Okay, here's the deal. My parents agreed to get me a dedicated set of wheels and tires for auto-xing, for Christmas. I want the WRX community to help me decide which are the best wheels and tires to have for auto-x. No price limit, either. (Well, lets be realistic, no more than $2000 total) I was thinking about Volk or SSR wheels and Kumho ECSTA v710's, but I'm clueless about what size I should get, and what size wheels fit on what size tires. I've read the FAQ, but it's all really Greek to me. So what size wheel is the best? I heard that 17" is best for performance and 18" is more for show. Also, can you guys tell me where the best place is to get wheels and tires around here? I live around the Marietta area and visit my parents in the Gwinnett area. Any help would be appreciated.
do you really want to be auto-x'ing on some volks or ssr's. Why not get some Rota's for cheap and spend the rest on tires?
you would, but rick james wouldnt, he doesnt use a rubber... puttin race tires on the stockers would be the best way to go imo and then get some nice 17s and cheaper tires for street driving
I suppose that would be an interesting choice... but aren't the stock wheels kinda small and heavy? I thought the whole idea was to have the lightest wheels possible. Also, if I bought new wheels, I'd get 17", so I would end up having to buy a set of auto-x tires, and new road tires to fit the 17. I don't want to buy 16" wheels. But then again, these Rota Slipstreams seem to only come in 16"... Class wise, I'm in stock now, but I don't care getting placed in a higher category just for wheel size. I don't care about the points, I just wanna get car time right now.
In terms of Rota's, I'd suggest you find a 17x8. This would give you the following options: Torque -- $175 ea. Slipstream (17x8.5!) -- $187.50 ea. G-force -- $175 ea. As for tires, if you want serious rubber go with a set of 245-275 Kumho V710s. According to TireRack right now, they're between 190 and 210 per tire as well. So, if you do the math, this puts us anywhere from 1500 to 1560 for a very competitive tire/wheel setup. This will give you the magic juju on the autox
Putting race tires on a 6.5" wide wheel sucks. Looks don't make you fast, so stay on your stockers for daily driving. It will help cut down on costs of a larger tire. I would suggest doing something similar to what I have done, because I am cheap. I went with the 16x8 rota slipstream (lightest and cheapiest cast wheel on the market). Its only 3lbs. heavier than most forged wheels and easily half the cost. Put a 245/45/16 on the wheel. There are many places on the internet (ebay) that you can find used R comps with over 90% tread left for more than half off the retail price. This is the widest tire you can go with without some major fender rolling. Also, the overall diameter of the tire is less than your stock. This means you will have faster acceleration than the stock diameter. No reason going to a larger diameter wheel, because the prices of the tires just increase. I think for the longhaul, that is the best option. My option puts you at $900 for R comp plus wheels! More money left over allows you to buy more tires later on. No reason going with the V710's as they won't last you long. Learn on R comp, then go to A comp later when you know you will put them to good use.
Definitely, if you go with that combo, it puts you in ESP. This means that you also need a relative full aftermarket suspension. You can get away without doing some mods and still be competitive. So swaybars are a must, along with struts, and springs. So you can have a competitive ESP car for $2000, which includes tires, wheels, and suspension. If I could do it all over again I would go with: 16x8 Rota Slipstreams $550 or less www.oakos.com or whomever hasn't discontinued them. 245/45/16 Hoosier R $300 for four used tires 90%tread www.ebay.com Whiteline RSB 26mm $120 used on forums Endlinks $70 used on forums hard to find Espilir Springs $200 or less used on forums KYB AGX $250 used on forums Camber bolts $30 new Custom alignment $40-60 Total $1500! for a competitive ESP car
Alright, I think I'll go with the 16" rotas, but where's a store that sells them? I don't see them listed on Discount Tire or Tire Rack... Also on their website, they list two 16x8's : 16 x 8.0 +48 4h/5h x 100/114.3 and 16 x 8.0 +20 4h x 100. I guess I want the former one, right? Edit: One more thing, I'll probably be able to afford a good front and rear swaybar, but no struts/springs for a while. I read the FAQ on swaybars, but do you have any suggestions on good swaybars for auto-xing and where they can be purchased? (Maybe SoG would carry them?) It's funny, I originally wanted to get a new TBE first, but now that I got interested in auto-x, I gotta get things that are a bit more important than increased power. It's like Pirelli's motto: "Power is nothing without control."
I gave you some brands that you should look for on the price list above. I also listed some websites that may carry them. You need to look at more Subaru specific websites. Tirerack and Discount don't sell Rota's. Don't buy these parts at retail prices. It's just crazy when they are in great condition used. Swaybars don't break normally, no harm in buying it used. Look at the different WRX and STi forums. All of them have used part threads. Start with NASIOC.com, IWSTI.com, ClubWRX.net, those are three of the largest and will have a better chance of finding these things used. If you start finding parts, post questions here about them, and I am sure we could give you some reviews. I believe the bolt pattern for the 04's was still the 5x100. All Suby wheels have the +48mm offset, so stay with that. Going with the 245's may have rubbing issues depending on your alignment. So you may need to trim the inside fender of your car since your spring rates won't be high enough with just sways. It's an easy job with the right tools. Don't forget about brakes. You need at least front pads aftermarket.
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/2469_3233_3246/products_id/12787 Is this the right wheel? This is the only site that I found... Subydude.com doesn't have 16x8, and oakos says sold out.
DO NOT ORDER FROM VIVID RACING. I had the WORST experience with them. They are incompetent a'holes. Look for the wheels on forums then. I can give you the story, but its pretty long. I ended up cancelling my order from them. Those are the wheels though, but just know that you have been warned about them.
Damn I totally missed input on this thread. Haha, everyone is probably right about just getting a cheap set of rotas, but if I had the money, SSR comps are damn light (I think 14.2 pounds for 18s). And if you went 17s, it would be even lighter. But yeah for ordering rotas, +1 on subydude.com.
Subydude doesnt carry the 16x8's in any wheel. Go the forums I had mentioned before. Go to the Private "For Sale" and search Rota Slipstream. I bet you will find some. Otherwise, you might just stick with a 7.5" wheel on a 235 R comp.
What about a 17x8 wheel from oakos? An extra hundred bucks for 1 more inch isn't bad. Will the tires rub without suspension modification right off the bat? Is 3.35 more lbs. of weight per wheel noticeable? Nobody really sells 16's. If there's not much of a difference between 16 and 17 besides price, I might just get the 17s.
Scott Seigel has a lot of good stuff to say about the stock STi Bridgestones. Maybe buy some STi wheels and tires? I ran a set of BFG T/A KDW2s on the STi and LOVED them. FWIW.
You won't be able to find cheap used R comps in 17", thats the difference. I may consider just going with a DS car. Meaning, get a large FSB, adj. struts, some camber bolts, and another set of wheels. You can definitely fit a 225 on a 6.5" wheel. I know there are a lot of decently priced R comps in a 225/45/16. Since you can't find the 16x8's and you are only going to do swaybars, I wouldn't suggest running in ESP.
What was bad about Vivid racing? I'm twiddling my thumbs at work right now, perfect to pass the time with a long story. Edit: I think I found a store that has 16x8! Any qualms about tirez.net or 18Racing.com? http://tirez.net/product_info.php/cPath/21_25/products_id/82 http://www.18racing.com/wheel_slipstream.html