Hi everyone! Looking to get new rims for my 8. It's a 2006 and from everything I have read it's pretty important to keep rim weight matching factory. I understand 18s factory are 20lbs. Anyone have any thoughts on this or reccs on where/ types to buy? Also how much can you go over weight and keep your 8 50/50? Any advice?

 

My stock wheels with 245/40-18 (my Raptis WR-1 is 24.69 lbs new) tires weighed in at 46lbs so that means the stock wheels weigh 21lbs. But keep in mind that tire weights can vary even if they are the same size tire and they can vary by quite a bit (a Bridgestone 245/40-18 weighs 27lbs even). That said, a few pounds here or there will not make a huge difference in lap times. But a 10lb+ weight saving at each corner can have an effect on handling.

But, as always the best mod is the driver mod.

 

you fited 245 no problem on your 8 inch wheels?
Im thinking putting some 245/35R19 on my stock R3 wheels.
the 225's seem stretched on the 8 inch wheels.

 

IIRC OE wheels weigh somewhere between 20lbs - 22lbs. I think most say 22lbs and the tires weigh 26lbs - 28lbs so total weight 48lbs - 50lbs.

FWIW my 19x8.5 with tires weigh 44.25lbs. So you can go bigger and reduce weight.

 

Yeah this is the size all RX-8's should have come with IMO, I was surprised to see my friends R3 had 225's on 19" wheels. Some people have had up to 285's on stock 8" wheels

 

Grassroots Motorsports wrote that they had been using 285 tires on the stock wheels of their Series I RX-8 track car. They did an article a while back about whether going with the maximum width you can fit on a wheel and car is necessarily better for track performance (it wasn't in this case). I was really surprised to read that they had 285s on 8.0" wheels.

I was told by Brian Goodwin of Goodwin Racing that the Series II OEM 18x8" wheels weigh 21.5 lbs. I weighed one when I put them up for sale at about 25-26 lbs. It seems odd my scale would have been 4 lbs. off at around 20-25 lbs., but maybe. I wonder if Brian didn't catch that I was talking about Series II wheels. Maybe they're a bit heavier than Series I 18x8" wheels?

My Axis Circuits (forged by Rays) weigh a nice 16.7 lbs. and are 0.5" wider. Their color is also a perfect match to the Sparkling Black Mica paint on my RX-8. I love 'em. They're also very reasonably priced for a Rays forged wheel. I paid $420 each from my local Discount Tire, but you can get them cheaper online if that's what you want to do.

 

jason: 245's on the OEM 8" wide wheel is an easy fit. I ran two different sets of 245's on the oem's before changing my wheels.
I like the look and feel of the 245's over the 225.

 

Jedi, how would you describe the difference?

 

A little more touchy is the way I would describe it but obviously different tires will have different feels.

 

it's tough to compare as the Kumho MX's and Toyo T1R's are quite different to the oem Bridgestones that came with my car.

Touchy is a good word. It also felt more planted as you're got a bit more grip due to the wider tire. It's not a night and day feel by any means but if you know your car well and know what to look for, you can feel the difference.

 

It's probably a hard thing to describe, actually, without driving on them. Er, understand without driving on them.

 

But I kinda like the "more planted" concept.

 

The grip is definitely increased and by "touchy" I don't mean in a bad way, it's just the input is quicker and you will get used to it in no time. There was also no difference in MPG or road noise in my case.

 

I think since the side walls of the tires are more straight up which gives more corning support, the steering should be quicker.

 

^ yeah i think the 245s feel better when i had em on my stockers too but i have changed rims and tires since then

 

There were two different suppliers for the OE 18x8 S1 wheels. The early wheels from the first supplier were lighter than the later wheels from the second supplier. The S2 wheels are heavier still.

I actually preferred the 295/30-18 Hoosier race tire over the 285




.

 

Hey guys doing the wheel search thing, just looking to see if any one knows the weight on the 18x8.5 +45 off-set Konig Milligram wheels, the weight isn't listed anywhere from what i can find? I have a bent stock wheel... and would like to either stay at the same weight or upgrade slightly while increasing width to 8.5". I am running on 255/40/18's atm, I know its not ideal on stockers, also kinda why I want to go up the half inch in width over stock. I never really liked the look of the stock S1 wheels so just a replacement isn't an option either. I really like the look of the Milligrams but if there not at-least the same weight as the stock wheels then its a no go. There are some OZ racing wheels that look similar and are way lighter than the stock wheels but they only offer them in 8" from what i have found and there a-lot more expensive. I am not against spending the money, but don't want to unless have to.....