Need help finding good MK1 wheels...

PearlJammzz · 05-05-2008, 10:30 AM

Ok, I am trying to help a friend find some decent wheels. He has a 87 NA which he will eventually turbo so figure might as well start w/ a good footprint for now.

1. How important is a staggered setup on a MK1? MK2's and MK3's both have a staggered fitment by ~1 inch

2. What are the flush fitments on a MK1? Performance is wanted of course, but so is looks.

3. How big is the rub point on a MK1? I think the MK2 is ~22ish inches I beliebe but noooo idea on the MK1.

4. Would a 15x7 (or 16x7) up front and a 16x8 out back work well on a MK1? What kind of tire sizes would we be able to get away with on this? 225/45 in back and a 205/45 or 50 front?

Thanks for the input and help!

curvesrgood · 05-05-2008, 11:23 AM

I'm running both staggered and non staggered setups on my two cars, but haven't been running the staggered deal very long... so maybe I can help a little with info on this?

1. It is "necessary" on the mk2 and mk3 as they were designed to be staggered... have you ever ridden in a mk2 without a staggered setup? They catch ruts in the road like nobody's business and feel a bit like you're on a boat. I know a non-staggered setup will cause this because my friend has swapped back and forth changing nothing else (all suspension components we already replaced) and the non-staggered setup will almost make you sea sick riding... driving you'll go nuts. As the mk1 is not designed to be staggered it isn't as important... unless you're needing more rear grip or something to that effect. I'm running a 1 inch staggered pattern as well on my 88 S/C.

2. I'm running spacers on mine. I believe the front was about a 10mm spacer... rear was either 15 or 20. Can ask dad if he remembers. We made these ourselves over at the shop in a couple hours. Nothing sticks out beyond the fenders or looks odd at all. I don't know the offset on my volks off-hand either... that's what happens when your short term memory sucks and you buy used wheels from ebay that were produced back in 1991.

3. By rub point are you meaning where the tire rubs on the spring mount/strut housing? Mine rubbed with 16's and 215/40 series tires on one side up front with 7.5 inch wide wheels until I smacked it a few times with a hammer along the back edge to move it a couple of millimeters for added clearance. No more rubbing at all.

4. I'm running 16x7.5 and 16x8.5 and they work great. Tire selection is limited in 16 so after 30 or 45 minutes of looking for someone that produced a matching set of high speed rated tires that would fit I went with 215/40 up front (this is max or slightly beyond... see clearance issue above for clarification) and am running 225/40's in the rear. The rear could hold 45's or probably 50's fine, but not the front with 7.5 wide wheels, not without changing your whole suspension setup and going to coilovers or something. Also I wanted more like a 235 rear, but apparently they don't produce one in the 16 in 40 series in the top speed rating category... Toyo needs to get their act together! The T1R's actually cost me more than my volks, so beware of tire prices when you get creative with 16 inch rims and odd staggered sizes.

My N/A car has 16x7 all around and the strut top rub is further away from the 205/40 tires on it since the wheel/tire doesn't come in as far over towards the strut. Maybe a 45 series tire would be fine on there with a 205 tire, but I'm not sure being as I haven't tried it. I'm running Proxes S4's on it in 205/40. I have nothing but good things to say for those tires too... very grippy and treadwear has been fantastic on them for a performance tire!! While they are not as grippy as the T1R, they'll do fine for anything under 200 horsepower or that isn't being tracked.

I hope maybe that helped a little.

PearlJammzz · 05-05-2008, 11:53 AM

Thank you

. Ya, my MK2 came w/ a non-staggered setup, was insanely crappy!

Where did you run? The bottom of the spring perch(top of time)? Or the strut housing (side of tire)?

curvesrgood · 05-05-2008, 02:45 PM

I rubbed on the bottom of the spring perch... but on the side closer to the strut housing. That's why I wasn't so sure about 45 series tires with the 16x7. Personally I think I'd like a 45 series tire but won't be able to run that size (if they even make it in the T1R...) until I swap over to a coilover setup... which is my plan in the near future. I've got Eibach springs now on the S/C and it sits pretty nice, but I want it to sit a little lower... think I'm going to put the Eibachs on the N/A car and do a coilover setup on the S/C.

My buddy's 92 came with a non-staggered setup when he got it and we literally replaced everything else suspension wise... then when he got his new wheels/tires suddenly the weird "boat like" action in the rear at speed on straight roads completely went away! We were both at our wit's end and he was ready to sell the car if the wheel/tire deal didn't fix things. Thankfully it did!

PearlJammzz · 05-06-2008, 09:52 AM

Yes, that floaty feeling blows. So the MK1 doesn't have this issue?

curvesrgood · 05-06-2008, 11:32 AM

It doesn't really seem to... even with the non-staggered 16x7's the N/A doesn't really seem to catch ruts... at least not like the mk2's seem to if they aren't staggered. The S/C drives really good but has about 100K more miles on the suspension/chassis but it has had lots of things replaced and it feels solid and doesn't seem to "float" either.

