Question for you wheel fitment buffs

[BigBodyQ45]

I am thinking about giving into temptation and just going with some fake 3-piece edge flash wheels. I could get a set of staggered 20's for $1K.

Here is the question:They offer 20x7.5 and 20x9Do you think I will have a problem with the struts in the rear or no? The stock wheels now are 18x7.5 and look like it has some more room. I can't find where it shows what offsets they offer but I really love the staggered look.

Next question. I am good at math but not sure how the tire sizes work. What tires should I look for for front and back to go with that size wheels.

Also opinions on the wheels. I am not super nuts about them yet but they are close to the LDR look I am trying to get with out paying $6k.

http://www.dldusa.com/detail.asp?ID=FLASH

Any help would be great.

Thank you in advance,Dave

[elwesso]

The problem i see is finding tires with the proper load rating.....

7.5 is awefully skinny for a 20 in tire!

[elwesso]

... not to mention not enough sidewall for most things!! But if your gonna shell outa grand on rims, prolly wont care if you have to replace them in a year beacuse they're bent beyond balancing capabilities

I would recommend some 18s (largest 19s) that are really wide (18x9 or wider) and a lip.....

[97Q45t]

IMO, for 20 inch wheels, 7.5" and 9" widths for the front and rear respectively are too small. Basicly, if you add size to the diameter, you'll also have to add size to the width so that the wheels look balanced. I have 18x9 all around in my car and feel that the rear need to be a little wider, like 18x9.5 or 18x10. I think your car would look best with at least 20x9 fronts and 20x10 rears because the F50 is bigger than the Y33.

Because I wanted my new wheels to be flushed with the fenders, I measured the distances between my wheel lips and the fenders. For the measurement, I used a string attached to some heavy object (like a rock or bolt), put the string against the fender and used a ruler to measure the distance of how far the wheel need to come out to flush with the fender.I determined the offset of my new wheels by using the link below:

http://toy4two.home.mindspring.com/offset.html

For the y33, the original wheels were 16x7 ET40. After I measured, I found out that the lips of the new wheels needed to move outward 41mm for the fronts and 39mm for the rear (kinda weird because rear wheels usually have more gaps than front wheels). Anyhow, I managed to find a set of wheels that have the offset I want (18x9 ET24mm). I was hesitaged at first because 41mm is a lot and I was afraid that they would stick out of the fenders and make my car looks like a lowrider. It turned out to be perfect.

One thing need to keep in mind is the sidewall of a 20" tires will probably stick out of the wheel lip and a 18" tire would. The difference is probably a few milimeters but if you want perfection then that is one detail need to be considered.

When adding aftermarket wheel, I usually worry more about the fitment of the fronts then the rear. The Y33 will probably has no problem with 10.5" wide. I bet the F50 could go at least that wide.

If you go 20x9 and 20x10 for front and rear, or some similar sizes, below are the sizes to fit your originals since 245/45/18 yeilded a 26.7" diameter.

FRONT:245/35/20 (26.7" diameter) or255/35/20 (26.9" diameter)

REAR:275/30/20 (26.5" diameter)285/30/20 (26.8" diameter)

Link for my car if you want to take a look:http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/701842

That's all I have for now. Everyone else have ideas please jump in to help Dave. It's always a beautiful sight when we see a Q with a set of nicely fit wheels. Hope you find the information useful and good luck in find your wheel set, Dave.

[BigBodyQ45]

Why do you think 7.5 is to skinny? That is the stock width. Why does changing the tire sidewall width matter the wheel width? So you think 20x10 will fit in the rears even?You guys are very helpful. thank you.

[97Q45t]

Why do you think 7.5 is to skinny?

Dave,Going wider when we plus size not only for looking good but also for performance and safety reason. The decrease in sizewall would lower the tire loading index. The increase in tire width would increase the tire loading index, thus compensate for the decrease of the loading index caused by the smaller sizewall.

Anyway, the smallest size for the 20" wheels I ever seen was 20x8.5. I could be wrong though.

[BigBodyQ45]

I could not just get tires that were wider regardless of wheel width?

[andrave]

there a bunch of new 20" skinny wheels out there for all the folks bent on putting them on their civics and ****. And nitto among other manufacturers has plenty of tires to fit them.but, imo, still pretty dumb.

[szh]

I could not just get tires that were wider regardless of wheel width?

A given rim width only can be used with a specific range of tire widths. If, in that tire width range, a suitable tire (load index, speed rating, etc.) is not available for the Q, then the rim is useless for this need!

Using tire widths that were not designed for the rim width (either too wide a tire, or too narrow, for that matter!) will cause serious safety problems. The tire bead will not sit properly on the rim and cause separation or fold-over (I do not know the correct jargon here) at speed or during cornering. Scary!

Z

[BigBodyQ45]

So what is the ideal 20" wheel width and offset (front/rear) for an f50 would you say that will fit comfortably? Also give or take how much on the offset? Would an all around same width be better ride/handling?

Thank you,Dave

[97Q45t]

So what is the ideal 20" wheel width and offset (front/rear) for an f50 would you say that will fit comfortably? Also give or take how much on the offset? Would an all around same width be better ride/handling?

Thank you,Dave

I don't know the perfect offset for the wheels for your car without knowing how far you want your new wheels to move outward. The F50 below has 20x8.5 fronts and 20x9.5 rear though I don't really know their offsets because the website lists several offset specs. If you like how that F50 looks, you could contact Wald and ask for that offset on the F50. Do consider dropping your car though because car with plus size wheels would looks funny without sitting lower. Just my personal opinion.

http://www.jonari.com/gallery/...id=i1

http://www.jonari.com/wald/core.html#postloader

[maxnix]

Remember, decreased ride quality, slower acceleration, and longer braking distances are attendant with 20" rims. Degradation in performance begins with 17" and accelerates rapidly beyond 18".

There are no 20" tires with sufficient load capacity in a OEM 26" diameter.

But if you only want it to look good parked,.....

[BigBodyQ45]

I was interested in lowering my car but the only company that responded and said they have an aplication was JIC and they said:

Dave,> > I've found the information regarding the suspension for your car. We > can special order them for you from Japan. Normally it will takes 6-8 > weeks to complete. Also, for your car setup, we do> need the core upfront, it is because so hard to find the core in Japan.> So, if you are> interested, please let me know.> > Regards,> > Ben> JIC USA

They need my parts up front and I will out a car for 6-8 weeks. Not including time it takes me to find an install and a tear down with a tow to my house? Any other company ideas. TEIN emailed me back and said they do not offer anything.

How about like a 20x8.5 all around?