18"x10" and 18"x10.5" Track Wheels Options?
 

I didn't realize that it's that difficult once I go down from 19" to 18" for some track wheels. Currently I am interested in upping my width from 19"x9" and 19"x10" from my Sport Rays to 10" and 10.5" in width.

Currently I run 265/285 and someday like to have the possibility to run 285 all around. Unfortunately, my options are super limited when it came to styles.

Volks TE37 (SL) are wayyy out of my price range. I'm open to see what you guys can help me with. Also interested to know what Offsets I should go with, currently run -2.9 Camber Front/-1.8 camber Rear.

I'm looking to spend ~$1500 and hopefully the wheel weight isn't heavy either. < 20-21 lb would be ideal. So ideally I would like something that's Forged or similar fab techniques to cut the weight down.

Recap to why I want new wheels:
1) Run 18" wheels so I have better wheels selection
2) Lighter
3) To run Wider tires


The styles I like are:
Enkei Raijin - Largest width for 18"x9.5"
http://www.enkei.com/images/tuning/raijin-both.jpg

TSW Nurburgring - They only have 9.5" or 10.5", I wonder if 10.5" will fit in front.
http://www.tsw.com/img/nurburgring_g...rmal_white.jpg

BBS CH-R - I love too, but don't come in 18" Diameter, I'm sure it's expensive too
http://bbs-usa.com/wheel_images/whee...-2009_1785.jpg

Enkei PF01 - I'm so-so with the style and seems like everyone has them
http://www.enkei.com/images/race-series/pf01-black.jpg

Whats your budget? I got my set of WEDS SportsTC105-N's for around 2k. I'm running 18X9.5 +35, 18x10.5+12 on the rear. Are you specifically wanting to stay sqaure? The 10.5 rear won't fit on the front without fender rolling or excessive camber. The 18x9.5 +35 clears the akebono's no problem but I'm running a 15mm spacer on front just to make it flush. Not to mention some of the lightest you can get in this size. Front's weigh 17.6lbs each. Rears weigh18.4lbs each.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps18f17588.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps8acca10c.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps49468f78.jpg

Wow thanks for the option. I am def more incline with the weight of these over the other ones I've been seeing! Of course ideally I would prefer to spend only $1500 for the set, but $2000 is probably like my max, I also need to save up longer for them. My current set of RE-11's are pretty much shot.

As for square setup, I could go without, but it's nice to know I have the option to go with all 285 even if I stagger the wheels to be 18x10 & 18x10.5 vs. 18x9.5 & 18x10.5. I don't know if a 285 would be good for a 9.5" (Although I know someone who have fitted a 285 for a 9" wheel)

I'll keep looking but 17-18 lbs for a 10 width rim, that's really really awesome. People pay $4K+ for volks TE 37s and don't even get that much weight savings.

Here you go: Enkei nt03. 18x10.5+30, and I use a 15-20mm spacer in the rear. I am running 285/35/18 Hankook Rs3. I will have pictures this weekend, mounting wheels/tires this sunday and tracking on Sunday!!

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...62830003_n.jpg

I do run 18s, but I don't really think its ideal, as tire size is very limited in race compounds. If you are lowered and run a 275/35-18, you may bottom out under braking. I did and wore the edge of the bottom of my bumper and undertray. Now I'm running 295/40-18 Hoosiers, which look like tank tires, but work and in NT01s, 275/40-18, but Nitto and R888s are the only ones that come in that size.

So you were able to fit 18x10.5 in front? that's crazy awesome! haha

Tires will be mounted tomorrow.. I'll show u no problem!

Thanks for sharing. I currently track my car with it set up at a ride height as high as possibly on my KW V3 due to me needing to drive it on street as well as allowing travel for track bumps, (i.e. Corkscrew at Laguna Seca) I wonder if 35 aspect ratio would be an issue over 40.

Martin, so you have no issues tracking with rear spacers? How come you didn't just get the right offset for the rear wheels? Did you do spacers because you want to rotate your tires?

Also, how much does spacers weight? I wonder what the trade offs are considering it does add width so your stance wider but then you're battling with more rotating mass even if you didn't face any issues tracking with spacers.

I ask because I'm not knowledgable. I just though spacers were primarily used for the flush look.

Thanks for sharing btw.

I like to run square wheels and tires... one because kills a lot of understeer up front, two because I can rotate while at the track... not killing my tires. Anyone that knows me, I can kill my brand new Rs3 in 1 day and chunk them out.

Nt03 do not come in +15, so I need to run +30 to clear front brakes and right offset to run 285's. Running a rear spacer is fine, the one I have is a bolt on so I will be later replacing it with a regular spacer and add extended ARP studs. Just no time to do it at the moment. I don't worry much about weight of spacers, Ideally yes u want wheels with no spacers but for me square wheels and tires is more important.

