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Originally Posted by rst.ack
Derailing this slightly, I'm looking at getting some Enkei RPF-1's for my daily-driven 2015 WRX (original, I know but I really like how the shape of the RPF-1 cross section accentuates a meaty fitment), but can't decide between 18x9.5 +38 or 18x9 +35, running 265/35s.
I'm aware that 265 is on the limit of how wide one might normally go with a 9" wheel, but I'm after a functional, meaty fitment.
It's quite common for me to go ragging the car on some mountain/backroads for a bit of fun, but I don't have any intention of ever taking the car to the track.
I know both of those widths/offsets physically fit the WRX, but my question is more along the lines of which one would be the more logical choice in terms of:
- The look of the fitment - would 265's on a 9" be "too" meaty (I don't even know if it's possible to be too meaty)?
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265/35 will have a slightly more rounded sidewall shape on 9" wheels. But the actual section width (that 265 number) shrinks to about 260. No free lunch.
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- The weight saved by going for a 9"
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Assuming same wheel mfr and wheel model, negligible in any street use.
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- The handling - would 265's on a 9.5" perform better or worse than a 9"?
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Lateral stiffness and other tire stiffnesses go up with increases in rim width. That generally improves turn-in response and steering precision, given the same tire mfr/model/size. The steering may feel heavier, but that's not the same thing.
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- The feel - would 265's on a 9.5" tramline less or more than a 9"?
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Hard to say. Tramlining seems to be something that some tires are worse about than others, and sometimes a toe out condition has as much or more to do with twitchiness as you drive as the tires.
FWIW, 9.5" is the "measuring width" for 265/35's, so it's by no means a 'stretched' fitment where you might expect any tramlining to be more evident.
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Also, being a big newbie to aftermarket wheels and tyres, will I need to purchase aftermarket valve stems and/or different lug nuts? I know I need hub-centric rings...
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Best to check with the wheel supplier. Sometimes a wheel design does not permit the use of sockets for standard lug nuts, and I've seen where some aftermarket wheels used a completely different type of lug nut from OE.
Stay away from aluminum lug nuts, no matter how pretty they might look.
Norm