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Any one here runnin 17x8 wheels?
- Thread starter JohnzyST
- Start date
These cars don't seem to have a ton of room for wide wheels/tires like my VW did. Widest I'd consider going is a 225 on a 8in wheel at about a 42mm offset. Even then, it would have to be no taller, or shorter than stock diameter. It's hard for me to wrap my head around, coming from 255s on my 2011 GTI. That said, I'm not sure wide tires will pay the same dividends on these cars. Look as some of the STC Civics that go to nationals...they CAN run up to a 205, but run a 195 because it works better. Bigger isn't always better!
It would be nearly impossible to find or fit a 17x9 on the rear of these cars and wider as mentioned is not always better, in wheels or tires, it all depends on the use of the car and tire package as to what is best. The rear is more limiting than the front, I tried to fit some 225 super wide 15's Hoosier race tires on 15x9's, up front it worked with pulling and rolling the fenders as much as possible, on the rear it would of required narrowing the rear axle and cutting the inner fenders, pulling, welding in fillers, etc....those tires are more like a 245 in reality, that wide. Now I have some 225 Toyo RA1 race tires that are 1" narrower though still a wide tire for a 225 and the front I was able to loosing and push the fenders back in a bit. On the rear it still required all the rolling I could get and some added camber but now with 2jr having their TT car working so well on stock camber and toe I am reconsidering what to do and might have to either have just a bit more camber or see if I can get a tiny bit more roll out of the fenders but they are about to the point of causing wrinkles as it is.
The specs on tires are not always accurate, sometimes they are far off the mark, on purpose for rules in various motorsports classes, sometimes street only tires are a bit off.
What is your intention with they wheels and tires, the most street performance, track or solo use, summer only, all year use(some or no snow) mostly for looks?
You can blend great looks with great performance of course and should in my book but never give up performance for looks alone. I always put making my car better before making it look "better" and sometimes we can have different opinions on that.
Rick
The specs on tires are not always accurate, sometimes they are far off the mark, on purpose for rules in various motorsports classes, sometimes street only tires are a bit off.
What is your intention with they wheels and tires, the most street performance, track or solo use, summer only, all year use(some or no snow) mostly for looks?
You can blend great looks with great performance of course and should in my book but never give up performance for looks alone. I always put making my car better before making it look "better" and sometimes we can have different opinions on that.
Rick
Thread Starter
#7
Mkviist,
I saw your set up! Looks great and seems like a good size for our cars. An not as narrow as sock 17x7. How much room do you have from your strut n tires with 215/40. I want to run more tire for the track.
Rick,
My plans for this car is performance. I have a mr2 that I track and after taking the fiesta to a few events i rather race in this fun little go cart. My mr2 is pushing 400whp and its not too much fun to drive live the ST.
Wider isn't always better but 17x9 is not that wide. I use the rule of thumb when it comes to wheels: 15x8, 17x9 or 18x10.
I used 17x8.5 on my mr2 and it was awesome but when I go 18x10 the handling of my car could not compare.
I saw your set up! Looks great and seems like a good size for our cars. An not as narrow as sock 17x7. How much room do you have from your strut n tires with 215/40. I want to run more tire for the track.
Rick,
My plans for this car is performance. I have a mr2 that I track and after taking the fiesta to a few events i rather race in this fun little go cart. My mr2 is pushing 400whp and its not too much fun to drive live the ST.
Wider isn't always better but 17x9 is not that wide. I use the rule of thumb when it comes to wheels: 15x8, 17x9 or 18x10.
I used 17x8.5 on my mr2 and it was awesome but when I go 18x10 the handling of my car could not compare.
Few decent wheels or tires are available in 16"
In 17" the tire height gets to be a problem so cannot go very wide or get to tall.
9" wide rear wheels will fit but you want at least a 225 for the track on them and will have to roll the fenders all you can get with a 15x9 and shorter tires, a 17" would probably require major surgery even in 225 wide tires.
