I have been thinking of an alternative set of wheels & tires that I could eventually use for 'driving school' days. My premise is to keep the rolling stock as close as possible to stock (25.7" diameter) & to lower the cost of the tire / wheel combo within reason.

That's why I came up with 245/45-17 as a candidate. Now, I know that the actual diameter will be dictated by the width of the wheel where the tire will be mounted. Knowing that these would be used almost exclusively on 'educational' driving days, I was wondering if anyone has tried 17" wheels wider than stock 8".

So...

17x8
17x8.5
17x9

From those three, I -think- I'd prefer to go with the 9" wide wheels. Anybody's tried them? Issues? Comments? Is there a thread(s) dealing with this...? Am I completely crazy by trying to keep the same overal rolling diameter?

Any comments welcome!

 

have you tried reading through the Racing section. Some of the auto cross guys run 17's. Most that I know recommend the 18x9.5 size with 265's. Guess this wouldn't help you with the cost savings....but if you check through those threads, you may find the guys that are running 17's.

 

For racing you basically want the smallest diameter tire that will still fit over your brakes. There are no advantages to running larger wheels. I would use a 17" that is as wide as will fit on all 4 corners. You want all to be the same size so you can rotate your tires to maximize usage. Having narrower front tires and wider rears are only for show and is not beneficial in any way for our cars performance. As for overall diameter of the rubber, don't be afraid to go a little smaller for track use, but I would not recommend any larger.

 

I would recommend using the 17X8" Kosei K1-TS (239.00 each) and the 245/45/17 Kumho Ecsta V710 (182.00 each). The 245/45/17 are 25.4" tall and 9.6" wide. The wheels weigh in at 15.4 pounds.

 

Connor, is there anything in 17x9.5 (and would that fit on a 6 speed RX-8?), what offset should be used?

If you could give me a list of wheel models & prices (so I can check them out online), I would appreciate it. I am not too terribly concerned about not having the TPS sensors installed, since this setup would not be for everyday use.

I researched a little bit, and came to find that 275/40 17" would maintain the same diameter as the 245/45 ones.

If anything there are 2 goals: (1) keep cost to a minimum & (2) maintain the same overall diameter as close as possible to stock. A nice side effect is to increase the contact patch -within a reasonable amount.

Thanks!

 

I've been told that 255/40/17 on a 9" rim will not fit. I think they will fit with the correct offset, and the shop is being conservative. (but I have not see anyone with this size yet)

Your size of 275 wide does recommend the 9.5" wide as ideal, but may not fit.

I want this 255 tire size for the track, becuase the rolling diameter is a little smaller and the contact patch is quite wide. (and it's the only 17" size that I can get near this width in the Toyo RA-1) The 235 is my only other alternative on a 7.5" rim for the RA-1.

I've been getting the run around about a 9" wide rim on an RX-8. 3 different places did not "recommend" it. I wonder if the tire rack will reply to your question.

 

I have four wheels that fit the 6 speed 8 and i have listed them below with the wheel specifications. All four of these will sit pretty close to the fender so you may have to roll the fender lip to allow proper clearance even with the 245/45/17.

17X9 Wed Sport SA-90 -- 315.00 ea, ET35, 23 lbs
17X9 Wed Sport SA-90 -- 315.00 ea, ET35, 23 lbs
17X9 Wed Sport TC005 -- 339.00 ea, ET42, 15.5 lbs
17X9.5 SSR C ompetition H -- 439.00 ea, ET35, 16.8

 

Connor, how about the Kosei K1-TS 17x9? I saw them listed on GRM, what offset are they? Will it fit over the RX-8 6 speed front brakes?

Thanks,

Alan

 

I talked to one of our wheel fitment engineers and the K1-TS will not clear the caliper in 17X9.

 

Racing Sparco has some 17x9 wheels that are light weight.