TS2000

Wheel and tire sizes? info plz...

I originally posted this in under the hood ( i am new here), i didn't even see this form

Anywayz, hi and i hope u can help me as i am confused:

What would you reccomend for wheel and tire sizes on the s2k? The stock 16s just dont look good ... I've seen 17s 18s and even 19s. I wouldnt want to lose that valuable power though just to have bigger wheels. i think 18s would look the best but 17s would be the most sensible (im also taking into account tire prices that as you know rocket up as the inches grow).

Would 18s slow you down alot? Ok now with the tire sizes, lets say i get 17s. I hear that its better to have 17x7.5 with 225 / 45 - zr17 in the front and 17x8.5 with 245 / 45 - zr17 in the back, with an offset of 40mm.

Does the offset you need vary with the wheel? The last thing i want is wheels rub, i dont look forward to driving in straight lines only

I like these wheels http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/bbs/...bs_ch_ci3_l.jpg
They are BBS and come out in 17x8.5 and up. What do you guys think? Is 8.5 too wide for the front?

I used to have 17 inch BBS on my rx-7 with absolutely no problems, i hope i can achieve the same

I know its alot of questions, sorry to bother u, just dont answer if its too much. Thanks anyway

Jim@tirerack

The CH doesn't fit the S2K. The only wheels BBS makes for the car are the RGR and the LM. Both of these are shown on our web site. The tire sizes you mention are fine on the car.
If I can help let me know.
Thank you

Jim 800-428-8355-364

TS2000

thanks,

BTW the only reason i mentioned the CH is that i saw them on an S2000 and they look F$%^$#$ amazing!!!

they should be available. (not your call i guess )

meriggi

18's won't neccessarily slow you down. Keep in mind that tires go on the wheel, you want to keep the diameter close to the original.
A 255/35/18 is very close to a 225/50/16, convert inches to mm and you can get an exact dimension. Go for the 18's, that's what I did and they look amazing!!! It really makes the car look even better, my wife even thought so, and she's not really a "car chick"!! Look up www.tires.com they have a great selection!!!
[sorry Jim!]

TS2000

Great, thanks loads

Russ

In every case that I know of, replacing the stock 17.8-lb/18.6-lb front/rear wheels with 18-inch wheels (despite same diameter) will slow down your vehicle. The extent will be based on the size of the tires you're using (IOW, weight and diameter) and of course, the weight of the 18-inch wheels. Let me give you an example. My Velox 18-inch wheels are on a fairly skinny 225/40/18 Kumho Ecsta. The weight of the wheel is 25-lbs, the tire? 25.2-lbs. Kumhos aren't the lightest tire around but just from the tire/wheel alone, I have 50.2-lbs on both rears. You won't gain a WHOLE lot in tire weight going from a 225/50/16 to a 255/35/18 (figure just over 1-lb) because the new sidewall is reduced considerably but consider this...it's not enough to say you've maintained the same diameter. WHERE the weight is in relation to the hub matters as well. Taking all of this into consideration, if a stock rear S2000 corner weighs say, 43-45-lbs (I can't recall stock rear tire weight) and you put a tire/wheel combo on the rear that weighs 50-lbs (as I did), you have added approximately 6-lbs of unsprung weight which is akin to about 15-lbs on each rear corner (unsprung weight x 2.5). Thirty pounds doesn't sound like much but it's equivilent to adding another spare tire and tool kit. Don't forget the weight of the wheels in front. If you total up everything and come up with 60-lbs additional weight over stock with your 18-inch tire/wheel combo, that's equivilent to a "loss" of 6hp or .12 in your 1/4-mile. Anytime you ADD weight, you've changed your automobile's power to weight ratio. Will you "feel" 60-lbs? Hard to say. Some folks don't, others will. I can sense the difference in my S2000 from 3/4-tank to four bars and a gallon of gas weighs 6.2-lbs. If you spend $700 on a nice exhaust to "gain" 6hp and then add 18-inch wheels, you've essentially negated the gains from the exhaust.
To end, with a car like the S2000 that doesn't have gobs of low RPM torque, adding heavier wheels, no matter what the diameter, will change the car's straight-line performance. If you're not a drag fan or street racer, who cares as long as you like the way they look?
Find yourself a nice set and enjoy them but bear in mind, just a tad of Point A to Point B performance will be lost.

TS2000

wow, thanks man.

great info!!! 1 more question. if i get some really light 18inch bbs wheels, would it still be over the stock tire/wheel weight? i also feel the difference in weight alot and hate, HATE taking more than 3 people in my car (not talking about the s2k obviously)

again thanks alot man,

Russ

Your tire weight won't be affected much because the sidewall of a 35mm tire helps to offset the increased width. So, you're probably going to gain 4-lbs over stock tire weight (1-lb each corner). I'm not sure of the wheel weights for the chosen brand but wheelspecs.com should help there. For the most part, a 17-lb 18-inch wheel, as long as the overall tire diameter remains 24.8-inches or close (.2 of inch), should have a minimal affect on your straight line performance. You'll have to pay handsomely for such lightweight 18-inch wheels but if you can afford it, that is the best compromise if you "have" to have 'em.

Unicron

TS2000,

As long as you are within 1-2 lb. different from stock...it won't make much difference.
Other factors such as driver wieght, what you have in the trunk (golf clubs) and the amount of gasoline in your tank will make 1 lb. on each wheel negiligable.

If in fact you can get within a couple pounds from stock...you really should be worried about the traction of the tire you select.

What many people don't realize is that the stock 225/50/16 S02 is excellent in dry weather. The tread is 8.5 inches across, the water channels are narrow, and the compound is pretty sticky.

Below is the stock 225/50/16 and a 255/35/18 Toyo T1-s. Notice how the tread width is wider on the stock tire, and the water grooves are thinner? Running the Toyo against a stock S2000...you will loose about a car length and a quarter just on the launch!
That is even if you have TE37's...which has a combined weight with a T1-S 255/35/18 equal to stock tire/wheel setup.



If you don't want to loose time compared to a stock S2000. You will need some sticky ass tires....at least 245/40/17's or 245/35/18.

I think in the 1/4 mile you should be close to a stock S2000 if you run some lightweight 17x9 (ce28n's) with 245/40/17 S03's. But my money will still be bet on the stock S2000.

Unicron

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TS2000
[B]
Would 18s slow you down alot? Ok now with the tire sizes, lets say i get 17s. I hear that its better to have 17x7.5 with 225 / 45 - zr17 in the front and 17x8.5 with 245 / 45 - zr17 in the back, with an offset of 40mm.