Wheel Upgrade Concerns
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Wheel Upgrade Concerns
So I've decided I would like to purchase a set of 17" O.Z. Alleggerita wheels. I own an AP1, pretty much 100% stock. I know very little about wheels and brakes.
Front: 17x7.5 offset 48 Rear: 17x8.5 offset 59
As far as I can tell those are perfectly acceptable numbers for what I plan to have 215 front tire, 245 or 255 rear tire.
I'm going to assume the donut/spare tire is a 16" wheel. Would having 17s render that donut useless?
Would this technically raise my car in relation to the ground an inch? How about the gap between the wheel and fender?
Any other advice/info you can throw out off the top of your head from your experience would be appreciated
Front: 17x7.5 offset 48 Rear: 17x8.5 offset 59
As far as I can tell those are perfectly acceptable numbers for what I plan to have 215 front tire, 245 or 255 rear tire.
I'm going to assume the donut/spare tire is a 16" wheel. Would having 17s render that donut useless?
Would this technically raise my car in relation to the ground an inch? How about the gap between the wheel and fender?
Any other advice/info you can throw out off the top of your head from your experience would be appreciated
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Joined: May 2011
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From: Seattle WA
No because the tire sidewall compensates for the taller wheel. So long as you get the right sizes which would be oem ap2 sizes 215/45/17 and 245/40/17 or 255/40/17. Visually it may look a little taller due to the bigger wheels. The spare should only ever be used on the front and only to get the car to a safe place. Prolonged driving on it is not advised. Personally I would just get AAA or something and call a tow truck should you need it.
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 252
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From: Columbia, Maryland
Hey TankWookie,
I just got mine in January and after spending a couple of hundred hours reading mostly this site's forums and also S2000 and S2CA and conversing via FB with my other Mid-Atlantic owners I did find quite a lot of info but "search is your friend." It does take a lot of time and the forum thread title may or may not state what you are looking for so you good search words and let the tool take you to your words in the posts.
My car DID come with the spare BUT NO tools or jack. It is modded with a big brake kit and running 18's (AP2) so I determined that it was useless since the spare wouldn't clear anyway. In the spare space I've created one small padded bag with a bunch of tools (including deep socket for custom lug nuts, 1/2" extension, breaker bar and extender, perhaps may add click-torque bar instead, wrenches, electrical parts/tools, etc.) and in another bag I've got jumper cables, a 12v compressor (small, really crappy one from Harbor Freight, but it works), a tire auger & rubber strip hole fix kit, car wash stuff and a big new can of fix-a-flat. I also have a scissor jack with the tools so I potentially could get off the wheel, plug the tire, fill with air, last ditch fix-a-flat, and get me to a tire store.
I also have AAA with 100 mile towing option plus always have cash and high limit credit cards ready to pay my way out of problems. My only real concern for bringing tools and jack and tire stuff is the thought of being somewhere like near the Dragon, left behind, no cell service, etc. I suspect that I have not saved any weight removing the spare but I think I have a more useful bunch of stuff instead.
I'm shopping for an ugly set of strong, light, 17" wheels, probably a square set up, for track use but we'll see as I use and get used to the car if I pursue that option. Wife doesn't much understand all the wheels & spare tires for my 3 cars in the garage. Having summer wheel/tires and winter wheel/tires for my V70R is not something she really understands!
To clarify the reply above, here is how what is called the +1 concept works. You might want to read about it on Tire Rack's site or at car magazine sites or other forums.
Say you start with your OEM 16" rims and want to go 17". The tires you put on your new 17" rims will be about one "aspect ratio" lower than stock.
Original AP1 Tires size was:
I just got mine in January and after spending a couple of hundred hours reading mostly this site's forums and also S2000 and S2CA and conversing via FB with my other Mid-Atlantic owners I did find quite a lot of info but "search is your friend." It does take a lot of time and the forum thread title may or may not state what you are looking for so you good search words and let the tool take you to your words in the posts.
My car DID come with the spare BUT NO tools or jack. It is modded with a big brake kit and running 18's (AP2) so I determined that it was useless since the spare wouldn't clear anyway. In the spare space I've created one small padded bag with a bunch of tools (including deep socket for custom lug nuts, 1/2" extension, breaker bar and extender, perhaps may add click-torque bar instead, wrenches, electrical parts/tools, etc.) and in another bag I've got jumper cables, a 12v compressor (small, really crappy one from Harbor Freight, but it works), a tire auger & rubber strip hole fix kit, car wash stuff and a big new can of fix-a-flat. I also have a scissor jack with the tools so I potentially could get off the wheel, plug the tire, fill with air, last ditch fix-a-flat, and get me to a tire store.
I also have AAA with 100 mile towing option plus always have cash and high limit credit cards ready to pay my way out of problems. My only real concern for bringing tools and jack and tire stuff is the thought of being somewhere like near the Dragon, left behind, no cell service, etc. I suspect that I have not saved any weight removing the spare but I think I have a more useful bunch of stuff instead.
I'm shopping for an ugly set of strong, light, 17" wheels, probably a square set up, for track use but we'll see as I use and get used to the car if I pursue that option. Wife doesn't much understand all the wheels & spare tires for my 3 cars in the garage. Having summer wheel/tires and winter wheel/tires for my V70R is not something she really understands!
To clarify the reply above, here is how what is called the +1 concept works. You might want to read about it on Tire Rack's site or at car magazine sites or other forums.
Say you start with your OEM 16" rims and want to go 17". The tires you put on your new 17" rims will be about one "aspect ratio" lower than stock.
Original AP1 Tires size was:
f: 205/55R16,
r: 225/50R16. So what you do is fit a tire with a narrower/lower sidewall like the AP2 came with:
f: 215/45R17,
r: 245/40R17 or
r: 255/40ZR17 like the CR.
So, for my AP2, to go even further to an 18" rim, my tire must become even smaller in relative diameter to make up for the +1" of rim size, hence why I run: f: 225/40/R18 and r: 255/35/R18.
Magically, the overall tire diameter (outer size of the whole package) is/should be right at 25" for ALL THREE of these rim sizes! So my speedometer continues to be exactly correct and the overall size (other than the one size up in width) still fits in the same size fender well and car ride height stays the same. Magic.
BTW, there are benefits and also negatives to +1 and +2 wheel/tire choices. We can start a real fire here if I say much about either! In general, as a positive, big rims look really good. In general, big rims ADD unsprung weight (a very bad thing) because the larger rims weigh more than the weight savings (if any) of the lower sidewall sides (negative). Low profile tires are VERY susceptible to damage/destruction and even wheel, suspension, car damage over bad potholes or minor off-road excursions (negative). They tend to be very stiff and unforgiving for ride quality and at the same time make the car incredibly "quick" and nimble feeling and a totally "connected" to the road feeling (both, depends on what you want). Finally, for actual track use, you probably want something like those 17's you are considering so you have some sidewall to work with for handling at the limit and cheaper tires than going to 18's or something like that. You'd want as much rubber as you could plant on the road, better than any other upgrade for track but keep in mind that as you go over 215 front/245 rear (depending on offset, whole other subject there) up to 225 front and especially with anything larger you are likely going to have to roll your fenders and/or change your ride height to avoid contact with the car body. 255 is about the limit in the rear and even that may touch and require mods. Hope this helps.
Stuart
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