15x8 and 225 45r15?

[johnshan]

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Pro race 15x8 +35 gloss bronze wrapped in 225/45 BFGoodrich rival s. Stock suspension

I love the look! Turned out better than I thought it would, wheels are gorgeous, Thanks Chalon.

I haven't done much driving yet so I will wait to give my opinion on the performance benefits.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Pro race 15x8 +35 gloss bronze wrapped in 225/45 BFGoodrich rival s. Stock suspension

I love the look! Turned out better than I thought it would, wheels are gorgeous, Thanks Chalon.

I haven't done much driving yet so I will wait to give my opinion on the performance benefits.

Those DO look good on a MO car, and that shade of bronze is MUCH closer to what I want than the 'copperish' shade of the ones Chalon photoshopped for me onto a Magnetic ST in the other thread (maybe the sunlight changes them radically??).

 

[ericr]

Pro race 15x8 +35 gloss bronze wrapped in 225/45 BFGoodrich rival s. Stock suspension

I love the look! Turned out better than I thought it would, wheels are gorgeous, Thanks Chalon.

I haven't done much driving yet so I will wait to give my opinion on the performance benefits.

Photo links aren't working

 

[johnshan]

Photo links aren't working

Ok, should be working now.
[MENTION=4438]M-Sport fan[/MENTION]
Yes, the bronze wheels change color pretty dramatically in full sun to shade. In some ways the powder coat (i think?) is similar to my car's molten orange paint in the sense that there is some kind of metal flake.

indoor lighting

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[M-Sport fan]

I also think that they look MUCH MUCH better in 15" diameter (ESPECIALLY with those BFG gumballs on them!) than the 6uls (regardless of the small weight hit), or almost any other wheel in 15, to the point that maybe I can live with their looks, despite being such a tiny wheel.

Which lugs did you use, and what do most on here use (company/material wise)?

 

[ericr]

Nice and meaty! Those Rival's look big for the size. My set is in just waiting for tires on Monday. I hope my bronze set will work OK on my PB with 225/50's

 

[johnshan]

I also think that they look MUCH MUCH better in 15" diameter (ESPECIALLY with those BFG gumballs on them!) than the 6uls (regardless of the small weight hit), or almost any other wheel in 15, to the point that maybe I can live with their looks, despite being such a tiny wheel.

Which lugs did you use, and what do most on here use (company/material wise)?

My lug nuts are black Muteki SR48 12x1.5.

I thought the 15's looked small when i first started looking for wheels and I was pretty nervous about how it would turn out before i received them. On the car, in person, and with the meaty tires these wheels don't look small to me. I actually think they are more proportional to the body and brake size than the 17s.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yes, I am leaning more and more to that setup.

In fact, at this point it is only that ALL of the 225/45-15s are about a 1/2 inch short of the stockers in overall height, that is even making me hesitate, and that it might be a while until I get a good coil over setup on the car to lower/corner weight it and make up for that extra fender gap.

And that these cars do not need ANY steeper, (numerically higher) gear ratios than what the factory gives them, due to the shorter tires.

 

[johnshan]

fender gap is personal preference, but i'm pretty happy with how the stock suspension looks for now. looks a little rally.

So far i like the very slight change in gearing. The euro special production ST200 changed the final drive to a "steeper" ratio to improve performance. It would be interesting to see how the ST200 gearing compares to 225/45 tires. Also having a smaller diameter lowers CG while retaining stock suspension travel.

 

[M-Sport fan]

fender gap is personal preference, but i'm pretty happy with how the stock suspension looks for now. looks a little rally.

So far i like the very slight change in gearing. The euro special production ST200 changed the final drive to a "steeper" ratio to improve performance. It would be interesting to see how the ST200 gearing compares to 225/45 tires. Also having a smaller diameter lowers CG while retaining stock suspension travel.

GREAT points ALL!^^^^

 

[meFiSTo]

My TD 15x8 PR 1.2s finally landed (ET 35). They are in high power silver. In keeping with my car's stated "objective" of being comparatively stealthy, these do not make my car stand out visually, but I'm happy with their effect. I think they look a little more interesting in person than in the pics, but I've included a few pics that I snappped.

