• Protip: Profile posts are public! Use Conversations to message other members privately. Everyone can see the content of a profile post.

What are the + / - to using 18's all around vs. stagger?

EuroBoutique

EuroBoutique

Legendary Member
Full Vendor
Joined
15 October 2003
Messages
6,844
Location
West coast!
We all know the 2002+ NSX's come with 17" rims all around on the car as factory equipment.

SO, the question is why does everyone mostly run stagger 17/18 or 18/19" setups on the NSX?

I mean a standard plus 1 upgrade would mean 18" rims on the front AND rear correct?

Is there a performance reason most nsx owners run a stagger?

I know for optimum performance the preferred setup is 17/18" setup but I rarely track my car and going for the visual look more. However I do NOT want to have any rubbing or sacrifice how the car is meant to be driven just for show.

My current Volk GTV 18/19" setup works great with no rubbing or issues but my current problem is that I cannot source the 19" rim I want to use for the rear. Thus that leaves me with the choice of running 18" all around or going with a 17" front. Sadly on a step lip wheel a 17" up front means the wheel looks more like a tiny 16" rim :frown:

So what so do you guys suggest?

PLAN A: Use 18" front, 17" rear and just live with it

PLAN B: Use 18" all around as it's easier to source, any negatives?

Plan C: WAIT till I can find a 19" rear, 18" front setup

PS: In case you are wondering, I'm looking at the BBS LM's



thanks guys and happy holidays,
rick
 
Are you sure you don't want to run 17/18? I do and it looks the bomb when lowered. You are sitting way lower than I presently am and I still think this is the best combo.

Here's some pics that might sway you...

IMG_0144.jpg

IMG_0147.jpg

DSC00160.jpg
 
Last edited:
Jet your car looks the bomb regardless :)

But your rims are like Prodrives...see the spoke goes all the way to the edge?

BBS LM's have a step lip so a 17" wheel looks moreso like a 16" wheel....and vice versa. This is my main concern.

I know "certain" 17" rims do look very nice such as yours :biggrin:



rick
 
Unless you're just in it for the looks, 18" front tire selection is crappy and alot more expensive than 17". So most people performance oriented would go for 17/17 or 17/18 tops, Billy Johnson prefers 18/18. 18/19 is hugely for eye candy. I run 18/19 and it looks good but I hate the tire selection. You should be able to find a better tire selection for 18/18 vs 18/19 though. Most people run staggered and feel it's ok because that's what came from the factory until 2002. Many will tell you that the staggered wheel setup keeps with the lines of the car, from a narrow thin front to a taller rear.

I use my car for hard driving and for general wheeling around. I put real miles on my car and tires are not cheap.Instead of cheaping out on the tires because they are expensive, I would prefer to run tires that are high in performance but lower in cost.
 
Last edited:
Cameron,
Love the wheels combo on your Imola. Your black wheels complement the Imola very well.:cool:


Jetpilot3 said:
Are you sure you don't want to run 17/18? I do and it looks the bomb when lowered. You are sitting way lower than I presently am and I still think this is the best combo.

Here's some pics that might sway you...

IMG_0144.jpg

IMG_0147.jpg

DSC00160.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I recently struggled with this decision as well. I have a set of 18/18 Blitz wheels from my S2k that I thought would look good on the NSX. I also just completed an agonizing decision process on my 66 Chevelle on if to go 17/17, 17/18, or 18/18. I sort of know what you're going through. A lot of $$ is at stake afterall!

From a purely design perspective, the lines of each car ultimately helped me with my decision. Cars with larger rear "hips" like the NSX and the Corvette looks more proportionately balanced staggered when you consider that the beltline/hipline from the back is higher than in the front. You can tell from the NSX above with the 18/18 combo that the rear wheel definitely looks proportionately smaller (I don't know.. maybe i'm the only that sees it). Looking at Corvettes with 18/18 and 19/19 combo seemed to look off to me as well but it's not as pronounced as in the NSX.

The one easy way to understand what i'm talking about is to look at a sideview pic of your NSX. Follow the lower floor line and proportionately follow the top of each (F & R) wheel well. The top of the rear well is easily much higher than the front (with the car's floor parallel to the ground).

