Wheel/Tire Combo with Koni's and TRD Springs

[ARMIN]

So I'm shopping around for rims and am currently trying to figure out the ideal rim and tire sizes for my mkII. It is my daily driver and as the title says, I have koni struts and trd springs. Right now I'm trying to decide:

-whether to get 17's all around or get 16's in front and 17's in the back because I've noticed in some pics that sometimes the rear wheels look smaller than the front
-would also like to have the least amount of wheel gap possible without rubbing though even more important is that the fronts don't have more wheel gap than the rears
-I'm kind of clueless when it comes to offsets but I would like the stance to be flush

-also, what would I need to do to make my stock 14's flush for when I use them in the winter?

Any input (and pics) will be greatly appreciated. Trying to do this right the 1st time

[ARMIN]

Found a car that kinda has what I'm going for. It's owned by rhd_sw20. Says his setup is though I'm not sure on the suspension:

F: 17*8 +35 with a 3mm spacer 215/45/R17
R: 17*9 +35 with a 25mm spacer 225/45/R17

[RePete]

That's a good wheel width, but I'd drop the spacers and stick with the +35 offset. If you're worried about the wheel looking too small in the rear, you might want to choose 16x8" +35 in front w/ 225/45 and mount 245/40-17s out back on those 17x9s instead of those skinny 225s pictured.

[ARMIN]

Yeah I think I'm going to go with the 16/17 setup. And yeah I would prefer to not have to use spacers, but what's your reason for not using them? Somebody said I could get the same stance with a 8 + 25-30mm front and 9 + 10mm rear. I'm not completely sure what it takes to roll fenders, but if it won't damage my paint, I might do it. Oh, I haven't mentioned this but my father owns a used tire shop. As of now I think I'm going to go with 16x8 and 17x9. Once I figure out the offsets, I can order the wheels. Then, I can try on different size tires from the shop to figure out which ones don't rub. What do you think?

[RePete]

Originally Posted by ARMIN

...what's your reason for not using them?

Spacers add more unsprung weight for mostly cosmetic appreciation and only a marginal performance gain. Unless they have built-in hubcentric rings, spacers tend to create some wheel shimmy at speeds over 50 mph. Best to buy hubcentric rings fitted to a wheel in the correct offset to begin with (if possible).

Originally Posted by ARMIN

I'm not completely sure what it takes to roll fenders, but if it won't damage my paint, I might do it. Oh, I haven't mentioned this but my father owns a used tire shop. As of now I think I'm going to go with 16x8 and 17x9. Once I figure out the offsets, I can order the wheels. Then, I can try on different size tires from the shop to figure out which ones don't rub. What do you think?

Depending on how extreme you roll, you may or may not need to slightly repaint. If it's a mild roll then a heat gun and slow going may save you from slight touch-ups later on. If you stick with the 215/225 setup plus the aggressive offsets you've mentioned then you probably need some rolling. Fatter tires on those 8" and 9' wheels w/ those offsets will require not only fender rolling but possible fender pulls too. In my opinion, a 16/17 setup is one of the most desirable setups on the MKII for not only performance but looks too, I'd strive for that.

You're very lucky to have someone close to you with a tire shop.

[ARMIN]

Okay, so after doing a bunch of research, I think I'm going to go with the following in order to be flush:

F: 16x7 +23
R: 17x8 +23

So, keeping in mind that the TRD springs drop the car 1", what are the biggest tires that you guys would recommend for this setup without rubbing?

[RePete]

That's an excellent choice of wheel sizes/offsets.

A rub-free ride would be 215/45-16 front and 235/40-17 rear. A bit more aggressive with borderline rubbing is 225/45 front and 245/40 rear.

On my last MKII, the TRD springs dropped the car more like 1.5", not 1".

[ARMIN]

1.5"? Is that common? I read something about that happening because there are American and Japanese TRD springs but I'm not sure (Japanese springs being the lower drop). Do you think I should keep the 30mm difference in widths between front and rear tires like the stock '93+?

[RePete]

Originally Posted by ARMIN

...Do you think I should keep the 30mm difference in widths between front and rear tires like the stock '93+?

