NC SC CHAT

[Black on Gold]

Well, i picked up the 97 Base Model Wheels with the tires and then the AXIS se7ens w/o tires and 2 front seats that are in better condition then the ones i got now. He was going to give me a Hatch with the spoiler ripped off but i figured the holes and the rust are too big.

[Black on Gold]

Here are the Black S14 Kouki's going onto the Hatch tonight:

The Gunmetal Axis Se7en's that has a crack in one rim but i'll be welding that shut this weekend:

Boxes:

Dont have pics of the seats right now. Just stock S13's anyway.

[gnvarnadore]

dang pat that looks like a good deal

[maxima278]

Jordan, I was wrong, it is 205 55s on the S14. And lowering it would probably do the trick. Plus

gnvarnadore- as long as the transmission is good and you get a good clutch, it will work. I reccommend a new clutch, pressure plate and throwout bearing. Not from an auto parts store! If you get an autozone clutch you can say goodbye to smoky burnouts. Good luck selling your car, I wouldn't hold it for anyone at this point.

Pat, post some pics when you get them put on the car.

Dalzell, maybe there is something blocking the flow of coolant (??) Even w/o bleeding it, it seems like it wouldn't get THAT hot. Did you install the thermostat correctly? THose things are a biitch, so I left the one out of my old S14 KA after installing it incorrectly. Didn't even miss it. Ask around about the temperature sensor thingy, or whatever its called. I've heard of them causing trouble, but have no experience with that. Also, which radiator did you use? the one from the red car or the one from the black one? Check to make sure water flows through it, it could be stopped up (although I find that unlikely and would do that last).

[dalzell240]

well see about the thermostat, the radiator was from the red car, i guess well just have to see

Dalzell, maybe there is something blocking the flow of coolant (??) Even w/o bleeding it, it seems like it wouldn't get THAT hot. Did you install the thermostat correctly? THose things are a biitch, so I left the one out of my old S14 KA after installing it incorrectly. Didn't even miss it. Ask around about the temperature sensor thingy, or whatever its called. I've heard of them causing trouble, but have no experience with that. Also, which radiator did you use? the one from the red car or the one from the black one? Check to make sure water flows through it, it could be stopped up (although I find that unlikely and would do that last).

[scs13]

no rockers. you can check if its throwing any codes yourself, just gotta take the kick panel off the ecu and look at it. turn the screw to diagnostic mode. it will flash long flashes for double digit numbers and short flashes after that for the single digit numbers. like two long and two short is 22. ive got a code book that might be able to help you if you are throwing any codes. i have a lot of problems with mine overheating even after changing the thermo and checking my water pump. im pretty sure that it was that i just needed to bleed the absolute crap out of it. i would also flush the radiator too just to make sure.

i second the buying of a factory replacement clutch. 130 dollars for the whole clutch set. t/o bearing, pressure plate, disk and ****. exedy ftw!

[gnvarnadore]

ok guys quick question. how much would you pay for a 93 hatch automatic with a busted radiator because i wanna make sure im not selling it for enough or to much.
Modified by gnvarnadore at 9:42 PM 3/26/2007

[maxima278]

too much? If somebody's willing to buy it for what you're asking, then it ain't too much.

You were asking $1500 before, that seemed ok for a halfway decent bodied hatch. I don't know how much you're getting, but as long as it gets you where you need to be to get the 2 cars you want then jump on it!

[Td5turbo]

Hello all! its been a long time and I dont know if anyone remembered me haha. But my car is up for sale, and it is pending sale (trade for a '03 wrx).

I was just checking in to see if there is any last meets soon...i head of one in Spartanburg this comming weekend (like the 31st of march), but wasnt sure if its a Nico, 240sxForums (the best forum! but havent heard of anything on it yet...), or Z ilvia or other production.....

And not to bash you guys, well not to bash you guys too bad but your wheels are horrible! haha.

Cheap wheels are NEVER the answer. At least go with some good cheap brands like MB Motorsports (what I run), Rota, or 5Zigen. Never ride sportmax except for the 002's or 501's but they are mainly a 15" and 16" wheel.