As a sanity check... I had a few design guys at work compare some pics of both the NSX and Chevelle with different wheel configs. They agreed that from a proportional perspective Chevelles look better with same size all around and NSX look better with staggered. The Chevelle has a lower rear hip than in the front.

at the end of the day different strokes for different folks... :) good luck with your decision!

UPDATE: Did a quick search on the 599 GTB and it comes with 19/20 as well.
fer0003.jpg
 
Last edited:
Rick that white NSX pulls the 18's off perfectly so I don't see why not! ViperDrivers +02 does as well so maybe that's the best option?!

Slamstrom thanks for the props! To be honest and not to thread jack I did worry about what the black wheels on an Imola would look like...turned out great.
 
I think the most of you like it because the wheels themselves are hot.
And they are, but it would look even better staggered.

IMG_3411r-1.jpg


2001271568595616392_rs.jpg
 
You and your orange whatever with those black whatever wheels and that slightly lowered whatever just suck.
I hate you and now have to go out and have a cigarette!!!
why do you have to come on here and make my red car looks so bad with your ole so sexy orange bling bling???
Props to you, that thing is so hot.
Its what I call perfect.
Give us a call when you get back to town dude!

Now the white car, its too low and need to be raised 1 inch so the wheel wheels and tyres match up. Otherwise you have these beautiful round tyres not lining up with these now eliptical looks wheel wells.

Watch the drop boys, too much slam ain't that pretty.

Just my 2 cents, but Hey, I love them all and props to you all.
Beautiful cars.

Trev - off topic as usual.
 
I'm just curious how anyone drives a car that low aggressively. There's no more suspension travel and hardly any room in those fenders above the fender openings as it is. Are the tires sitting on the fender liners?
 
Last edited:
I personally like the staggered look. I *really* like that Orange NSX stance.

How do those black Prodrives (on the orange NSX) compare to Volk TE37's??? I have an 18/19 set-up now and JRZ suspension sitting in the box. I'm hesitating installing them on the current size because I've been thinking about selling them and looking for 17/18 (primarily because I want to stay closer to OEM specs but don't want 17's all around).

Anyway, how much are those Prodrives (in 17/18)?

Anyone have any clue as to what a used set of Volk TE 37's could go for if I choose to sell (rim only or rim/tire)? I have a good pair of ContiSportContact2's in the front and a worn pair in the rear.
 
KooLaid said:
I'm just curious how anyone drives a car that low aggressively. There's no more suspension travel and hardly any room in those fenders above the fender openings as it is. Are the tires sitting on the fender liners?
Click to expand...


KooLaid: A properly lowered car with the correct offset rims/tires should have no adverse affects on handling or rubbing issues. However it does make traversing speed bumps, steep angle driveways, and avoiding highway debris a bit more tricky! I’ve been driving lowered cars since I was 16 so by now it’s second nature to me to do certain things to avoid any curbing or scraping of my front bumper. I am quite a bit more cautious and alert than even the veteran driver so for me it works out fine but I would never expect others to be the same (even if they claim so) so I rarely let others drive my car. Many people who drive exotics are oblivious to the fact of lowered cars because quite frankly their Ferrari F430 sits about 2” higher than my NSX or even my m3!

I’m still waiting to hear back from the owner of the white nsx with the 18” BBS LM’s all around to see what tire sizes he is running. I’ve been doing my homework and collecting bits of info from all the Prime members and here’s what I found so far.

Size wise, the NSX can run:


FRONTS:

17x7.5”, +38
18x8.0”, +38 to +40

REARS:
18x9.5”, +30 to +42
19x10”, +30 to +42

This is assuming you are going to run a stagger 17/18 or 18/19 setup. I am current running the latter 18/19” setup with some Volk GTV.

I plan to go do some test fitment with a set of gold LM’s in 17/18 to see if I like how that setup works/looks on my nsx.


Tamaya: The orange NSX listed in this thread is 17/18 setup. They are NOT Prodrives.


Stay tuned,
Rick
 
I've run 16/17... 17/17... 17/18... 18/18... 18/19 (current setup)... 18/20 and also 19/20.
I prefer 18/19 due to the fact that the car can still be slammed without major wheel well rub compared to larger setups... although the 18/18 did look good a few yrs back:

4-3.jpg


7-1.jpg


nsxmarch19005.jpg
 
How about the feel and handling of the car. Did you notice any difference with all those different set ups?
 
