Volk TE37 SL fitment and questions

[jamesmoore20]

Hi guys, first time posting.


I have a 91’ and am looking for the right tire/wheel combo. I just bought KW coilovers and Brembos up front but am waiting to find the right set of wheels. Enter the Volk TE37SL. I love the look of this wheel and how light they are. That said I have a few concerns/questions about sizing. Please note that is use my NSX for both track days and city driving.


Here are the size options:


17"x7.5” and 17”x8.5” front
18”x9.5” and 18x10” rear


Here are my questions/concerns

1. The guy at my shop tells me that the only tire they can get for the 17x8.5” front will be slightly too small and will result in the rim extending a quarter inch past the tire on each side, essentially stretching it. I am concerned this will look odd and also wonder if there is a performance disadvantage or risk to this as I will be driving on track. He also said the thought the 7.5 inch front is a little too small.
2. Do they make sticky tires for the 8.5” fitment? I don’t believe R888’s fit but wonder if there are other good options
3. Is 8.5 inches too wide for the car? I’m keeping the car NA and won’t be supercharging so don’t know if I need that much tire.
4. What is the best width for rear?
5. Does anyone have another wheel/tire combos to recommend? I want to stay Japanese. I like the Advan RGIII’s but they seem a bit heavier than the TE37’s.

Thank you!
Jamie

 

[mwagner10702]

You didn't mention wheel offset, which I think is important for this discussion. I believe 8.5" up front is going to be too wide and will rub fenders / fender liners. Some owners have installed 20mm wider front fenders (i.e. Downforce) in order to run wider widths up front. Either size you cited would work for the rear (again need to know offsets). I can't comment as to whether the TE37SL are BBK compatible although I am sure others will chime in with information. I think @synth19 has run a version of the TE37 at some point so you may want to PM him. He has a Stoptech BBK on his car.

I have the Advan RGIII in 17x8 +37 (front) and 18x10 +35 (rear). These wheels fit great and are BBK compatible (I run a Stoptech BBK). As for tires, I run Advan AD08R (215/40-17 and 265/35-18). These are great street and track tires. Slightly noisy on the road, but lots of grip on the track once warmed up. These are 200 wear rated tires but grip like 100 wear rated tires.

Tire selection is limited in 17/18 sizing. Ideally the Bridgestone RE-71R is the tire you want (especially for the track), but it is not available in the correct front sizing. I have the Dunlop Direzza ZIII on my 1990 E30 M3 and it is also an amazing track tire (probably slightly less sticky than the RE-71R, but stickier than my AD08Rs). This is a track only tire for my E30 M3 so I can't comment on its street performance although I would assume it has similar characteristics as my AD08Rs. I've read the Falken Azenis RT615K+ is a respectable street / track tire as well. The Toyo R888R can work but you would need to step down to a 205/40-17 in the front. Of all the tires I've mentioned the R888R are probably the worst in wet weather. I probably wouldn't run them for that reason. You would need caution with the AD08R and ZIII on wet streets as well.

 

[jamesmoore20]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply!

I love the TE37sl's but it doesn't look like they come in fitment ideally suited for the NSX. I'm definitely warming up to the RGIII's with ADo8R's. Do you have a photo of your car I could check out? Would be great to see what they look like before I put in an order.

Thanks again!

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

It really comes down to offsets since that’s a huge variable that should be considered.

I don’t know what the current offerings are but I know a 215/40/17 tire doesn’t rub on stock fenders or liners with a modest drop and a 17x8.5 wheel offset 40 with a 3mm spacer since I ran that setup. Some are even more aggressive but there’s a lot of variables with less room for error once you try pushing the limits more and more.

 

[jamesmoore20]

Got it. How does the 215/45/17 tire fit on the 17x8.5 wheels? I was told the tire has to stretch to fit the rim and the rim sticks out a quarter inch on each side. Was this your experience? Thank you

 

[mwagner10702]

I think you will have issues with a 45 series aspect tire on the front. Honda fitted a 17" 40 series aspect tire on the front.

 

[mwagner10702]

Got it. How does the 215/45/17 tire fit on the 17x8.5 wheels? I was told the tire has to stretch to fit the rim and the rim sticks out a quarter inch on each side. Was this your experience? Thank you

Again - depends on what the wheel's offset is.

 

[mwagner10702]

Do you have a photo of your car I could check out? Would be great to see what they look like before I put in an order.

Here you go.

View attachment 156489

View attachment 156490

View attachment 156491

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

Oops. I meant 40. Just edited my post. Forgot but it’s the standard front sizing I’ve always used.

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

Got it. How does the 215/45/17 tire fit on the 17x8.5 wheels? I was told the tire has to stretch to fit the rim and the rim sticks out a quarter inch on each side. Was this your experience? Thank you

The tire was a little stretched but not extremely bad where the wheel lip was showing. I had a Dunlop dorezza za2 tire though.

It will depend on offsets. You can use a wheel offset calculator online to help gauge your current or idea sizing to other sizing.

And no they didn’t poke.

 

[jamesmoore20]

Wow. Stunning car. Thanks for sharing. Definitely leaning in this direction now.

 

[jamesmoore20]

Got it. Thanks so much!

 

[jamesmoore20]

It looks like they offer both 40 and 45 offset for the 17x8.5 wheel.