For the s13, with a 7" wide wheel you want an offset between +15 and 0. For a 8" wheel +30 to +10. For a 9" wheel +27 to +15. If you want to fun meaty tires on the 9" wheel up front (like 245's) then shoot for an offset around +10 to be SURE you will clear coilovers.

Your going to HAVE to be prepair to roll the fenders at least. Its a quick and painless thing and when you have proper fitting wheels, it makes your car seriously look 100x better.

I can say from experience that the "ideal" setup on a s13 is a 17x9 +20 with a 235/40 or 235/45 (if your really into road racing and need some mad crazy grip, run a 245/40 all around and have super fun taking on and off ramps at 80mph!!!) and all slammed to the ground! its like...amazing!

Now for the S14, you can go miles more agressive. Dont be shy to run 17x9 to17x10 or 18x9 or 18x10 up front and 17x10 or 18x10's out back. I am not a huge fan of a stagger, so i say a 18x9.5 with a 255 all around is like mad grip. You can get away with a good suspension setup and 245's up front and 255 or 265's out back (on the same width wheels) but you have to prepair to run stiff springs and less camber out back to help rotate the back and soften up the front so you dont get alot of understeer if your underpowered.

But yes, I say run somthing like a +10 all around on 18x9.5's and you will be looking very sexy.

And you have to make sure you WHEELS will accept BOLT ON SPACERS. They have to have reliefs cut into the wheels (empty space between each lug hole, from the back side) so the bolts on the bolt on spacers have somewhere to go. You can get extended studs and slip on spacers and be set, but make sure you wheels or at least spacers are hubcentric so your studs are not taking the total load with such a large leverage point.

Going back to my first statement, DONT BUY CHEAP WHEELS.Wheels and tires are one of, if not the most important item on your car. A proper wheel and tire combo can literally mean the difference in 20ft of stopping distance, half a second on your 0-60 and a a significant amount of speed scrubbed from your slalom speed as well as sh!tty and heavy weighted steering and response.

Unsprung weight is SO freaking important that its not even funny. And please dont say "i will have heavy cheap wheels for the street and light a$$ expensive ones for the track" because its MORE important to have a responsive car that can stop faster and accelerate out of danger fast on the street than track. Street wheels are put under WAY more stress than track wheels...WAY more. Track wheels are put on slow and constant loads with the occasional run off btu street wheels hit pot holes/bumps and suffer a TON of shock stress that cracks wheels in a flash.

and dont look for just light wheels because cheap light wheels will eventually bend and crack on you. Forged wheels are very strong...hell if all else fails look into getting a set of OEM wheels from a Skyline (R33 GT-R 16x8 R34 GT-R 18x9 and light as a feather and STONG!!!)

Get good looking, strong, light and proper fitting wheels. I know you cant really justify $450 or $650 a wheel for some JDM wheels, but look at some used ones on RBMotoring, Takumi Project, Z ilvia, or other places with good used wheel selections from Japan.

Please Please PLEASE! wait and get wheels that are light (like 14-18lbs for 17's and 16-20lbs for 18's) that will last you and possible save your car from rear ending someone and ultimatly rewarding you with a better driving experience.

Sorry for the long speal, but I can only hope someone listens....

If all else fails, look at MB Motorsports...they have a good cheap forged wheel in a 17x9 +17 and +27 setup. I have the 17x9 +27 and run 7mm spcers up front to make double surei clear coilovers...even with a stretched 225/45. They have two styles...Weapon and Competition (what i have). Both are nice and fair weights (i think 20lbs).Pic:tons of caliper clearence

Modified by Td5turbo at 12:16 AM 3/27/2007
Modified by Td5turbo at 12:18 AM 3/27/2007

[scs13]

im rocking some jdm enkei rp01's dog, pretty darn lightweight and they fit pretty darn well . i do think that the wheels usually make the car. thanks for the info though.

[Td5turbo]

^yes, they are pretty hot wheels! haha

(edited my post with some pics as well)

I think Enkei wheels are only good if you get the good ones haha. like the GTC 01's, RP03, RPF1 (damn good wheel for the cost), and the NT03's. And some assorted old skool wheels (like yours!) but those are often abused and seen their better days and probably warped and bent.

