 or 19 will ride like 16's.

I suggest staying with your stock wheels unless you will be lowering the car as the 2GS looks pretty bad at stock height on aftermarket wheels.

Drop options are New Springs and Struts (mild drop) OR Coilovers (serious drop). The Strut/Spring option is the way to go for a clean looking mild drop.

 

Debonair has this dialed in for you pretty well, considering some of your requirements are still undefined.

I agree with him that for the best ride/performance standpoint 18's are probably a better choice. Off-set looks better and will increase handling but there is a higher cost factor to consider with that option.

On top of the DF210 (1.8F/1.3R drop) you might also consider the Eibachs (1.2F/1.2R). Use the search function for the "Ultimate spring/shock combo" thread that goes into the subject deeply.

 

What about price options on 18 vs 19s? Would that be negligible as well since I am not looking to go with cheap tires?

I am def not looking to stay with my stock wheels as they are ugly as sin!

Any suggestions on Springs? What type of drop would be needed to obtain a good look yet try to keep the ride as much as possible?


Am I just beating my head against the wall and I will lose all quality of the ride when changing out the wheels?

 

Springs and shocks or coilovers are your two options. The most you'll be able to lower your car with springs and shocks is about 2", without cutting the springs of course, which I don't recommend. If you want a more aggressive drop then your other option is coilovers. It doesn't sound like you want to go with the latter so I would suggest some springs like Tanabe DF210, Espelir, Sprint (there might be some others that give about a 2" drop). Usually it's better to change the shocks as well, for that I would suggest KYB or Bilstein HD (not Sport). Hope this helps, good luck.

 

What other requirements would I need to define? Anything else I can give I would be glad to as I am pretty much going off of the information I get here on CL on to what I am going to buy in the end.

I am confused by your second statement, "Off-set looks better and will increase handling but there is a higher cost factor to consider with that option. " Are these just the offsets in order to make it look flush? How much handling increase would there be?

I am guessing that numbers are how much it drops right? Am I looking for a certain range? 1-2? Thank you I will look over that thread as well.

 

Thanks! looks like another suggestion for the DF210

 

Look at it this way. I, along with almost everyone else was just like you at one time or another. Asking questions, which is a smart thing.

I was just as worried about all the same thigs you were. But once I got my feet wet, it was all about what I wanted.

First started with 19's now on 20's.
Started with L-tuned S/S now on HKS coil-overs.
Started with TTE lip/L-tuned sides/L-sportline rear bumper now full L-sportline

Guess CL is like a drug. And I'm a junkie.
What you need is my old set-up L-tuned springs and struts. The ride is like stock without the highway float.

Only reason why I'm going to coils is to go lower.

Hope that help put things into perspective.

 

I can definitely agree. I'm on my 3rd set of wheels with some other wheels waiting to be fixed and installed. I'm on my 3rd suspension after finally deciding to go with coilovers. It's a progressive process but you could save yourself some money and do some research to know exactly what it is that you want.

 

If you want a truly comfortable setup that still looks good, I would go with Tein Comfort Sports (CS) coilovers, 19x9 19x10 setup and run 245/35/19 in front and 275/30/19 in the rear. Reason to go wider is that if you want comfort, you want to be able to fit a wider tire when going with a lower profile. My brother is running this setup on his GS and it ride like stock.