My rule of thumb is to have as much rubber on the road as I can fit then I pick the wheel size to ensure they are properly supported, wider tires are faster, when done right, 99.9% of the time.
Of course having 335's on a 100HP car is not going to work so well
The 18x10 did not make your car handle better, it was the tires and wheel package, alignment, etc......
If you want the widest, and same weight and cost, tires and wheels on this car you will have to go to a 15x9 and re-bore the hubs and rotors to get the wheels in the right size or see if CCW can make you some, $$$$
Race, what kind of racing do you do with the FiST?
Have a great day
Rick
In 17" the tire height gets to be a problem so cannot go very wide or get to tall.
9" wide rear wheels will fit but you want at least a 225 for the track on them and will have to roll the fenders all you can get with a 15x9 and shorter tires, a 17" would probably require major surgery even in 225 wide tires.
My rule of thumb is to have as much rubber on the road as I can fit then I pick the wheel size to ensure they are properly supported, wider tires are faster, when done right, 99.9% of the time.
Of course having 335's on a 100HP car is not going to work so well
The 18x10 did not make your car handle better, it was the tires and wheel package, alignment, etc......
If you want the widest, and same weight and cost, tires and wheels on this car you will have to go to a 15x9 and re-bore the hubs and rotors to get the wheels in the right size or see if CCW can make you some, $$$$
Race, what kind of racing do you do with the FiST?
Have a great day
Rick
Thread Starter
#9
Rick,
Tire selection sucks for 16s so not going to do that to myself. But I agree with you 100% the more tire the better and that's why 15s seem like a good idea but I don't like how it likes on our cars. 17s look better but there isn't enought room to run a 235/45.
I like your rule of thumb, but I like working my way up to tires. I set goals to pb on 205s street tires then 225 and then I do the same for r comps. Helps me become a better driver.
Obviously the wheel package makes a difference. But If I had my car tuned with both set of wheels and drove the car around the track the wider set up would be a lot easier to handle becuase I would be able to utilize more tire.
I manly road race, but enjoy autoX in the fiesta. I used to autoX a lot but after doing one roadracing event I was hooked. The ST has only done one roadracing event and two autoX events. It is my daily but It will most likely start seeing more track days than my mr2.
John
Tire selection sucks for 16s so not going to do that to myself. But I agree with you 100% the more tire the better and that's why 15s seem like a good idea but I don't like how it likes on our cars. 17s look better but there isn't enought room to run a 235/45.
I like your rule of thumb, but I like working my way up to tires. I set goals to pb on 205s street tires then 225 and then I do the same for r comps. Helps me become a better driver.
Obviously the wheel package makes a difference. But If I had my car tuned with both set of wheels and drove the car around the track the wider set up would be a lot easier to handle becuase I would be able to utilize more tire.
I manly road race, but enjoy autoX in the fiesta. I used to autoX a lot but after doing one roadracing event I was hooked. The ST has only done one roadracing event and two autoX events. It is my daily but It will most likely start seeing more track days than my mr2.
John
I also am not totally into 15's on the car but I put function first over form and the 15's I have look more like 16's due to the design so I am OK with it. I did pick 17's for the street setup as was able to find a good combination.
I have autocrossed on and off since the early 70s's but seldom do so now, every few years maybe, too much standing around, not enough time behind the wheel. I have lived in 4 states, different ends and the middle of one so have been in many regions and always enjoyed the autocross crowd, they are especially great here in Utah. I am going to take my car to a couple events to shake it down a bit before going to the track but more to see the people I know at them I have not seen in some time, many great people, some good friends now.