But yea, the RPF1 is a good a$$ wheel with great sizing and great weights.

[scs13]

thanks man.

how come youre selling your car, you need a 4dr?

my buddy just picked up a red coupe and we got to work on it today, shes gonna be a beaut . hopefully he will put some pictures up here soon.

[gnvarnadore]

when i was asking 1500 it had the 17's on it but now im going to sell it with out the 17's , and its got a busted radiator so does 1200 sound like a fair price for it or should i drop it down to 1000?

[Black on Gold]

Didnt get them put up last night. Was supposed to head to my friends house where i live but fell asleep on my moms couch. Hopefully i can get them on tonight after my hockey game. I think the S14's will look real good on there.

[maxima278]

td05turbo- You know, for when I can afford new wheels and tires, the mbmotorsports weapon was the one I had picked out for my car, and probably will eventually still go with.

What do you think of AZA brand? I don't see anything wrong with them structurally, but have not weighed them or anything. I was anxious to get them on the ground so I have about $100 invested in some used tires (18x8.5 w/ 225 45s in front, 18x9.5 with 245 45s rear). +35 offset. the wheels were basically brand new, and only cost me $250. go ahead and rake me over the coals if you need to, but at least let me know if i can expect to see worse performance than stock. I have them on the car, but I'm not driving it yet, because I haven't got hubcentric spacers yet. I'll post pics soon.

[maxima278]

gnvarnadore- put your car on craigslist. It's free, you can add pics, and you'll get results.

[maxima278]

Here's some pics of how the car sits right now. It could definitely use some spacing up front at least. Tell me what you guys think about them. Be honest, should I scrap them and go for some bronze Weapons, should I paint these, or leave them like they are?

[dalzell240]

^^^^^^Must i say anything

an updatewent to do the diagnostic test on the ecu, after i took the kick panel off and the screw that hold the wires in the computer broke in half and fell out, and the check engine light went offalso changed the radiator fan fuse and it runs cool now

[gnvarnadore]

looks good but you are right it does need spacers to set the wheels out closer to the body for that real clean look

[scs13]

that electric fan should only run if your ac is on right. glad that its working for you now, hope it stays that way.

i love that color on your s14. it looks kinda like the full race r14. some of those blacked out headlights and it would be perfect. the mesh wheels look awesome. i would probably just paint those bronze, gold, black or gunmetal and they would be perfect, but i think they look great on there now.

http://www.full-race.com/r14/skyline-pics-vids.php

[maxima278]

One thing I can say, I just drove it up the road to get a feel for it, I'm not sure if its the added diameter or the weight, but you really feel it. Steering is heavier, takeoff suffers a little. This setup was a small investment, so I'm not too unhappy with it, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep them on there. I was really sick of looking at those painted stock SE's.
Modified by maxima278 at 8:51 PM 3/27/2007

[Black on Gold]

One thing I can say, I just drove it up the road to get a feel for it, I'm not sure if its the added diameter or the weight, but you really feel it. Steering is heavier, takeoff suffers a little. This setup was a small investment, so I'm not too unhappy with it, but I'm not sure how long I'll keep them on there. I was really sick of looking at those painted stock SE's.

Tell me about it. I went from riding on 18's to riding on Kouki S14's that are 15's. Its one hell of a smoother ride thats for sure. The kouki's look alright. Good enough for now until this summer where i can find some nice wheels with a good offset. Who knows, may keep the Axis and put those on.

[GoinTopless240]

Hey James.... those rears came out almost dead on.... maybe a tad wider, but still pretty damn close... no fitment issues?.. I have someone coming in getting some 255/35r18.. I'll take a look at the knock offs... I agree with you on the fronts... just need to be spaced out a bit..

Looks much much better though...

ScS13 I think your in a bit of a dead size for me to get some knock offs.. but I'm keepin an eye out...

And to TD5... on the tires being one of the most important parts of the car... I always ask people what their number 1 safety feature of their car is and laugh when they never mention the tires.... You can have the best reflexes, best brakes, best suspension, best seat belts, 50 air bags, but if the tires are crap... it doesn't make a difference... all those items rely on the tires ... kudos to the post..

