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Old 05-24-2000, 09:39 PM   #1
dead-eye
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Join Date: Jun 1999
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Location: Naperville IL
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1999 2.5RS no T
RBP

Post 18" wheels; any big downside?

I'll be getting 18" Subie-specific wheels from GGR this summer along with my Stage III upgrade. I've been told they will fit the 2.5RS and will be equipped with P-ZERO 225/35's Any downside to wheels this size? Will performance be significantly altered? I do not plan on using these wheels for auto-X (waaaay too expensive for thrashing) but rather for everyday spirited driving on twisty roads.
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Old 05-24-2000, 09:50 PM   #2
ColinL
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'03 Evo, Rice White
'01 Erion CBR 929

Post

Weight and vulnerability to potholes.

If you're after performance, buy the lightest wheel in the smallest diameter that will clear your brakes. For a stock RS that's 15", but maybe you're spending some of that wad on an upgrade.

To me 18" are just about style unless you're running a 6 piston caliper on a 15" rotor.
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Old 05-24-2000, 10:49 PM   #3
Nero
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That's a serious caliper to be running also, also if your into show realize your brakes may look a little small with a big wheel like that. I would suggest a 16 or 17" wheel unless your big into show, the ride with a 18" and a skinnier tire will be more harsh and more bumpy, not to mention you're more likely to damage a wheel on the street when you have less of a tire. I run 18's on my Supra but they have no problem but i run a 275/35/17 which will have a 96.25mm hieght sidewall, but with your setup you'd have 78.75mm sidewall, so your right there almost 1" shorter on the sidewall. I would go with something a little smaller on the tire/rim combo unless building a show car. try 16's or 17's they look great and perform well also.
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Old 05-24-2000, 11:11 PM   #4
John2.5RS
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I think that the size & weight could play havoc with the suspension unless you have a very good set of spring and struts. You might experence rubbing, too. You might as well get 17" wheels and buy larger rotors and calipers. It will look a lot better, ride smoother, and would be more functional. Have you ever seen a Jetta with 18" wheels? Looks really silly with their 8-10" rotors.
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Old 05-25-2000, 12:23 AM   #5
PaulN
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Green

Talking

Nero

How do you manage to run 275/35 17s on your 18" rims - I bet its one hell of a struggle getting the tyres on!!

Paul
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Old 05-25-2000, 11:25 AM   #6
dead-eye
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Post

I inquired at GGR about getting WRC 2000 OZ Racing wheels. Unfortunately 1)The gunmetal grey ones are approx $5500GBP for a set since they are made of magnesium;2)the only ones they have are gold; Rallispec sells them for $325 apiece. There is another version of the SuperTourismos that is the same color as the WRC 2000 Tarmac wheels and the style is almost the same; they only come in 18".
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Old 05-25-2000, 04:15 PM   #7
Dobes
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Maybe you should ask: are there any real upsides to upgrading to 18" wheels.

They will be very heavy compared to 16" or even 17" wheels which will:

-Make your suspension work harder and thus be less responsive
-Make your car accelerate slower
-Work your engine harder

In addition, tires will probably cost $800-1000 per set or more. If you dent a rim = $$$.

The only real reason for a wheel this size is for racing. This is assuming you need huge brakes for something which will dictate using similarly huge wheels.

My advise is to save your money and buy some useful upgrades first.

JD
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Old 05-25-2000, 06:55 PM   #8
Wreckleford
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The only real reason for 18" wheels on an RS is not race, it's rice.
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Old 05-25-2000, 07:06 PM   #9
1.8L
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Hello,

Man, have I become confused or what, these days. Here I go again defending something that I find is ricey. Again, please don't take offense. Anyway:

Dead-eye said he wanted the rims to go along with his stage III upgrade. Now, I don't know if he once broke his upgrades into stages, but my first assumption when I saw that was that he's getting a stage III turbo kit from somewhere. Having seen the stage II minnam kit, I'd venture a guess that with some better fuel-system parts, or maybe an ECU or whatever the 3rd stage is, the turbo setup will be at least as fast with 18s as a stage II with lighter 17s.

Therefore, while you all are correct that there is no benefit of 18s, if he likes them, and if he meant by stage 3 that he's going to a big turbo setup, then his car will still be better than most cars, even with the minor loss due to 18s

Joel
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Old 05-26-2000, 02:13 PM   #10
Dobes
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>BTW, I am definitely against rice especially >Subie Rice. You won't find any "WRX" "Tuned >by STi" stickers on my car.

That's good to hear.

JD

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Old 05-27-2000, 12:30 AM   #11
dead-eye
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Guys,
The only reason I'm getting the 18" rims is because that is the only size that style comes in. They're made by OZ Racing and are very similar to the WRC 2000 Tarmac wheels. Although they are big, they definitely are not ricey. If they were chromed, with gold accents well then maybe . . .
Joel, I currently have a Minnam Stage I kit. A Stage III kit is offered by ASR which includes everything in Stage II with the notable addition of JE Pistons and Rods.
BTW, I am definitely against rice especially Subie Rice. You won't find any "WRX" "Tuned by STi" stickers on my car.
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Old 05-27-2000, 08:30 AM   #12
Wreckleford
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Well I guess everyone's definition of Rice is different, and you shouldn't really pay attention to people's opinions. I mean if you want to get extreme, my car is Ricy because I have aftermarket 16" wheels whe the var came with 15". Seriously though, I don't think 18" on a car like n RS is practical. You are definitely tradig a lot of practicality for looks.
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Old 05-27-2000, 09:46 AM   #13
Jay_UK
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Cool

Hi everyone..

You can get magnesium rims cheaper than that..

There are a few downsides...

wet weather handling, tramlining, road comfort (although the above points will depend on your tyre and suspension choice).

I knew a guy who ran magnesium rims (18"s) on his scoob.. he was virtually buying a replacement alloy every month or two..damn pot holes!!

J.

ps - But they looked great and weighed nothing
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Old 05-27-2000, 04:26 PM   #14
N/A
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TBA TBA
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ASR sells pistons and rods for the RS? When did they start this. Hell the last email they sent me only said they had up to a StageII. Any word on the cost of the pistons and rods? Is there something special about them? I wouldn't call 18in rims rice as long as they fit in your wheel wells, the car isn't too low and thats not all thats done to the car. What suspension are you running? You may want to upgrade your brakes along with your turbo so that the brakes will be able to haul that thing to a stop safely.
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Old 05-27-2000, 09:39 PM   #15
RallyGuy2k
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One thing to remember is that you'll lose your "go anywhere" status. 18s are for the road only since the sidewalls won't absorb anything. Personally I love the ride height and the stock 16s...the Prodrive suspention kit wouldn't hurt though... This way if your stuck in traffic on the highway you can still "off road it" to the feeder road when normal cars can't get over the curbs?!
I *love* that!
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Old 05-27-2000, 10:07 PM   #16
dead-eye
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Post

N/A,
ASR started selling them about a month ago according to the e-mail they sent me. The cost of the pistons is $600-700 depending on how soon you want them. Same goes for the rods. BTW, I just found out the rims I want are available in 17" so I'll be going with them although they won't be available until late June.
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Old 05-28-2000, 05:27 AM   #17
N/A
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Is there something special about the pistons and rods? For $700 there had better be. Maybe stronger ones?
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Old 05-28-2000, 06:37 AM   #18
John2.5RS
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Aren't they forged different?
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