I understand your method of moving up in tire width and grip, makes sense, I do it more with power than anything else, I guess all the years of setting cars up, which I am better at than driving them it seems, helps me go fairly fast right away and seldom have anything go wrong with them. I have always been very competitive in class but I learned a valuable lesson one winter while building a Vette race car, a really nuts car at that. I organized and ran an indoor kart series, even if I picked the fastest kart I ended up in the back of the pack as the local racers, instructors, champions, etc....were just better than me. I then realized I was putting all I had into a car far beyond what I should be driving and was going to have to put a driver in it, young guy at the kart track was the Red Bull shootout champion and faster than anybody but did not get a ride as the economy was in the pits. Ok, putting $125k in parts, into a race car I could not drive, operational costs were huge, I was doing all the work......did not make much sense so I parted it out and sold nearly all of it off. I have the chassis and suspension and a race LS engine still that I bought a 53' Studebaker body to make a pro tour out of, street and track of course. It is for sale, I have built it in my mind a few different ways and just do not want to do the dirty work, lots of it.
Anyway, back on topic, I understand having fun in a little FWD as I have had my most fun in them, autocross and track and dirt roads and.....for some reason I just fit with them and faster than in anything else like RWD and AWD, finding the right wheel and tire combo to fit ones needs, skills, comfort zone, very very important.
Rick
I have autocrossed on and off since the early 70s's but seldom do so now, every few years maybe, too much standing around, not enough time behind the wheel. I have lived in 4 states, different ends and the middle of one so have been in many regions and always enjoyed the autocross crowd, they are especially great here in Utah. I am going to take my car to a couple events to shake it down a bit before going to the track but more to see the people I know at them I have not seen in some time, many great people, some good friends now.
I understand your method of moving up in tire width and grip, makes sense, I do it more with power than anything else, I guess all the years of setting cars up, which I am better at than driving them it seems, helps me go fairly fast right away and seldom have anything go wrong with them. I have always been very competitive in class but I learned a valuable lesson one winter while building a Vette race car, a really nuts car at that. I organized and ran an indoor kart series, even if I picked the fastest kart I ended up in the back of the pack as the local racers, instructors, champions, etc....were just better than me. I then realized I was putting all I had into a car far beyond what I should be driving and was going to have to put a driver in it, young guy at the kart track was the Red Bull shootout champion and faster than anybody but did not get a ride as the economy was in the pits. Ok, putting $125k in parts, into a race car I could not drive, operational costs were huge, I was doing all the work......did not make much sense so I parted it out and sold nearly all of it off. I have the chassis and suspension and a race LS engine still that I bought a 53' Studebaker body to make a pro tour out of, street and track of course. It is for sale, I have built it in my mind a few different ways and just do not want to do the dirty work, lots of it.
Anyway, back on topic, I understand having fun in a little FWD as I have had my most fun in them, autocross and track and dirt roads and.....for some reason I just fit with them and faster than in anything else like RWD and AWD, finding the right wheel and tire combo to fit ones needs, skills, comfort zone, very very important.
Rick
iso100,
Absolutely valid point, also consider suspension mods, use of the vehicle, etc.....
I have 17x7 with 205/45/17's for my street tires, I did not want to wide or heavy, better in the rain, better if I get into any snow, less weight...
For the track I would have even wider tires than the 225/45/15's that are wider than most street tires, I would at least have the Hoosier R6 which is more like a 245, I would have 255/65 or even 275's but the design of the car makes it a bit of work just to fit 225 on 9's. It would be easier with 15x8 but the 9's are proven to be faster than the 8's with the added support of the sidewall and the weight was under 1lb per corner.
245 or 255 would of been about right for road courses, wider for autocross where you have far less speed, less wind resistance, etc...
Absolutely valid point, also consider suspension mods, use of the vehicle, etc.....
I have 17x7 with 205/45/17's for my street tires, I did not want to wide or heavy, better in the rain, better if I get into any snow, less weight...
For the track I would have even wider tires than the 225/45/15's that are wider than most street tires, I would at least have the Hoosier R6 which is more like a 245, I would have 255/65 or even 275's but the design of the car makes it a bit of work just to fit 225 on 9's. It would be easier with 15x8 but the 9's are proven to be faster than the 8's with the added support of the sidewall and the weight was under 1lb per corner.
245 or 255 would of been about right for road courses, wider for autocross where you have far less speed, less wind resistance, etc...
