S13 Wide rear wheel fitment?

[speed_demon]

Wheel selection is one of my grey areas, so I have been in the process of doing my homework before pulling the trigger and I want to get some informed opinions now.

I have found that 17x9 +22 RPF1's are good all around on an S13 with fender work. 255's are about the max recommended on these, and the max that will fit under the front suspension components.

I am looking for a wider wheel and tire in the back end. I would like to run 255/17 F and 275/17 R on my S13.

What offset is going to work well for a 17x10 rear wheel? RPF1's come in 17x10 +18 or +38. From what I have read, around +35 should work. Fender work can come later to accommodate the wheels.

[turtl631]

Why stagger? 275/40/17 is a really tall tire, I wouldn't bother with them.

[BEXE]

I'm running your staggered setup on a s14, but not an s13. I can say is does make for some under steer at times if you aren't aggressive with the throttle.

[speed_demon]

Why stagger? 275/40/17 is a really tall tire, I wouldn't bother with them.

2400lbs with a 350/400 5.3 V8.

More tire please.

[e1_griego]

I run 17x9.5 +38 in back with a 255, and 17x9 +22 in front with a 255. The +38 gets me 10mm more clearance.

[orion]

Bear in mind: Width isn't the answer for more traction, stickier tires is.

Unless you're talking taller sidewalls for more flex, etc...i.e., drag racing stuff. But for a autocross / road course car...stickier first.

What tires are you using now?

- Brian

[Seraphim38]

I believe I have the 17x10 RPF1s in back with 275/40/17 Nitto NT05s and they fit without rubbing. I don't know the backspacing though. I have rolled/pulled fenders but no widebody (yet).

I really wish there was a 17x10.5 or 17x11 off the shelf RPF1 option without having to go to the expense of CCWs, so I could run 315s. For this I would run overfenders and less offset. And yes, I know that some people like to stick to 255s on an S13, but I like to have better traction with a little more power it seems, and the 275 Nittos run a little small; they are darn near identical in size to 265 Direzza Star Specs.

And lastly, e1_griego and others here have far more autox experience than I do, so their opinions are more valuable than mine...

[e1_griego]

More seat time!

Don't worry about the parts At least get some more seat time before upgrading more parts.

[spent]

11" wide tire in the back with +37 offset for me... No pull, roll only but probably didn't even need that.



275 a6s btw

[speed_demon]

Bear in mind: Width isn't the answer for more traction, stickier tires is.

Unless you're talking taller sidewalls for more flex, etc...i.e., drag racing stuff. But for a autocross / road course car...stickier first.

What tires are you using now?

- Brian

I do intend to do some drag racing, and I will likely have a dedicated wheel+tire combo in the rear for that.

If wider isn't necessary then I will stick with my 225/50/16 dunlop direzzas on Z32 wheels. The wider you go the more expensive they get...

[turtl631]

16 inch tires in the proper heights for these cars have pretty big sidewalls, same issue as the 275/40/17s. 245/40/17 or 255/40/17 all around is the hot setup IMO as they are common sizes, stock height, and relatively wide for the weight of the car. Going to a taller, wider rear tire for more bite is probably going to make the car slower overall, and at the very least make the handling characteristics less pleasant.

[Def]

275/40-17 sucks as a tire. 16" tires suck too for the most part, although a 245/45-16 might be semi liveable. Not many tires come in 16", it's kind of a bastard size that was passed over.

255/40-17 is where I'm at, and it is the best I've tried after all the nasty staggered stuff I've tried.

[josh18_2k]

18's are definitely the way to go if you want anything over 255's. or 16" slicks...

[speed_demon]

275/40-17 sucks as a tire. 16" tires suck too for the most part, although a 245/45-16 might be semi liveable. Not many tires come in 16", it's kind of a bastard size that was passed over.

255/40-17 is where I'm at, and it is the best I've tried after all the nasty staggered stuff I've tried.

255/40/17 on a set of RPF1's is what I was planning on running, but I'm not sure if I will have traction issues with my V8. I can still run a 17x10 in the rear with a 255 and go with a different tire later if need be, which brings me back to my original question. What offset for rear wheels? Anybody on here running an RPF1 17x10 on an S13?

[orion]

If wider isn't necessary then I will stick with my 225/50/16 dunlop direzzas on Z32 wheels. The wider you go the more expensive they get...

I guess I should have stated: Once you reach the size that is fit easily under the fender...then go with a stickier tire, rather than make drastic modifications to fit a tire one size up.

The benefits of the better tread compound will far outweight the same tire in a 275 versus a 255.

255/40/17 on a set of RPF1's is what I was planning on running, but I'm not sure if I will have traction issues with my V8. I can still run a 17x10 in the rear with a 255 and go with a different tire later if need be, which brings me back to my original question. What offset for rear wheels? Anybody on here running an RPF1 17x10 on an S13?

I think that the easy fit for S13's (rolled fenders) is 17x9, +20-ish.

And that's about the limit up front.

In the rear, you could do the 9", 9.5", or 10".

On my old S13 daily-driver...I used to run a 9", +35 with a 255/40-17. Easy fit.

So my reccomendation: 9", around a +20 offset up front...and 9", +35 in the rear.

...

Are you staying with the 4-lug, or going to 5-lug? That will open up the wheel choices.

In the 5-lug, the RPF1 is made in 9", +22...and 9.5", +38 (IIRC).

- Brian