hey when you get the size figured out then you can get a set of those new carbon rims =] too bad they run about 2 grand, a piece

 

GAH!!!!!

 

I would say get any rim that you find nice from a reputable wheel manufacturer. The reason I say this is that you won't notice any performance gain unless you take your car to the track. The sc400 is underpowered and overweight. You won't notice much in cornering from rims alone. I'd suggest getting a better performing tire instead.

What you should be looking at in regards to rims is durability. Street driving can be rough at times. Cheap rims will bend and break. I am biased towards Volks.

 

Can't go wrong with OEM equipment. once i sell my 18's ill begin the search for some 17 Supra TT rims for the summer. Another thing to consider about aftermarket is hubcentric rings. some wheels bolt patterns will slide on perfectly, but chances are that the mounting pad won't be aligned with the hub(Supra wheels were designed for all toyotas so they dont need any). otherwise you might end up with bad alignment or worse a snapped wheel stud!! with my 18s i had issues staying straight on unevely paved roads. but once i slapped the stockers w/ winter slicks on, all of my alignment woes disappeared...

good article here
http://planetsoarer.com/offset/studs.htm


btw since when are volks cheap???

 

I don't recall anyone saying Volks were cheap. Remember, you get what you pay for!

 

This is making me feel more content with my OEM chrome. I was hoping to get a clear cut answer. But, it seems that my findings from searching are no different from my findings from this post. There is simply no easy answer.

If I went larger, I would go to 18-19 because I feel going to 17 would not justify a change. If I went that large, I would have to spend thousands to get a quality product that would enhance performance. I am just not seeing value there. I am currently on Michelin Pilot HX tires that are almost brand new. They should serve me well in the immediate future.

This is a very interesting debate however. I would love to hear more accounts regarding fuel economy both pre- and post-rim changes. That is an interesting topic to the utilitarian in me.

 

Off the top of my head, here are the advantages I've noticed since getting my Volk Le37T's

1) Easy big brake clearance.
2) Less back strain when taking off the wheels.
3) 9.5 rears with summer tires help alot with traction.


I know my rims are alot lighter than stock. I'd like to say that they help with performance due to weight reduction. However, I haven't been to the track yet so I don't want to say anything I might have to correct later.

I think your main concerns should be durability, big brake clearance, and width of the wheel. Also, forget about about gas mileage. Leave the car stock if mpg is a concern.

P.S. I have 18's because that is the most common wheel size in the used wheel market. If it were up to me, I'd get 17x10 that clear a big brake set up. However, I think the only way to get wheels like that is to have them custom made.

 

My 17" SSR Integral A-2s are lightweight. The rear rims weigh 19.5lbs each and the fronts are 18lbs each. Also my rim + tire size = that of stock rims + tires, so my drive is unchanged. All in all I'd say my wheel choice improves performance all around since they are lightweight and the thinner and wider tires help cornering

 

I think this is what I wanted to hear. I am going to investigate further about how rim size and weight effect rotational inertia (and consequently performance off the line).

It sounds inarguable that bigger rims offer significant gains in the traction department and allow for larger brakes, which is the safe thing to do in a fast car.

I am going to do more research, but I like what has been said in the last two posts.

 

If I go with a Torsen LSD at 3.76 (as compared to my strock 3.92) drive ratio, could I use a wheel/tire upgrade to bring me back up to stock gearing and an accurate speedo?

Any advice in this regard?

 

Just remember when ever you reduce the weight on moving parts it's very beneficial...Like the driveshaft, rims, etc......I got 10.5 alluminum rims, size 18's and the traction and handling is night and day from stock size...Also, the stock rims are heavy so try and dump them and get lighter rims that are fatter...That should be the goal..

I have a torsen LSD and it rocks!!!!

 

the rotational mass on those Sportmax wheels are beyond reasonable. Those are the heaviest ****'s on the market. Performance and accelleration shouldnt be mentioned in the same sentence as those.

I had a guy loan me a set (18's,same style) to drive home on after a Drifting session and it felt like 4 anchors on my S13

 

there is nothing sport about sportmax wheels. my buddy has those in 18x7 w/ 225/40 tires and they're still heaver than my 19x9.5 w/ 275/30

if you want cheap w/ performance get fn01rc.

 

I have stumbled across some good general information about rims through google and the like. It looks as if forged rims or -sanity and wallet pending- Magnesium rims offer some ridiculous size- and strength-to-weight ratios.

Does anyone have the weight on the 16" 7-spoke factory rims from 96? I am assuming about 20lbs even. Do you think I am close?

Some 18" forged models are around 16-17lbs. Forged magnesium runs like 13lbs. I have yet to run rotational inertia figures, but I will do the mr^2 calculations assuming the aftermarket products are more peripherally weighted. I am curious what I will find...

 

I would, and will eventually get lighter wheels, but I want to add that on back to back track days, my stock chrome 16's were no faster than my 18/19" TSW's... TSW's aren't exactly exotic like Volks, but they definitely aren't the cheapest wheel on the market either...

Keep a couple things in mind -
1) how important is 1/10th of a second in the 1/4 mile? Unless going with a wildly lighter tire/wheel combo, I've never seen wheels/tires make more than a 1/10th or two difference in the 1/4 mile...
2) how rugged do you really need? It's been my experience, a Volk or other lightweight wheel is just as fragile as any quality cast wheel... There are definitely CHEAP wheels out there - beware of these, but the stock wheels are most definitely the strongest (and heaviest)

If cornering is what you are looking for, tire selection is going to matter moreso than wheel diameter... You also might look at tire weights, as that will affect performance as well. 15's and 16's kinda suck for performance due to lack of tire sizes - about the widest 16" performance tire you will find is 245 or 255... 15's even less sizes... 17's there's a ton of stuff, 18's and 19's as well.