Back in the early 70's on my 510, on the street, somewhere around 1700lbs as very gutted, decently built LB20 (2.0 liter SOC) with a two barrel Weber, 13x5.5 wheels as I could not afford the rare and costly 13x7's I wanted, used 165 Michelins where the fastest street tire I could find for my class. The tires sucked back then but made it fun going sideways alot....The guys that ran wide tires were slower, much slower, the tires were far worse than what I ran and most had to much power and no serious or really mixed bag and not dialed in suspensions, more weight, etc.......I won all the time on skinny used tires over guys with 3-4 times the money into their cars and have worked from that perspective since, low bucks fast even when building a nuts car which I have spend a fortune on, if it was done in a shop it would of cost double at least.
There was a really crazy 63 Split window bodied "Vette". The guy took a mint car, took the body off, kept the rest as the car as it could go back on later then had a wicked tube frame car built to drop the body on. It was a hugely expensive build even back then over $200k....I think the rear wheels were 18" wide and fronts 14" or something like that and it had around 800HP, weight was around 2200 lbs.....he would drive it to a few events a year, pick the rocks out of the slicks and kill TOD by a big margin and he was a pretty cool guy as well.
There was a really crazy 63 Split window bodied "Vette". The guy took a mint car, took the body off, kept the rest as the car as it could go back on later then had a wicked tube frame car built to drop the body on. It was a hugely expensive build even back then over $200k....I think the rear wheels were 18" wide and fronts 14" or something like that and it had around 800HP, weight was around 2200 lbs.....he would drive it to a few events a year, pick the rocks out of the slicks and kill TOD by a big margin and he was a pretty cool guy as well.
Just to clarify, the STC Civics can run up to a 225 wide tire. Reason most all STC Civics run a 195 is. That's the magic tire size for the Toyo R1R's. It has the soft compound till it chords!
So when looking for tires. you need to ask what do you want from them. Long life? Great grip? snow traction? Assuming from your post you want grip at the track. I would go with a tire that has a soft treadwear, but not too crazy soft unless you want to buy a lot of track tires. Get something in the 200 ish treadwear. Try a Direzza ZII, or the Hankook RS3 version2's maybe the Rivals. Those are all decent tires, that will be plenty fun on the track. Go with what fits your car. Unless you are really pushing the shit out of this car, I.e it's a total track whore, you don't need the biggest baddest tire you can find. 205-225 is plenty for the occasional track day
So when looking for tires. you need to ask what do you want from them. Long life? Great grip? snow traction? Assuming from your post you want grip at the track. I would go with a tire that has a soft treadwear, but not too crazy soft unless you want to buy a lot of track tires. Get something in the 200 ish treadwear. Try a Direzza ZII, or the Hankook RS3 version2's maybe the Rivals. Those are all decent tires, that will be plenty fun on the track. Go with what fits your car. Unless you are really pushing the shit out of this car, I.e it's a total track whore, you don't need the biggest baddest tire you can find. 205-225 is plenty for the occasional track day
Thread Starter
#17
Iso100
My rule of thumb is a min. 17x10 would be less narrow and in some cases better!
So in my rule if I had a 17inch rim the ideal width would be 9 and up(15inch rim 8 and up, 18inch rim 10 and up )
Jayroddrumz
Reason why I ordered 17x8 is becuase I agree with you! I went with what fit on my car. On my mr2 I cut, bent and banged until my wheels fit! Becuase its my track whore .
The ST is a new car that I would not want to do that to until I maybe sold my mr2 and bought a new daily.
My rule of thumb is a min. 17x10 would be less narrow and in some cases better!
So in my rule if I had a 17inch rim the ideal width would be 9 and up(15inch rim 8 and up, 18inch rim 10 and up )
Jayroddrumz
Reason why I ordered 17x8 is becuase I agree with you! I went with what fit on my car. On my mr2 I cut, bent and banged until my wheels fit! Becuase its my track whore .
The ST is a new car that I would not want to do that to until I maybe sold my mr2 and bought a new daily.
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