I've driven tons of tire setups ranging from 205/215 to 225/275 and they all work well (with 225/245 being one of the best and 215/235 coming in a close second) More exaggerated front/rear tire width stagger will demand a bit more attention from the driver, but that's the only concern - fatter rear rubber never hurt anyone driving a Mark II. So don't sweat it, as long as you're staggered you'll be fine..

[palos]

I'm not a big fan of choosing wheels that will require spacers. Some people will not notice the lack of hub-centric issues, others can feel the penny under a stack of ten mattresses. Highly subjective.

An unpleasant issue with MKII MR2's is the relative lack of wheels available in staggered sizes (either diameter and/or width) and tires that will fit the wheels well.

Having the luxury of trial and error associated with your father's shop, remember that the same size tire produced by different manufacturers can vary greatly in width. If you are comfortable using different tires (manufacturer, model) front and rear, then you can play with the different set-ups much more. What I would recommend for someone else is different from what I would use myself.

[ARMIN]

RePete, I thought a more exaggerated front/rear tire width stagger would make the car less prone to over-steer.. Why would it demand more attention from the driver?

palos, are you saying that the +23 offset would require spacers or are you referring to the picture of the black MR2?

[RePete]

Originally Posted by ARMIN

RePete, I thought a more exaggerated front/rear tire width stagger would make the car less prone to over-steer.. Why would it demand more attention from the driver?

Very true on your oversteer comment, but there's more front end scrub. Just last night I threw on a set of 205/45-16s and then mounted 255/40-17s out back. The rear felt well planted but the front needs more grip, I experienced some understeer as I hurried down an off-ramp. By doing that one may let off the throttle just a bit, but enough to engage a touch of drop-throttle oversteer as the momentum shifts towards the front. It was controllable though, so no problem - but needed a bit more attention than a more neutral 225/245 combo.

[ARMIN]

Were all the tires the same brand/condition?

[PearlJammzz]

I am going to be running a 235/255 17'' combo here soon (within the next 2-3 weeks), and I can let you now how that handles. I am hoping the fronts won't be too big, but we'll see. Remind me if I don't reply to this thread, I tend to forget haha.

[RePete]

Originally Posted by ARMIN

Were all the tires the same brand/condition?

Absolutely, as always.

Originally Posted by PearlJammzz

I am going to be running a 235/255 17'' combo here soon (within the next 2-3 weeks), and I can let you now how that handles...Remind me if I don't reply to this thread, I tend to forget haha.

I'll remind you! It's always nice to get feedback on a very rare 235 front setup.

[ARMIN]

Wow... Finding rims is harder than I thought.. Do you guys know of any rims that look like these and have better offsets? They're the Drag Dr-19's

[Madlife]

Originally Posted by ARMIN

Wow... Finding rims is harder than I thought.. Do you guys know of any rims that look like these and have better offsets? They're the Drag Dr-19's

Thats the problem I am having.. I want to run 16s but finding a 16x8+ for the rear is tough.. I may go 17" in the back.

[PearlJammzz]

Originally Posted by RePete

Absolutely, as always.
I'll remind you! It's always nice to get feedback on a very rare 235 front setup.

I got some Ingalls camber bolts yesterday, thatshould help me get these bitches on. Now I need to convince Discount Tire to mount 1 tire for me, let me play with that, and if I can get it to work buy another of that size, but if not return it for a 215 w/o losing any money other than maybe 10-15 bucks to mount it.

Aaron at ATS says he fit it on stock camber on a 17x8 +35 (just like I have...) w/o any mods or anything. Hopefully it'll be the same for me!

[ARMIN]

So I finally got the Koni shocks and TRD springs on and I'm very happy with how the car came out. I'm still thinking about rims so as of now I still have the stock 14's. Here's some before and after pics for reference on the drop:

BEFORE

[albertgunit101]

Originally Posted by ARMIN

Wow... Finding rims is harder than I thought.. Do you guys know of any rims that look like these and have better offsets? They're the Drag Dr-19's

http://www.dragwheels.com/image.asp?...514&height=500

go to tirerack.com search for ASA wheel brand they have em.