[dalzell240]

for those who didnt comprehend my crap in my last post, the bolt that hold the white thing with all the wires into the computer broke in half, all we did was push it bak in all the way and the check engine light went off, and then we change that radiator fan fuseso the thermostat and waterpump and those other 2 sensors are jsut therealso is it possible to get the rear alligned or whatever, cause its cambered

[Td5turbo]

to topless.I am glad to see someone realizes that without a good set of tires or a good setup of unsprung weight for that matter, you car is going to not only suck at safety, but in handling as well.

and Maxima, personally your car looked 100x better with the stock painted wheels. I know its all about taste, but i think those wheels are attractive to kids (ha, i'm the one to talk at 18 lol) that just think big wheels = fast car. I think 18's only really look good if your slammed or running full Areo (body kit).

I hate to try and force people or pressure them into getting something, but I say ditch those wheels. Like you said, your car is slugish and there is no reason to have 18" wheels unless you need the rotor clearence...and a rotor that needs a 18" wheel is way the hell overkill on a s-chassis car, especially one that see any street time.

and one more point, you need to pick your wheel/tire combo on your goals and needs.

If you would, say what your going to use the car for (or want to use the setup for...ie. Road racing, autoX, drag, all street, drifting, etc or any combination of the like and how much time on each...like 2 or 3 drift sessions a month or 1 road race a year and what not) and also state what you done to the car suspension wise and also power goals...and if you have stripped the interior or done anything to reduce weight.

All are VERY VERY important factors in selecting wheels and tires. Just shoot up a simple mod list and what you PLAN on doing next (like fully adjustable links to dial in alignment specs) as well as the use of the car.

[gnvarnadore]

Pat check your email

[maxima278]

td5- I guess I did not realize just how much the weight would matter. Didn't think I'd feel the difference. I like the look, and so far you're the only one who's made negative comments on that, but I really want an IMPROVEMENT in handling, not a detriment. Honestly, I think they are a little too flashy though. The stock rims just tucked under the car way too much.

Presently, I use my car mostly on weekends just for fun trips to the store basically. But as I have time and when I can get some people to go with me, I want to hit the mountains as much as possible. I don't need to drive 90 around a 90 degree curve, but would not mind having the ability to come close, that way when I do take a curve fast, there's no worry. I knew when I bought these wheels from Brandon that I would not want to keep them on for those trips, but like I said, I didn't think it would take away from the every day fun factor. But, this car gets driven on occasion when it's convenient. Either just me by myself or me and my wife when we have a baby sitter.

Power goals- long term, something like 300whp. Short term, whatever a fmic, manual boost controller and bov will get me as those are the things I have planned to do next.

Suspension setup- currently I went with what I could afford, so I have eibach sportline springs, stock front struts, and kyb struts to replace the rears that blew immediately after adding the springs (I was surprised all four didn't blow). One day I will change this out for coil overs, new bushings, tension rods, all that nice stuff.

I plan to get into drifting, but I'll be using an S13 hatch for that so I probably won't be doing much in the S14.

Honestly, I don't see why an 18 inch wheel would be entirely bad, I mean you even said that in an earlier post. I think I want something in bronze with a lip (not necesarily polished) with like 6 or 7 spokes. Something like the mb Weapon. I love the gram lights 57s, but they are just too damn much for a workin man like me. One thing I'd rather not do is stretch the tires. There's some debate on whether or not it is safe, but I neither want to debate it nor test it. Just consider it a personal preference.

Try not to knock me for my setup too hard. I've worked damn hard to set aside money for this as well as support my family and for having about $3000-$4000 in the whole project on an SR powered S14 as clean as mine I think I've done good. You seem to know what you're talking about when it comes to wheels, plus your car > my car so I await your reccommendations.

[Black on Gold]

Honestly i dont think 18's are too big on an S14. I am still debating on whether to fix the Axis Wheel and then get some tires for them and slapping them on the ride or if i fix them and sell'em.Whatever i do decide will only be temporary until i find the right wheels that i'd want. I plan on doing a 5-lug swap over the summer. I have like tires/wheels all over here. I have a set of Steelies with practically brand new tires on them, got the S14 Kouki's, and then the Axis. Have two 18" tires laying around and another 15" for the Kouki's or w/e. Hopefully i'll be picking up a Zenki lip next weekend. Anyone recommend leaving it black or matching it with the car?