I guess nobody real cares about the accuracy of the odometer or speedometer. It would be nice to keep track of actual mileage (I'm not sure how sever the error is running 18/19; current set-up). All I know is that when it says I'm going 70, I'm NOT going 70 (passing too many cars)
 
tamaya said:
I guess nobody real cares about the accuracy of the odometer or speedometer. It would be nice to keep track of actual mileage (I'm not sure how sever the error is running 18/19; current set-up). All I know is that when it says I'm going 70, I'm NOT going 70 (passing too many cars)
Click to expand...


That is NOT true if you stick to plus sizing (see Tirerack's explanation)

Essentially as your rim gets bigger, your tire gets thinner so the overall diameter does not change that much.

For example when you increase the rim from 17" to 18", you get a thinner tire so instead of 215/40/17 you do a 215/35/17
 
tamaya said:
I guess nobody real cares about the accuracy of the odometer or speedometer. It would be nice to keep track of actual mileage (I'm not sure how sever the error is running 18/19; current set-up). All I know is that when it says I'm going 70, I'm NOT going 70 (passing too many cars)
Click to expand...
Don't quote me on this but if I recall correctly the variance with upsizing each inch is about +/- 3% for each size up. Obviously fractionally greater variance the higher you go up. You would have to be going very fast to notice a higher than 5mph change.

s4play said:
That is NOT true if you stick to plus sizing (see Tirerack's explanation)

Essentially as your rim gets bigger, your tire gets thinner so the overall diameter does not change that much.

For example when you increase the rim from 17" to 18", you get a thinner tire so instead of 215/40/17 you do a 215/35/17
Click to expand...
In theory, tirerack is correct but I think we are working with such low profiles already that this is one I can refute with some evidence based on the different sets I have here. My rear 265/30/19 tires/wheels are easily 0.5" to 0.75" taller than my 255/35/18. I'll have to find the comparison pic somewhere. I was wondering the same thing...
 
tamaya said:
I personally like the staggered look. I *really* like that Orange NSX stance.

How do those black Prodrives (on the orange NSX) compare to Volk TE37's??? I have an 18/19 set-up now and JRZ suspension sitting in the box. I'm hesitating installing them on the current size because I've been thinking about selling them and looking for 17/18 (primarily because I want to stay closer to OEM specs but don't want 17's all around).

Anyway, how much are those Prodrives (in 17/18)?

Anyone have any clue as to what a used set of Volk TE 37's could go for if I choose to sell (rim only or rim/tire)? I have a good pair of ContiSportContact2's in the front and a worn pair in the rear.
Click to expand...

Hey Tamaya - they are JIC Force 05 wheels from Science of Speed:
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/JIC/J-Force_05/

Hey ffffanman - thanks for the props! Told you she was hot...you might get to see her at NSXPO 09 as I'm thinking of shipping her back.

Rick - I think you should run a Silver colored wheel on your NSX...in 18/18 or go Gold.
 
Jetpilot: Yeah I totally agree, I'm looking for either a silver or DSK (dark gun-metal) color for my next wheel.

Black wheels have great contrast but this is not the look I want for my nsx (thought it would look good but it's not what I was after) Originally I thought my GTV's polished lip would bring out the wheel more but still not enough.



rk
 
No one has addressed 19/19 combo. There was a black 02 NSX in a earlier post w MRR H2 wheels.....I believe Porsche and Nissan offer this combo...
 

Similar threads

Ldougee
18/29 vors sp1
Replies
1
Views
266
JoseJA1979
JoseJA1979
MexiRicer
Wheels Ce28n NSX Spec 17/18 Concave
Replies
0
Views
199
MexiRicer
MexiRicer
MexiRicer
Wheels Te37 Dbl concave NSX specs 17/18
Replies
5
Views
814
MexiRicer
MexiRicer
B
Rubbing in front with Widebody, 245/40-17, KW Coilovers...
Replies
8
Views
186
Bigfieroman
B
MexiRicer
Wheels 17/18 Te37 Mag Blue
Replies
6
Views
860
MynsxK
M
Back
Top