Thanks again for the knowledge. Man, I really wanna try RS-3 w/ 18" over my 19" with RE-11. I hear them being grippier. Currently I still have 245 and 285 rears and gets a lot of understeer. Maybe I should invest in a set of 18's.

Have you had any issues with 285/35 (instead of 285/45) bottoming out under hard braking like Mike?
Also, do u need to roll your front fender for 10.5" width with 285 in front?

I've got over 15000 track miles on my car with spacers, they are fine.

If your car is not lowered then a 35 will be perfectly fine.

FYI, the bridgestone RE-11's max width for 18's is 275/40. Even though my wheels are staggered, I am actually going to still run a square 275/40 with the RE-11. Hopefully RE-11a's come out in that size. The effect wont be as good as a true square setup but i work in a tire shop so i can dismount and remount to technically rotate em.

i run 18x10.5 sqaure also. 285/35/18 sqaure

Enkei PF01, et38 front with a 10mm spacer so et28 effective(to clear the inside suspension arm, et30 is the limit for 18x10.5=enkei NT03 like martin LOL), and et15 rear

-3 front camber, -2 rear. KW V3s. no rubbing what so ever on track

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...14898317_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...06925352_n.jpg

yeah, and the min width for the hoosier 295/40s is 10, but I run them on 9.5s just fine.

295 would be better on at least 10.5, ideal 11 for a mild sidewall stretch

275 is a mild stretch in 10.5". I dont mind it though and i hate stretched tires. i was only able to tell when my rim lip hit before tire sidewall lol.

Ssr type-f's are worth a look

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ser101/1-1.jpg

Thanks for the advice guys. More options always great!

I personally love RE-11 but I believe RS3 are stickier when hot but does not provide good wet like RE-11s. Plus RE-11 for 18" don't come in 285, vise-versa RS3 doesn't come in 285 for 19".

I'll target for:
Hankook R-S3: 285/40 or 285/35 Square setup
Spacers: 10mm Front / 25mm or 30mm Rear
Wheels: 18x10.5" width all around with proper offset...

a mild stretch actually quickens the tire's ability to produce grip under cornering load, since the contact patch doesnt actually grip until the sidewall is in tension, so running a mild stretch "pre loads" the sidewall making for faster response, so in turn faster lap times.

when you run a tire too wide for the rim width, not only is that grip response slowed, but their is also more contact patch deformation while cornering.

285/35/18 on 18x10.5 all around is the ticket. Martin and i will be running RS3s in those same sizes soon. im also getting NT03s as my track wheels soon also

in the front et30 is the safe limit inward, and what i run et28 is in my opinion the safe limit outward with a 285/35/18 tire and -3 camber. no rubbing on anything what so ever, you might be able to run more aggresive offset, but i havent tested that so i cant say for sure. Just i know under track conditions, those offsets are proven in front

great info all around. +1

I have decided to go with a new set of 18" track dedicated wheels.
I would prefer to have 18x10 in front and 18x10.5 in rear but most wheels only have either 9.5 or 10.5 for 18".

So I will go with 18x10.5 all around as my main goal is to be able to run a true square setup.

Clint, I saw your previous setup with:
F:18x9.5 +35 (20mm Spacer) - Offset=15mm; Camber: -3 Degrees
R:18x10.5 +15 (No Spacer) - Offset=15mm; Camber: -2 Degrees

If I were to go with the Enkei PF01, would you recommend the following?
F: 18x10.5 +38 (20mm Spacer) - Offset=18mm; Camber: -2.9 Degrees
R:18x10.5 +15 (No Spacer) - Offset=15mm; Camber: -1.8 Degrees

Will this clear the front brakes or not rub? Any help would be great.

Do you know of any 18x10.5 wheel setup that doesn't require spacers?
i.e. can I go with the following w/ same wheels all around? Will this clear the front brakes?
F: 18x10.5 +15 (No Spacer) - Offset=15mm; Camber: -2.9 Degrees
R:18x10.5 +15 (No Spacer) - Offset=15mm; Camber: -1.8 Degrees

Anyone know if this will work for the TSW Nurburgring?
F: 18x10.5 +27 (No Spacer) - Offset=27mm; Camber: -2.9 Degrees
R:18x10.5 +27 (No Spacer) - Offset=27mm; Camber: -1.8 Degrees

Good info sub'd

18x10.5 et +38 with 20mm spacer will be too much. 10.5 et 28 (10mm spacer) and 9.5 et15 are the same outter clearance and what i feel is the performance oriented limit for clearance on track.

