BBS LM 18's all around question

[Rusted_nailz]

Hey guys, I was wondering if there are any downside to having 18's all around. I found a used sset of BBS LM in gold that I like. The specs are 18x8 +35 and 18x9 +35. Im not too worried about performance because I also have CE28's coming in but I love the way the BBS wheels look. Any insight would be great. Thanks

 

[scorp965]

No picture, but I have seen 18/18 LM's before, and they look strange.

Hold out for a set of 17/18's

 

[davidf]

Here, do right. http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99061

 

[KooLaid]

personally not fond of how slim the 18" front tires will be in comparison to the 18" rear tires.

 

[ill roller]

I'm running 18/18 LMs at the moment. It's not my ideal setup, but I had the wheels laying around from my previous car, and with the right ride height and tire setup you can make it look decent.

 

[Rusted_nailz]

I think it looks great! What are the specs on your BBS's?

I'm running 18/18 LMs at the moment. It's not my ideal setup, but I had the wheels laying around from my previous car, and with the right ride height and tire setup you can make it look decent.

 

[ill roller]

I think it looks great! What are the specs on your BBS's?

Thanks, they are 18x8 +50 and 18x9.5 +55 and I'm using a 25mm bolt on spacer in the rear.

 

[Rusted_nailz]

So with the spacer, the rear is actually +30 right? Hmm i think i may pick up the wheels because I love gold on white

 

[ill roller]

So with the spacer, the rear is actually +30 right? Hmm i think i may pick up the wheels because I love gold on white

Correct, they are effectively +30 with the spacer... These wheels didn't clear the brakes without a small spacer, but I threw on the 25mm to get it nice and flush with the fender.

 

[Dhalsim]

Man.....BBS LMs are sweet on these cars.......I love the look......anybody make a cheap knockoff I can buy as a second set?

 

[ill roller]

No knockoffs please. This isn't a $2000 civic here, just buy the real thing.

 

[scorp965]

No knockoffs please. This isn't a $2000 civic here, just buy the real thing.

So why compromise your tire selection by running an 18" front wheel?

BBS recommends 17x7.5 +38 (F) and 18x9 +42 (R), that's what I have on both of my cars.

 

[ill roller]

So why compromise your tire selection by running an 18" front wheel?

BBS recommends 17x7.5 +38 (F) and 18x9 +42 (R), that's what I have on both of my cars.

What does that have to do with buying crappy wheels? Is my wheel going to break when I hit a pothole because I'm running a non-staggered setup? No, but they fit fine, and the car drives fine.

I only run 18/18 temporarily until I have enough money to buy the wheels I really want. These were just left over from my previous car:

 

[Oyagi]

I love the LMs, one of the finest wheels around IMHO. I had a set of gold with red centres which I had refinished and had on the car for a whopping month before selling them (offer I couldn't refuse :biggrin.

I think 18's on the front looks a little odd.

 

[nsxtasy]

I was wondering if there are any downside to having 18's all around.

Several:

1. Tire availability. You'll need 215/35-18 tires in front to be sure you'll avoid rubbing, and there just aren't that many top-of-the-line tires available in that size. There is far more availability of the highest-performance tires in 215/40-17 for 17" front wheels.

2. Handling. The handling on the NSX tends to degrade ever so slightly when the stagger (difference in treadwidth, front vs rear) is 50 mm and more so when it's higher than that. With 215/35-18 and 265/35-18, you're right at 50 mm; it will suffer if you go wider than 265 in the rear.

3. Acceleration. The greater weight of the larger wheels will have a slight negative effect.

4. Cost. Both tires and wheels are slightly more expensive in the larger sizes.

5. Looks. Obviously looks are a matter of personal taste, but most NSX owners prefer the staggered wheel diameters (larger diameter in the rear) and think that the same-size wheel diameters (e.g. 18"/18") make the car look somewhat unbalanced. This is because the NSX requires tires with a larger outer diameter in the rear than in the front. Using the same diameter wheels at both ends means that the sidewalls in the rear must be dramatically higher than in the front.

All of these reasons explain why 17"/18" wheels (usually with 215/40-17 and 265/35-18 tires) are the most popular aftermarket fitment for the NSX. And FWIW, most NSX owners who get 18" front wheels, get 19" rear wheels (usually with 275/30-19 tires) and not 18" rear wheels.

 

[Brooklynzson]

Looks better 17/18 with exception to the White Nsx with 18/18 his is pure sex on wheels, but i prefer 17/18

 

[NSXDreamer2]

Rusted, I used to have 18/18 set up, it only looks better in you just looking the front. (that's why my pic on S2k only have the front angle) I agreed 18/18 looks a little odd as everyone says.

My 18 TE37 fronts still at my house, I will gladly point out to you how it affects the handling even on street driving. I hated it; even with my oversteering suspension setup, with the 18/18 street tires, I have uncorrectable understeer in relative low speed. If you just want baller wheels, go 18/19. If you still care about performance and handling, go 17/18.

 

[Rusted_nailz]

I may just hold off for the moment and wait for my ce28's to come in before getting anything else. Thanks for the input guys

 

[RYU]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this but you need to also consider the final rolling diameter ratio between the front and rear. If it's off by more than +-5% (I believe that's what someone determined on prime) from stock it will throw off your TCS.

 

[Mynsxjoy]

I was considering the same wheels bbs and ce28 I wanted 17/18 as well, I ended up going with the ze forged 17/18 custom build for the NSX. Very happy with the setup. Not the best pic.