Bartman

Check out the tire spec's at tirerack.com. The following link is for the Kumho SPT http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Kumho&model=Ecsta+SPT&tirePageLocQty= I didn't see you mention thie diameter, but if it's available in the diameter your looking at I think the pefect size for an 8" wide rim is 235. Otherwise a 225 would be the next best option. I think the 245 would have a small bulge to them. edit: doh, the diameter is in the thread title! I guess 235 isn't an option then.

There are several threads that include pic's of cars with the Sport Max rims installed...do a search. The group buy thread has quite a few images as well. P.S. - Good luck returning the rims, most places won't take them back after the tires are mounted..they're considered 'used' now.

There are electronic-to-mechanical speedo adapters, but they aren't cheap.http://www.5speedtransmissions.com/t56_early_gm.html http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/148_0305_t56_six_speed_transmission/index.html I don't have my JTR manual handy, but I believe it's discussed in their as well.

It's not hub centric so it doesn't have to be exact, but 73 mm should be sufficient.

Yes, it's definitely worth the purchase. They look great, fairly easy to install, and very easy to read. I don't know if it because of the faces, but I've gone through a couple of oil pressure/water pressure gauges. The oil pressure part of the gauges stopped working a couple of times now.

Doc, good points; but I think the reputation dots have gone the way of the Dodo.

So I talked with Stephen again and I'm holding off on exchanging the rims. He'll give me up to a couple of weeks to decide which way I want to go. I'm thinking that I really want to make the 9.5s work one way or another. I'll try and make more measurements and figure out how to make it work. If the V8 can fit under the hood then big tires should be able to fit under the fenders. Justin, Now that you mention it, I see how the center section is much deeper on the 8.5 rims. I definitely prefer the look of the 9.5 rims on the back.

I'm so confused now it's not even funny. I feel like I have a devil perched on one shoulder telling me to stick with the 9.5's and an angel on the other one telling me it would be much better to go with the 8.5's. From a purely aesthetic perspective the 9.5's look soooooo much better: They're both supposed to have the same +35 offset, but I don't know how that can be based on looking at them. On one hand I'll be pissed if I get the bigger rim and I have problems rubbing, but I'll also be pissed if I see someone else using the wider rims without any problems. My ST sway bars arrived yesterday, so my body roll will be minimized...so how much travel will I generally be using? The autocross course is flat, so body roll would be my main concern. Damned if I do...damned if I don't.

That brings up another big ssue with differing opinions...what size tire based on rim size. I found a great local source with excellent pricing, so I'm looking at ordering up a set of Azenis RT-615 245/40R18's to install on my 18x8.5 rims. This is the Meas. Rim size listed on Falken's web site for this size Azenis tire http://www.falkentire.com/rt615_sizes.html There was a thread on the solo2 web site that discussed tire sizes for a given rim, and they talked about installing tires designed for wider rims on a narrower rim (like what veritech-z is doing). I thought that this practice would actually give you less traction that putting a narrower tire on the same rim. I posted to the thread asking about the actual perfromance differences between using a tire recommended for a given width as opposed to installing a tire designed for a wider rim...but I didn't get any answers. It appears I'm an autocross newbie and I shouldn't be questioning the old timers recommendations.

Even with the 1" spacer I have now it's too close to the inner fender when the suspension is compressed. It can be made to fit because a6t8vw fit 9.5's on the back of his car, but I've been unsuccessful in my attempts to talk to him about his setuphttp://www.cardomain.com/ride/2314369 From what he's posted before he's using a 25 mm spacer on the rear of his setup. I don't want to deal with rubbing issues so I'm just going to make it easier on myself and stick with the 8.5's which will be easier to fit. I already talked with Stephen at SG Motoring and I'll be swapping the rims with the him this afternoon.

So to everyone that thinks the 9.5 rims won't fit without fender flares...you're right. I'm going to try and swap the 9.5's for 8.5's tomorrow so that I'll have the 8.5's all the way around. I loosened up the lower spring perch all the way and it's just not going to allow enough clearance for wheel travel. I guess some people just don't listen.

I will remove the spring to see what happens throughout the wheel travel. If a 23" diameter tire on an 8" wide rim with 5" of backspace hits the inner fender, then there must be quite a few cars out there hitting the inner fenderwell at full bump. I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just trying to understand all the issues and how they're being resolved. John Coffey set up a car with 17x8.5 rims with 5" backspace and 245/40-17 tires. Depending on the specific tire used that would be right around 25" in diameter.

One of the advantages of getting a larger diameter rim is that you can fit more backspace. Of course this is only true until you start interferring with something other than the strut tube. The strut tube angles in from the lower mount allowing larger diameter rims more clearance between the strut tube and the rim. I think that if I roll the fender and pick the right tire it should work. I'm looking at various tires to purchase and I haven't decided yet. Some of the tires I like are on backorder, or not available in the size I want, or just to darn expensive. Falken has a new FK-452 that's pretty inexpensive and available in the sizes I like. It's what they consider a luxury sports tire and may be a good place to start. I could always get more aggresive tires in the future. I got my rims from ebay seller sgmotoring, and Stephen was very helpful and easy to work with. BTW - I want to thank everyone that's been givning me suggestions and advice regarding wheels. This includes Clifton, Mikelly, johnc, and more. Even though I couldn't make all the specific choices that were recommended to me, I tried to take everyone's perspectives into account.

Congratulation Clive, I know you've been looking forward to this for a long time. Hopefully all the time, money frustration, aggravation, etc; all seem to be worth it now that it's actually alive. I remember how happy I was to have it fire up the first time, and I still enjoy getting in every now and then and firing her up. There's nothing like the sound of a healthy V8 coming to life.

I got the complete set of rims for $520 plus tax. For a while I was thinking the 9.5's might be too wide for the back, but I'm sticking with them. In the pictures you can see that the suspension isn't fully compressed, so it should move in a little more once it is. Right now I just have the one corner of the car jacked up, so I'm going to raise the whole car so that it's level to get a better idea of clearances. The Modern Motorsport adapter I'm using is approximately 1" wide, and the wheels are advertised as +35 offset; so the net result is approximately a +10 mm offset. The front may require different size adapters.

Yes, the lip is fantastic. The suspension is mostly compressed with the jack and jackstand on the lower control arm as close to the wheel as possible. The other side is on the ground, so it would sit different with the right side on the ground as well. The rim is a little over 10.5" wide, so a 275 would probably fit without changing to a shorter spring. I'm still thinking about it...I have the 9.5's back on and I'm taking a closer look.

The rims are Sport Max 006's. edit: I had pic's of the 8.5's on the back in this post, but I removed them since I will be going wit the 9.5's

I finally decided on a new set of wheels and picked them up this afternoon. I went with a staggered 18" package with 18 x 9.5 rears and 18 x 8.5 fronts. Well I think they look great, and the rears hould fit under rolled fenders using Modern Motorsports adapters. So here's the pic's: The next pic's show the clearance at the strut tube. I may have to go with a 8" spring to allow enough room for my tires. I'm thinking of 265/35-18 or 275/35-18. The pic below is looking straight down. You can see these will require some rolling...but I already figured I would need to.