Keep Stock 16 Or Upgrade To Larger Rims

[black600]

been thinking of going for larger rims on my r32, but cant decide if i should if there is any benefits in doing so ( im a friggin nooooobbbb ok so dont hammer me lol ).

i love the currents standard rims on the car wondering if they made them in a larger 17in size or maybe 18in?

but going up in sizes, will it make the ride handle al lot more better ,make it bumpy etc etc?

im about to order some toyo r888 semi for the current setup but before i do this has been bothering me.

ive always assumed that manufacturers put a specific rim/tyre size for maximum performance/drivability.....

is this a wrong assumption?

cheers

[gtr jet]

Upgrade to a larger 17 or 18" rim for ease of finding tyres plus then you can go wider too like a 9.5 or 10 to fit wider rubber for more grip.

[Moodles2]

Ride will get slightly bumpier as tyres absorb alot of the bumps. Bigger the rim, the less tyre profile. R32 GTR V-spec rims are 17x9, R33 GTR rims are 17x9 and R34 GTR rims are 18x9 (compared to R32 GTR rims which are 16x8). Just don't make the mistake of buying staggered rims (different widths front and back, 17x8.5 on the front and 17x9 on the back for example) as this will just introduce ATTESSA problems.

I use a set of 17x9 Oz Racing rims myself, they are my track rims while I keep my stockies as street rims.

[GTSBoy]

17" rims will give the best amount of sidewall height (ie, less than your stockies) to give improved tyre behaviour. When you go to 18's the sidewalls get very short and stiff. This makes it less comfortable, but even worse, unless you only drive on really good surfaces, it actually reduces the mechanical grip of the car. Most country/hills roads that are worth a brisk drive have pretty poor surfaces these days.

I don't set my car up to look cool as I drive to work, or to be razor sharp on the freeway. I set it up to work well on the sort of roads that should be an enjoyable drive, even if I only get out on them once every few weeks.

[black600]

ok thanks for the feeds

well deatiled!

so 17*9.5 (9.5 = wider tyres makes sense ) is the most ideal fitment id go for then, i have to consider my car is fairly low and plus i have the screamer pipe running down the wheel arch so cant go too wide in fear might rub ?

@gtsboy im more interested in handling wise compared to looks which is not me so ill take into consideration what u guys have said and stick to 17 ,18's might look a lot more agro but ride handling is more of an importance

@ gojira, i was going to ask about staggered which i read in a post below and got a tad confuse so thanks for clearing it up

so what type of rims should i be looking for are there anything specific i should look out hench the stocks are forged etc

dont want to just settle on any rims

what is a good rims brand for race/street

cheers

[nos man]

16" to 17" range are good for tyre prices and road grip but unless you upgrade the brakes there's no reason to run larger diameter rims other than cosmetic and for the width i would run 9.5+ if my car was overly too stiff for street use (more for track set up)

Edited June 14, 2012 by nos man

[GTSBoy]

I'm a tight arse, so I wouldn't buy some of the Volk etc wheels that I quite like. I like them because they look good and are very light. Lightness is most important.

I bought Enkei RPF1 (in black, to go on a white car). 17x8 are only abuot 7kg each. They are cast, but very nearly as light as a forged rim. They are strong, and good looking (especially in black on a white car). Not as good looking or as easy to wash as some open 5 spoke rims, but nice looking nonetheless. Rather similar to an Evo wheel, and much like a 6 (12) spoke version of the R33 GTR wheel. 17x9.5 in these....I don't know if they do them. They probably do, but that'd be too big for an R32 GTSt, so I didn't spend any time looking/thinking about that sort of size.

If you can settle for less width, a second hand set of R33 GTR rims are 17x9, which works OK. More width is desirable though. Make sure you keep in mind how much extra width is legal on your car. Technically, as your original rims are 8" wide, you can only go to 9" wheels without proper engineering. Mine ar 1.5" wider than stock, and I will soon find out if I will be in trouble because of that when I get my car inspected post engine transplant.

cheers