Tires: Hankook RS-3 (Version 2) in 225/45-15.

They appear to sit very square. My car has a very slight drop. It's nearly stock. I loathe rubbing at the track and it helps reduce the rubbing to retain some gap (given a moderately stiff setting for the coilovers). The setup (in my way of looking at wheels/tires) fits nicely. The wheels actually stick out slightly from the edge of the wheel well with the 35 mm offset. They would not easily tuck if the car was slammed -- which is not a concern for me, just an observation

The lighting was not perfect, but here's what I've got.

 

[M-Sport fan]

PERFECTION!

The RS3s are about the widest (in actual tread width) 225/45, 200 tread wear tire on the market, correct?

(Some of the 100 tread wear and BELOW extra sticky donuts run a good deal wider than even the RS3s.)

 

[meFiSTo]

PERFECTION!

The RS3s are about the widest (in actual tread width) 225/45, 200 tread wear tire on the market, correct?

(Some of the 100 tread wear and BELOW extra sticky donuts run a good deal wider than even the RS3s.)

LOL. If you are asking me, I have absolutely no idea. I didn't split those hairs. I just figured it would fit in the wheel well and runs a little short as a general size (which I like for track purposes).

I went with the RS-3s due to some back and forth regarding the heating/sustained grip characteristics for the Hankook vs. Goodrich options. I opted to avoid r-compounds in this size and figure to run the little wheels if I want to do that. Not generally looking to run optimal times, but do like to build speed and avoid being embarrassingly slow. I'll get to a point where the balance between my skill and the car's limits is about maxed out and I'll try to stay there without threatening my or anyone's safety at the track.

 

[Goingnowherefast]

Any rubbing on that setup? Yeah RS3V2's are solid. I've have nothing but good things to say about them, but they do lack the total grip RE-71R's have. That may be a positive for a dual duty track and street driven car.

 

[M-Sport fan]

The 225/45-15s run ~.5" shorter than the OEM O.D., whereas the 225/50-15s run a couple of tenths taller than OEM (in general).

It's a shame that there is not more of a choice in EITHER of the above sizes, especially in the >200 tread wear max performance street summer rubber.

 

[meFiSTo]

Any rubbing on that setup? Yeah RS3V2's are solid. I've have nothing but good things to say about them, but they do lack the total grip RE-71R's have. That may be a positive for a dual duty track and street driven car.

Are you asking me? I have had no rubbing with the 225/45-15s, but I have not yet run that setup at the track. I have BC Racing Type R coilovers set pretty tall (basically as tall as is safe given the height adjustment range for these). I doubt they'll rub, but you don't know until you mash the brakes, turn, and mash the throttle. Mostly observed upon threshold braking at the bottom of a straight heading into a chicane or what have you. They do stick out a tiny bit relative to the wheel well, so there is a chance for some rubbing for sure, depending on how the suspension behaves. But: None so far.

 

[WhiteFords]

This thread is what changed my mind about the 15" TDs. Thanks for posting all!

My set in gloss black is sitting on my dining room table right now. I'm currently on stock springs. I wonder how front camber bolts might help tucking in the top of the front tires. Some of these pics show just a bit too much 'poke' for my taste.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Some of these pics show just a bit too much 'poke' for my taste.

I guess that's why some opt for the 15x7 Pro Race 1.2s, and a 205/50-15 instead??

Is there ANY room to play with offsets, or backspacing on a 15x8 to get them fully under the fenders??

 

[ericr]

I guess that's why some opt for the 15x7 Pro Race 1.2s, and a 205/50-15 instead??

Is there ANY room to play with offsets, or backspacing on a 15x8 to get them fully under the fenders??

I think a 40 offset with a 5mm spacer up front would be perfect.

 

[meFiSTo]

I guess that's why some opt for the 15x7 Pro Race 1.2s, and a 205/50-15 instead??

That's why I'm keeping my 15x7 wheels for track day. Kind of my tradeoff between ultimate grip and experiential piece of mind