Go 18"! I promise you will wish you did. I went 17" for about a week, now I have 18", and I am currently looking at selling these and getting 19". Plus sizing doesn't do much if you only go 1 inch. So trust me on this....Go at least 18, especially since it won't be much more than 17". I will sell my 18's with tires for around a grand.

 

SDickson, what kind of rims are your 18"?

 

Konig Villain's, they look just like the SSR integral's, but they come in 18, whereas the Integrals only come in 17".

Below is a link to the picture at Konig's website. I pealed the "villain" sticker off, so they are cleaner looking.

These are wider than stock, and will require a stiffer suspension and/or a fender lip roll, so if you don't want to do that, these will not work. If you do decide to do that, than these will look so tough! These wheels make the tires sit right at the edge of the car for a very aggressive look, and the large diameter looks awesome!

http://www.konigwheels.com/catalog_subcate...ubcategoryID=21

Here is another link, this one shows the SSR integral, which is virtually identical, as you will see. This link will let you see multiple views, and even see pictures on actual vehicles.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/DisplayWhee...=Silver+Painted

 

Will I have to roll my fender lip for any 18" alloy, or just these ones in particular?

 

It all depends on the offset. You see, I am a wheel and tire fanatic, and I love sports cars that have the wheels as wide or wider than the body of the car. Just look at any 911 turbo, a Shelby Cobra, the Aston Martin Vanguish and Amv8, or there is just about any Ferrari. Audi and BMW are pretty good at this too. So when I got my S, it drove me nuts that the wheels were almost 2 inches inside the fender. They do this because they are trying to sell as many cars as possible to the largest customer base, from young guys to old gals. So the car does handle good, but due to the amount of travel needed in the shocks, (so that the grandma who drives one doesn't loose her dentures) they have to have the wheels fit inside of the fender with plenty of room to spare. But IMO, a good stiff suspension, and WIDE tires and wheels, and this car looks like a Boxter muncher!

So to summarize, the offset in a wheel is the amount of distance between the centerline, and where the mounting surface is. The offset is not the only thing to consider, the wheel width is the other.

Here is an example, if you have a tire that measures 8" on a 7.5" rim, and it has an offset of say, +50. If you get a new rim that is 9" wide and put a tire that measures 9.5" you would be roughly 37.6mm wider total, if you keep the offset at 50, then half of that new width would be on the inside, and half on the outside. So your new tire would stick out about 19 mm, which is close to 3/4 of an inch. Now in that same example, if you changed the offset to 31, then ALL of that new width would move outward, bringing your tire out 1.5 inches.

So, to answer your question, it all depends on the new tire size, the width of that tire when mounted(which changes depending on rim width), and the offset. The diameter is not that critical, but you should try to stay close to the original overall diameter of the tire. You'll just have more wheel showing, and less tire.

If you went with an 18" wheel that was narrower and/or had a higher positive offset than mine, you would not need a fender lip roll. But if you want to see how cool it looks to push the wheels and tires out, swing by Modern Garage tomorrow around 4:30 pm. I will be dropping my car off to have some work done. S2k1 will also be there. He wants to see the rims, and I want to see his car as well.

If you do decide to go 18 and wide, be prepared to turn even more heads!!!! Good luck whatever you do. If I can be any more help, let me know.

 

I know many people use the car year around in the NorthEast and in Canada. I have been driving the S2k for 2 winters now, just use good winter tires. Last winter was really harsh and after that I'm not sure if it's better to just buy a beater for the price of winter tires (I paid $800 for mine and will need another set for next winter). Use the beater for those days when it snows and use the S2k for the sunny winter days - Just remember the S02s (and most other summer tires) will take a lot more time to warm up in winter so even on clear/dry roads exercise caution when the temperatures are low.

The other factor is that it's not as much fun driving (any car) in snow/ice, you're just putting miles on the car and not even enjoying it.

IMHO, if you have enough parking space for the beater, get one, otherwise with snow tires you should be able to drive the S2k in winter.

 

SDickson - thanks a bunch for all your helpful information. I'd love to see what you and Trent have done to your S's. How long were you going to be at Modern Garage? I've got a crazy deadline to meet today on a website I'm developing, but I may be able to swing by there if I get enough done...

Let me know.

 

til about 5

 

I must throw this out.........you guys that use your S for an everyday driver have my total admiration. I could never have this as my only car, the lack of storage space and high-attention-required driving would make me crazy and exhausted. My hats of to you, as you represent the true sports car enthusiast, one who would sacrifice anything to feel the thrill.

Happy cruisin!