Question on wheels...

[JohneeBoy]

I currently and proudly own a Mk1, however the wheels are somewhat tatty and the tyres close to needing to be replaced. As a result I have decided to go for a new set of wheels. The ones that have caught my eye are the Rota RB's which seem to be a fairly common swap. I'm looking at the 15's with an 8" width but have concerns about the arches. Should I or will they fit without any additional work. Bear in mind I may also lower it at some stage with a set of coil overs.

If the asnwer is 'no - avoid' what size options do I have?

[71notout]

i went for 7" wide RBs but this was more due to amount of tyre stretch with a 195 on an 8" and personal preference.

i think there are plenty of guys with 5s running quite low and 8" wide - you should be fine unless you go ridiculously low.

[rob0971]

Mine is lowered 30mm+ & is running on 15x8 Rb's with 195/50 toyos. Plenty of room. No need to roll the arches. (30mm offset)

Edited by rob0971 on Thursday 19th August 22:27

[youngsyr]

May or may not be relevant, depending on how much clearance you have, but different types of tyres have different shapes and widths across the shoulder, even in the same tyre size.

For example, semi-slick tyres such as Yokoham AO48 and Toyo R888s tend to be squarer across the shoulder and so have lower clearance than normal road tyres, such as Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric F1s, even in the same tyre size.

[JohneeBoy]

Thanks for the replies.

[JohneeBoy]

rob0971 said:

Mine is lowered 30mm+ & is running on 15x8 Rb's with 195/50 toyos. Plenty of room. No need to roll the arches. (30mm offset)

Edited by rob0971 on Thursday 19th August 22:27

Do you have any pics?

[Digby]

Approx 30 to 35 mm drop on KYB's and Eibachs on mine.Rota RB 15 x 8 ET30 with Toyos.
Never rubbed once and provided a nice dab of camber on the back.

CLICK FOR BIGGER PICS





Car is on a gradient here, so it appears a bit higher than it is on flat ground.

Edited by Digby on Sunday 22 August 14:01

[rob0971]

I took this ages ago. Think i had the Koni's on then.

[seismic22]

what effect does 15" instead of 14" and wider rims with a greater offset have on the cars handling?

[GravelBen]

seismic22 said:

what effect does 15" instead of 14" and wider rims with a greater offset have on the cars handling?

A bit less sidewall flex/play can make it feel more direct, potentially slightly more grip depending on the tyres used.

Wider offset (smaller ET number) can cause a bit more tramlining and a slight change in scrub close to full lock but anything up to ET35 should be fine.

[JohneeBoy]

Thanks all. I think its going to be the Rota's.

[JohneeBoy]

One last thing. What size tyres would be recommended? Digby, I'm looking at you.

Edited by JohneeBoy on Tuesday 24th August 19:47

[GravelBen]

JohneeBoy said:

What size tyres would be recommended?

195/50R15 or 205/50R15 - either option is fine but the 195 is most common.

[rob0971]

seismic22 said:

what effect does 15" instead of 14" and wider rims with a greater offset have on the cars handling?

No tramlining with my et 30 rims. Unless you are on the track & the car is predominantly for road use, dont get caught up worrying about weight, offset etc. You wont notice any difference in normal use.

[Digby]

GravelBen said:

JohneeBoy said:

What size tyres would be recommended?

195/50R15 or 205/50R15 - either option is fine but the 195 is most common.

195's on mine.Like glue in the dry (unless you want to have some fun on purpose).