I'm looking at a really nice 03, but it has these awful bling-o-matic 18's on it. So I started looking for OEM sized wheels and can't find anything yet. TireRack and all the rest don't even have the option of 16" wheels on an S.

So, the question is, are there any? I looked in this board for an hour. and that showed me how hard it is to get wheels for the S. Has anyone put together a list of what fits? Jim: do you carry anything in 16 inch?

I know that everyone wants to go big and that big looks great, but I am not willing to give up the ride quality for a couple percent more grip on smooth asphalt. I live with some pretty rough roads and don't want to be one of those dorks that has to slow to 10 mph to inch his fragile beauty over a bump.

Besides, I haven't done the math, but I'm pretty sure that a 17 with the right sized tire is going to have a grater radius, thusly reducing acceleration and braking.

Any idea where to get JDM 16's?

Great site with some really sharp folks. Glad to be here.

 

Do you want stock wheels or after market that are 16's

 

I don't know, the OEM wheels will be strong but heavy. Aftermarket is good if the quality and weight and looks are OK. But with the choices as they are, I'm open. The car is yellow, so I want to have black (or nearly back) wheels.

Has anybody done the radius calculation (or better, a measurement) between 16's and 17's? I heard of a test that some magazine did where they took an 03 and 04 around a trach, then switched wheels and both cars went slower.

I am loathe to screw with Honda's engineering unless I really spend the time getting it right. But lighter, correct geometry 16's would be cool.

 

The OE wheels aren't actually that heavy. Something like 16-17lbs if memory serves me. While there are lighter wheels out there, most aftermarket wheels are going to be heavier.

If you want a black, 16" wheel that's lighter than stock your best bet may be the Spoon SW388 wheels. They're 13-14lbs and I think they look pretty slick. Your main problem is that these have been out of production for a while and will be hard to find.

Although they don't come in black, another light-weight option is Kosei K1 TS wheels (I have these). They're 17" but are lighter than stock 16s. They're cheap, so for the price of Spoon wheels you could probably get a set of these and get them powder coated (and probably still have money left over).

Also check the Group Buys forum for the deals on Volk wheels. Some of these are lighter than stock wheels and they also come in more S2k-friendly offsets than a lot of aftermarket wheels.

 

17" tires in the right size are not significantly larger in overall diameter to make a hill of beans difference. (See the OEM AP2 sizes- by calculation they are actually slightly smaller overall diameter).

There are a lot more choices in 17" for wheels and tires. It makes sense to go to 17" IMO.

 

[QUOTE=RocketScientist,Mar 28 2006, 12:20 PM]

Besides, I haven't done the math, but I'm pretty sure that a 17 with the right sized tire is going to have a grater radius, thusly reducing acceleration and braking.

 

Shouldn't he be running a 245 in the rear (excluding 16" S02, of course)?

... or are these front tire sizes?

 

The OEM's are about 16lbs which is lighter than most aftermarket ones. I forgot who makes them but they are made by a popular manufacturer. You should be able to pick up a used set for $400. And as far as wanting black to go with Spa Yellow, have them powder coated.

 

Indeed, Ubetit and spa-zz, the radius is not much different. I went and did the math and the difference in the rear looks like this:

Sidewall height: 14.5mm (13%)
Radius: 2mm (0.7%)

Unless, as I read elsewhere, the stock S-02's measure more like 245's, in which case the numbers are more like:

Sidewall height: 24.5mm (20%)
Radius: 12mm (3.8%)

Either way, as you both point out, the force applied at the tire will not change enough to worry about.

The sidewall height, and therefore resistance to the lousy roads near me, is significant. Ride quality and the ability to bomb down beat up city streets is a main reason that I chose the S over the 350Z. The Z Roadster's extra 800lbs really hurts it when the roads are bad. The S just flies over imperfections, and the 1st gen felt better than the 2nd gen in this regard.

Maybe I should shut up and get the damned car with the blingmeister wheels, get some pretty 17's and if I don't like the ride, shop for used OEMs. Still, I'm interested in 16's if any other suggestions exist.

Those Spoon wheels are spectacular in terms of weight and cost. Nice stuff.

BTW, the car can in question can be found on ebay at number: 4625227498

 

I think you can get CE28's in 16x7 & 16x8 with some offsets that will look nice. Rays used to have a full list of available sizes on their site but now it's nowhere to be found. Try one of the site sponsors for availability.