[Td5turbo]

no no no, please dont take it as be bashing your setup and i FULLY understand that you have saved up and you spend your money wisely but earlier it seems like your open to critisism and sorry, but i didnt mean to bash...or bash you TO bad!

See, the thing about large wheels is that rotational inertia (and no, i am not saying big words just to try and sound smart or anything) is magnified exponentially as the radius increases...what that means is that its exponentially harder to stop, start and turn a larger wheels, each time it gets larger by a larger amount (ie. a jump from a 16 to 17 will be less significant than a 17 to 18 even though each interval is a 1" increase...).

It all depends on the person, but its fact that its cheaper to buy a 17" wheel thats light than finding a SUPER light 18" wheel...see my point? and also, you have to think about tire weight, and how a tire is about 60%-70% of the wheel/tire combo weight, and that all that weight is beyond the radius of the wheels, thus going back to what I was saying about negative effects. See why F1 cars only use 14" wheels?

The thing about me that I even hate is that I always think about the performance aspect WAY more than the funding aspect or even taste aspect...so i tend to lean away from looks and get things that are both affordable and performe the best for the price.

That being said I say you go with a 8 to a 8.5" wheel ALL AROUND. A stagger in your case will do nothing but make your handling all wacked out. From factory, cars are tuned to have a slight amoung of understeer at the limit and this will be totally amplified with a staggered setup.

As for the topic of stretching, its stupid unless you really know what you want out of the car. I did it on mine (225's on a 9" wheel) because i used to run 225's on a 7" wheel and it felt way sloppy and so i ran 225's on a 7.5 and a 8" wheel and they were better but i wanted that super responsive felling of a stretch. GRIP IS WAY LIMITED now. I powerslide out of EVERY corner due to the loss of effecive contact surface. It is nice for the front end, but the rear is way to tail happy.

With a 8" wheel and your power goals now, I say try a 235 or 225 is you want a slightly shaper handling response. For a 8.5" wheel, go with a 235 all around.

Hell, if your felling like it, and I think its a wise choice, run 9" wheels all around and run a 235 to start and one you get 300whp you will prolly be through that set of tires, and you can run a 245 all around and be VERY happy.

Weapons are nice, but they dont have "lip". They (MB) relys on sinking the face or making a larger disk (center section) so you have a ton of caliper clearence which is a good thing if you plan on running Z32 brakes.

I think black powdercoated Weapons would look SOOOOOO freaking sexy on your car....ahh that would be beautiful!

But yea, sorry if I was being to blunt, its just that yea...wheels that are cheap and heavy "look" bad to me!

If your confused on anything, just shoot a reply and I will be sure to try and help you and explain it more fully...

Hope it all works out!

--Austin

[maxima278]

yeah I know you weren't being harsh, its cool, I just wanted you to understand that I wasn't just putting cheap crap on my car because I'm uneducated, it's just that I'm on a limited budget and just have to do the best I can. I didn't mean to sound offended to say the least, just wanted to sound smarter than some of my recent purchases might make me look. I AM open to criticism, I want my car to be perfect! ... or at least on the right path to perfection.

I have a chance to sell the wheel and tire setup for $400 to a friend so now I'm wondering if I should go ahead. I don't feel like I've had them on the car long enough to know if I really hate them or not, so maybe you guys can help me out with the decision.

Weapons have enough 'lip' for me, or if there's anything out there that resembles a volk ce28, or a graham lights 57s (the seven spoke one), that would be great if I found them too. I already have a set of 17 inch wheels and tires I took in trade for my extra set of S14 se's, but they are 4 lug and in south carolina so I don't know what size they are, but the tires are new, so push come to shove I can use them on a new set of wheels.

If anybody has any wheel suggestions, feel free to post them. Also, let me know what yall think about the kouki sideskirts and gracer lip for my car.

Pat- as for the lip- put it on in black, then post pics I think it will look fine.

I'll be out of town this weekend, but I'll be back on monday, so yall have a good weekend!!