Hey-

I just picked up a set of 18x7.5 Konig Rhythms. They are not custom offset to the S2000. They are +45 front a rear. The rears look OK, but the fronts are kinda close. There are 225/35/18 tires on front and rear. I am probably going to lower the car 1" or so in the next month. Will there be any rubbing issues I need to be concerned about? My buddy has a wheel lathe at his work (machine shop). Would it be possible to lathe off 5mm or so off the hub, to move the wheel in a bit? Will this compromise the integrity of the wheel (I believe they are 1 piece)? If nothing else, I believe I can roll the fenders and gain all the clearance I need.....

I was also wondering if running a 215 up front will alleviate any rubbing issues. I was also thinking of stepping up to a 235-245 on the rear eventually. Any issues you can think of?

Thanks in advance.

John

 

I know this question was directed to Jim, but I think I can help a bit until Jim comes by.

Yes. With those offsets and the fact that you plan to lower the car, a 205 front and 225 or 235 rear are probably your best bet.

It's been done. Please do not do it. It's not safe unless approved by the manufacturer, and good luck getting that approval.

In all likelihood, YES.


You are compromising the performance of your S2000 by using these wheels. They are narrow, have low offsets, and are not staggered.

Cheers.

 

Yeah, I know I am sacrificing some performance. These are mainly for show. I still have my set of AP1 wheels for racing / auto-x. I will not be using these wheels for really any hard cornering or anything like that.....if I do go to a track / auto-x day, I will be using my AP1 wheels. 18's are not good for performance on this car anyways, as the additional rotational mass does not work well with a engine with such low torque. That is why I have kept my AP1 rims and tires.

I am mainly concerned about just around town driving and sitting as shows.

Can I run a 205 up front? I thought that was a 7" width...... If so, that would be great. The rims have cheapo tires on them now (Wanli's), so I may wait til they wear down before I get new ones. Also, these tires are creating quite a bit of road noise (when compared to the RE050's on my old AP2 rims). Are there any decently priced wheels that can cut down on this? (Once again, I am not looking for performance out of these tires, just looks and drivability).

Thanks again.

John

 

Sure, you can use lots of different width tires on a 7.5" rim. You just have to pay attention to offsets to avoid rubbing.

Wheels won't cut down on road noise. That would be a function of the tires. Use google to search for reviews on tires and you'll find info on almost any tire out there.

Cheers.

 

That is what I meant.....tires....Tax season sucks!

I was wondering if it had anything to do with the added width upfront. The front rims are also 18x7.5. I believe that is 1" wider than the stock wheels (AP1 and AP2). Larger contact patch = more noise.....that is my logic, please let me know if its flawed. They start whining at around 50mph on asphalt.....very annoying.

John

 

It probably has less to do with the width of the tire, and more to do with the tire design itself. Some are noisier than others. Also, if they have been worn unevenly, feathered, cupped, etc, due to misuse or bad alignment, they could be making more noise than they otherwise should.

BTW, OEM AP1 wheels are 6.5 and 7.5, AP2 is 7.0 and 8.5.

 

Thanks. Its probably just the design, as there is probably 80-90% tread remaining.

John