same with 18x10.5 et15, too far outward. street/flush/stretch guys can kinda run it, but not if you plan to do any tracking

either do my setup (18x10.5 sqaure, et38 and 10mm spacer for et28 front, et15 rear)
or martin's setup which will be my track setup as well soon(NT03 18x10.5 et30 all around 15mm spacer rear)

these two setups are track proven with 285/35/18 tires and clear the brakes no problem

I would go the spacer routine, then you can rotate front to back.

exactly why martin did the NT03 setup and why i will also

yup, thanks to Clint for doing the hw for me! Scuffydog, just remember if you slam ur car, the tires will rub some of the fender liners.... I doubt anyone is running as low as me at the moment but I will need to raise the car, realign and recorner balance its just too low! I shoot sparks at the track and street!!

the HW portion sucks hahah, but i created a ton of excel spreadsheets with all the wheel config I'd want but just need verification that works.

I love your set up and might copy it as i know it works - 21 lbs/wheel and a good price, not bad at all! :tup:

But I'm also looking at the TSW Nurburging 18x10.5, I think they only have 27mm offset. Anyway I could make it work with spacers?

Thanks for the help.

I actually will be running it as high as my KW V3 allows. I'm gonna take it corner balanced again and re-aligned the car again too.

et27 18x10.5 is pushing the limit, im 10.5 et28. i know its only 1mm, but that could be the difference between fine and rubbing, but up to you to try. you would still need to spacer the rear, cause et27 10.5 in the rear is most likely going to rub in the inside hitting the damper body under compression. so the rear would still need a 15mm spacer just like the NT03

For the front, is it pushing the limit of not clearing the brakes or pushing the limit of hitting the fender liner during compression or at full turn? So no spacers could help the front in this case?

Thanks for all the help!

Probably clearing the fender liner. Clearing the brakes is all up to the wheel design. I had a friend who was running 10.5 wide on front of his G37 Sedan. +45 offset would not clear his Akebonos AND stuck out of the fenders. He had no choice but to use a spacer to clear the brakes which pushed it even farther out of the fender.

thanks for clarifying.

man, this sucks....unfortunately rims are not something I can go buy and easily return if it doesn't fit.

This set for me will be dedicated track wheels so I hope to find something in the 21-22lb Max range.

I'm not sure if I neccessary have to have 285 all around on a 10.5 width.

Perhaps I could go Stagger again with 18x9.5 and 18x10.5 like a lot of people are doing.
If i'm lucky I could do 18x10 and 18x10.5

pushing the limits when it comes to fender and fender liner, Both the PF01 and NT03 have no issues clearing the sport brakes. yeah you want the offset up front between et28 and et30 for 18x10.5

+45 prolly didnt clear the suspension arm either


just wondering why your so hesitant to run 10.5/285 sqaure? id eevn run 9.5 sqaure long berfore stagger. makes tire selection easier and FR cars tend to do well on sqaure setup. i tested 9.5/10. 275/295 before and rears were having trouble coming up to temp, and the fronts could use more heat capacity, thats why i went 10.5/285 all around. Martin has done the same and loves it. the termal behavior of those sizes for the tires is great

I was running 275 square on stock 19" stockers, my front's outer tire wear kept chunking when overheating!
My front tire wear is 100% times better now with 10.5 square!

I think in the end it's wheels selection and getting a 18x10.5 to fit in front. I'm trying to go away from spacers with proper offsets if i can and also a better looking style wheels with similar weight savings less than $2000. I saw the TSW Nurburgring has a good combination of weight, price and style but they prolly won't fit. I do want to go with a true Square setup as these will be my dedicated set. Ideally I want to go with 10.5 but having a hard time finding something that fits even if I'm okay with spacers.

Easiest to fit is the nt03 that I have, with a rear 15-20mm spacer.... You are looking at like under 1200$ for those wheels.. even cheaper if u got a local hook up there!! if not let me know

you can play with the offset calculator at 1010tires.com

I know for sure that 9.5 +46 comes close to the inner limits with 275s, with 295s, I rub the control arm and require a 5mm spacer. That would make them a 9.5 +41, which has the same inner clearance as a 10.5 +33, so I would go no higher than that.


martin, you definitely want to raise it. Mine was too low and I destroyed the bottom of my first stillen bumper and had to replace it, and then my Zspeed undertray was hitting the ground and sparking in the braking zones, so I was getting black flagged.

but 18x10.5 isnt a tough fit, -3 camber should do it fine, which is a good setting for track on a 370 anyway up front.

unless you get Volks, your not going to find something affordable without using a spacer. But their is nothing wrong with a spacer if its Hubcentric and using ARP extended studs.

if you wanna do no spacers and no issue what so ever fitment, then 18x9.5 et15 PF01 's will work. I did alot of research on this, ask martin, and 18x10.5 is scarce, but their are options. and it works extermely well on the 370