05-05-2008, 10:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
PearlJammzz Cage Fighter Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 2,115 Thanks: 9 Thanked 74 Times in 69 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	Need help finding good MK1 wheels... Ok, I am trying to help a friend find some decent wheels. He has a 87 NA which he will eventually turbo so figure might as well start w/ a good footprint for now. 1. How important is a staggered setup on a MK1? MK2's and MK3's both have a staggered fitment by ~1 inch 2. What are the flush fitments on a MK1? Performance is wanted of course, but so is looks. 3. How big is the rub point on a MK1? I think the MK2 is ~22ish inches I beliebe but noooo idea on the MK1. 4. Would a 15x7 (or 16x7) up front and a 16x8 out back work well on a MK1? What kind of tire sizes would we be able to get away with on this? 225/45 in back and a 205/45 or 50 front? Thanks for the input and help!

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05-05-2008, 11:23 AM	#2 (permalink)
curvesrgood three mk1's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NC Posts: 499 Thanks: 8 Thanked 33 Times in 28 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I'm running both staggered and non staggered setups on my two cars, but haven't been running the staggered deal very long... so maybe I can help a little with info on this? 1. It is "necessary" on the mk2 and mk3 as they were designed to be staggered... have you ever ridden in a mk2 without a staggered setup? They catch ruts in the road like nobody's business and feel a bit like you're on a boat. I know a non-staggered setup will cause this because my friend has swapped back and forth changing nothing else (all suspension components we already replaced) and the non-staggered setup will almost make you sea sick riding... driving you'll go nuts. As the mk1 is not designed to be staggered it isn't as important... unless you're needing more rear grip or something to that effect. I'm running a 1 inch staggered pattern as well on my 88 S/C. 2. I'm running spacers on mine. I believe the front was about a 10mm spacer... rear was either 15 or 20. Can ask dad if he remembers. We made these ourselves over at the shop in a couple hours. Nothing sticks out beyond the fenders or looks odd at all. I don't know the offset on my volks off-hand either... that's what happens when your short term memory sucks and you buy used wheels from ebay that were produced back in 1991. 3. By rub point are you meaning where the tire rubs on the spring mount/strut housing? Mine rubbed with 16's and 215/40 series tires on one side up front with 7.5 inch wide wheels until I smacked it a few times with a hammer along the back edge to move it a couple of millimeters for added clearance. No more rubbing at all. 4. I'm running 16x7.5 and 16x8.5 and they work great. Tire selection is limited in 16 so after 30 or 45 minutes of looking for someone that produced a matching set of high speed rated tires that would fit I went with 215/40 up front (this is max or slightly beyond... see clearance issue above for clarification) and am running 225/40's in the rear. The rear could hold 45's or probably 50's fine, but not the front with 7.5 wide wheels, not without changing your whole suspension setup and going to coilovers or something. Also I wanted more like a 235 rear, but apparently they don't produce one in the 16 in 40 series in the top speed rating category... Toyo needs to get their act together! The T1R's actually cost me more than my volks, so beware of tire prices when you get creative with 16 inch rims and odd staggered sizes. My N/A car has 16x7 all around and the strut top rub is further away from the 205/40 tires on it since the wheel/tire doesn't come in as far over towards the strut. Maybe a 45 series tire would be fine on there with a 205 tire, but I'm not sure being as I haven't tried it. I'm running Proxes S4's on it in 205/40. I have nothing but good things to say for those tires too... very grippy and treadwear has been fantastic on them for a performance tire!! While they are not as grippy as the T1R, they'll do fine for anything under 200 horsepower or that isn't being tracked. I hope maybe that helped a little.

05-05-2008, 11:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
PearlJammzz Cage Fighter Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 2,115 Thanks: 9 Thanked 74 Times in 69 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	Thank you . Ya, my MK2 came w/ a non-staggered setup, was insanely crappy! Where did you run? The bottom of the spring perch(top of time)? Or the strut housing (side of tire)?

05-05-2008, 02:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
curvesrgood three mk1's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NC Posts: 499 Thanks: 8 Thanked 33 Times in 28 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I rubbed on the bottom of the spring perch... but on the side closer to the strut housing. That's why I wasn't so sure about 45 series tires with the 16x7. Personally I think I'd like a 45 series tire but won't be able to run that size (if they even make it in the T1R...) until I swap over to a coilover setup... which is my plan in the near future. I've got Eibach springs now on the S/C and it sits pretty nice, but I want it to sit a little lower... think I'm going to put the Eibachs on the N/A car and do a coilover setup on the S/C. My buddy's 92 came with a non-staggered setup when he got it and we literally replaced everything else suspension wise... then when he got his new wheels/tires suddenly the weird "boat like" action in the rear at speed on straight roads completely went away! We were both at our wit's end and he was ready to sell the car if the wheel/tire deal didn't fix things. Thankfully it did!

05-06-2008, 09:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
PearlJammzz Cage Fighter Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 2,115 Thanks: 9 Thanked 74 Times in 69 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (7/100% )	Yes, that floaty feeling blows. So the MK1 doesn't have this issue?

05-06-2008, 11:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
curvesrgood three mk1's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NC Posts: 499 Thanks: 8 Thanked 33 Times in 28 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	It doesn't really seem to... even with the non-staggered 16x7's the N/A doesn't really seem to catch ruts... at least not like the mk2's seem to if they aren't staggered. The S/C drives really good but has about 100K more miles on the suspension/chassis but it has had lots of things replaced and it feels solid and doesn't seem to "float" either.