New wheels and tires

[whealy]

I went with SSR GT3’s with 18x7.5 in the front and 18x10 in the rear. I decided to stay 18’s across both axels as I just didn’t want the low 19 sidewall. If I could have gotten 17x7.5 in the front, I would have done that. I ended up with tire sizes of 225/35/18 S03’s in the front and 265/35/18 S03’s in the rear. These are installed on an 05 with no spacers and no rubbing.

Thanks to all those that have posted their wheel/tire purchaning experiences. Very helpful in my efforts.

Just thought I would share.

 

[mackash]

Very nice! Do you plan on lowering the car?

 

[skynet0419]

awesome rims! :biggrin:

my friend has those in gunmetal on his red M3

 

[BioBanker]

looks great!

 

[EIFFEL]

Is it me or what, but the front wheel looks bigger than the rear. 17 F. would definitely looks better, Still looks good.

 

[Texas91Brent]

Looks good....I would have gone 19 in rear...Lower it and it will be great!!!! Brent :biggrin:

 

[4AU4LIFE]

Is it me or what, but the front wheel looks bigger than the rear. 17 F. would definitely looks better, Still looks good.

It's just you. I think the reason it looks that way is because there is more open wheel well that is visible on the rear than on the front.

 

[whealy]

Is it me or what, but the front wheel looks bigger than the rear. 17 F. would definitely looks better, Still looks good.

Yep, even I noticed that. I was curious if others would as well.

I did plenty of research before I purchased. I do recall reading that same size wheel looked unbalanced in at least one post. I pretty much discounted it because my OEM (soon to be on sale OEM wheels ) were both 17. But I think 92NSX's comments are dead on. I do beleive the lip leads to the "optical illusion". I almost took them back off after putting the rears on. Ultimatly, I just didn't want to go 19's. I wanted more sidewall. Plus the ride on the new S03's at these sidewall heights has been awsome.

Strangly enough, while agree with the comments above, I still like the look. Not at all sure what it is, but the current setup just strikes me right. So, at least for now, this is my wheel & tire setup. Gosh knows this setup on everyone's care has got to be the most hotly contested items next to NA/SC/Turbo! To each their own. And to me, I like. Thanks for the comments.

 

[Ko-nsx]

front wheel looks bigger with the 18 18 setup

 

[Osiris_x11]

details on calipers!

I'm a fan of SSR wheels, priced very attractively for lightweight, quality, stylish wheels! I like that you went bold w/ the 18/18 setup, only others I know that did that are MissNSX w/ Enkei Aegis on her '95 Berlina black and Seth from ScienceOfSpeed w/ Advan Model 5's on his CF-WB NSX. :biggrin:

Something that I feel may help the NSX flow better w/ uniform diameter wheels in the front and rear are aftermarket side-skirts (ie. Stacy's side-skirts), 02+ rear-bumper valance, and simple OEM front lip (if aftermarket lip, position it maybe 3/8-1/2" higher than you otherwise would. The updated rear-bumper valance, subtle flared side-skirts, and higher-set front-valance lip will all combine in effect to help give the 'staggered' look, a more aggressive stance when viewing front-to-rear.

BTW, the finish on the OEM rotors... is that gold or bronze? What enamel did you use? (type of paint? clear-coat afterwards? etc)

 

[Esprit1]

Re: details on calipers!

I like that you went bold w/ the 18/18 setup, only others I know that did that are MissNSX w/ Enkei Aegis on her '95 Berlina black and Seth from ScienceOfSpeed w/ Advan Model 5's on his CF-WB NSX. :biggrin:

It is precisely by the recommendation of Chris and repeated study on Seth's car (both of SOS's fame) that the 18/18 had grown on me. Pending sutiable tires profile and body enhencement, one may minimize the optical illusion of this size miss-match.

With only tires in hand, I place both F/R tires side by side (225/35 18 & 315/30 18) and can immediately identify the 1/2" lower sidewall of the front. With this specific 18/18 front and back tire, it is generally consistant with OEM F/R diameter ratio. Only until I received Chris' custom wheel and have them mounted on my car will I be able pass final judgement of this combo.

The matter of preference we see here is the shorter front and taller rear sidewall that may or may not please our eyes. For one, I think the Diablo with taller rear is actually quite appealing.

In Whealy's case, I would have gone one size wider. His current 265/35x18 spec out at 25.4" and 275/35x18 is at 25.6". His wheels and car can accommodate this with no problem. Don't be surprise that 2/10 of an inch can make quite an optical difference in filling that wheelwell.

Best Regards
Paul

225/35 18 Front & 315/30 18 Rear

 

[Osiris_x11]

???

Please disregard my questions about the brake-discs, I initially overlooked that fact that your NSX was 02+ (rotors come in that finish as-is).

I place both F/R tires side by side (225/35 18 & 315/30 18) and can immediately identify the 1/2" lower sidewall of the front.

Is the front tire '30' profile and the rear tire '35' profile... as the pic shows the front tire (right) to have the shorter sidewall compared to rear tire (left) smaller profile: 30 < 35

{larger/taller sidewall = higher profile #}

 

[RP-Motorsports]

Profile does not always mean that a lower # will be a "lower profile" The "profile" # means that the sidewall is "that" % of the tread width.


JUST an EXTREME EXAMPLE BELOW

315-35 would have a sidewall of 110.25mm

205-40 = 82mm


Even though the 315 has a lower profile, it is still taller...........

I still vote for a 17/18 or 18/19 UNLESS used as track wheels.

 

[The Kid]

Looks good....I would have gone 19 in rear...Lower it and it will be great!!!! Brent :biggrin:

Ive got the 18/19 SSR GT3 combo and it looks sick. My car is lowered with comptech springs but I must warn you. Both my front rims are bent and I barely drive my car. :wink:

 

[Hapa88]

I went with SSR GT3’s with 18x7.5 in the front and 18x10 in the rear. I decided to stay 18’s across both axels as I just didn’t want the low 19 sidewall. I ended up with tire sizes of 225/35/18 S03’s in the front and 265/35/18 S03’s in the rear.

Thought this was interesting because the size of tire for a 19" wheel is usually 275/35/19, meaning you'd actually have MORE sidewall than your 265/35/18 in the back.

The profile number is the precentage of the width, and that represents the height of the sidewall.

so 275 * 0.35 = 96.25mm
vs 265 * 0.35 = 92.75mm

 

[Osiris_x11]

19/19 man, that's where it's AT!!!

Profile does not always mean that a lower # will be a "lower profile" The "profile" # means that the sidewall is "that" % of the tread width.

Thanks Tom!

I lost sleep over that last nite, as evident by the time I posted the comment... :biggrin: