Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
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Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
I've just read that Team Dynamics are starting to offer their pro race 1.2 wheels in 14" when previosly the smallest they offered was 15". The choice in good quality 14" replacement wheels has always been pretty limited so I think this is good news but the problem is they only come in a 7" width. Will this cause a problem with tyres, what size would you fit to a 7" rim? I thought maybe a 205/60/14 but would that make the steering really heavy?
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
If you want good wheels, there are some watanabe split rims in 14" in the for sale section
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
best tyre width for a 7" rim is a 195. its what ive got on my 16's (team dynamics pro race 1.2's). they arent stretched, they sit just right. im running 195/45/16's
your problem is that 195 tyres will be pretty limited on 14" rims. if youre going for an aftermarket wheel then whats the point in sticking with 14's? 15's are more widely available, tyre sizes are better and cheaper (195/50/15 is probably the most common tyre size on the planet, at a guess), weight is the same or less (aftermarket wheels are lighter than stock, typically, so the extra size is offset), etc
your problem is that 195 tyres will be pretty limited on 14" rims. if youre going for an aftermarket wheel then whats the point in sticking with 14's? 15's are more widely available, tyre sizes are better and cheaper (195/50/15 is probably the most common tyre size on the planet, at a guess), weight is the same or less (aftermarket wheels are lighter than stock, typically, so the extra size is offset), etc
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
I'd agree with Jim. I run 195/50/15s on 6.5" rims and I'm really happy with the setup - tyres are so easily available for very little, and there is a lot of choice when it comes to wheels as well
If you're going aftermarket anyway, 15s generally offer a far greater range of choice for both wheels and tyres
If you're going aftermarket anyway, 15s generally offer a far greater range of choice for both wheels and tyres
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
I too was looking at a change in wheels.
I have changed back to my mk3 mr-s 15" wheels now from the BK 16"s i had on there for a few months. The 15s dont look like they fill they arches like the bigger wheels did. They do handle better though.
I found on ebay, Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 black with polished lip for £249 for a set of four. They say that they are 7J with a 35 offset. Will 195s fit over these? I dont want to go too wide, the the last set of 195/45/16s understeered like hell!
I have changed back to my mk3 mr-s 15" wheels now from the BK 16"s i had on there for a few months. The 15s dont look like they fill they arches like the bigger wheels did. They do handle better though.
I found on ebay, Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 black with polished lip for £249 for a set of four. They say that they are 7J with a 35 offset. Will 195s fit over these? I dont want to go too wide, the the last set of 195/45/16s understeered like hell!
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
I run 195/50 15" Alloys with Toyo T1-Rs and 185/60 14" with yoko c.drives.
15" Alloys = More grip
14" Alloys = More fun and sideways action
15" Alloys = More grip
14" Alloys = More fun and sideways action
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
your problem is that 195 tyres will be pretty limited on 14" rims. if youre going for an aftermarket wheel then whats the point in sticking with 14's? 15's are more widely available, tyre sizes are better and cheaper (195/50/15 is probably the most common tyre size on the planet
Agreed a mate is running 14 inch TE37s and he has a really limited tyre choice, which isnt great when you want affordable performance tyres.
The 15s dont look like they fill they arches like the bigger wheels did. They do handle better though.
If you want to fill the arches on 15s, you just need to seriously lower the car! Like seriously lower, cant get a jack under it, 4 inches between the chassis rails and the road sort of lowering
Dont get bigger wheels in an attempt to fill the arches and keep the suspension stock that will just ruin the handling and make the car look daft.
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Mine is already lowered 30mm on koni and I cannot fit the jack under
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Bender Unit wrote:If you want to fill the arches on 15s, you just need to seriously lower the car!
Like this?
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Pfft needs to be lower! When you have about 2 fingers distance between the actual wheel and the arch then you are on the right track
Depends on the saddle height of the jack though mate! 100mm + is a proper suspension drop!
Mine is already lowered 30mm on koni and I cannot fit the jack under
Depends on the saddle height of the jack though mate! 100mm + is a proper suspension drop!
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Mines lowered 30mm but it should be lower, i dont think the koni kit actually lowers it by the full 30mm. The mk1 on stock suspension looks way to high.
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Rarley do mate! A mate fitted some sports springs to his with the hope he would get a drop - it was marginal to say the least. 2 mins with an angle grinder and 4 coils lopped off and it was sitting nicley.
Got to run short stroke dampers though if your going that low though.
Got to run short stroke dampers though if your going that low though.
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Bender Unit wrote:4 coils lopped off and it was sitting nicley.
i take it he avoids speed humps and multi storeys.
have you got a pic?
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Will see if I have any before and after snaps - mine sits lower though! I have about 3 inches before the chassis rails hit the road!
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
nearly all the tyres for the orginal 14" wheels are just run around sizes and pants with too much sidewall felx. going to a 15" wheel will give loads more options and imho makes the car look much less dated than the wheel trim wanabee stanadard wheels.
4agte on the way
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Thanks for all the replies guys I was just thinking about staying with 14's because I've read a few comments on here where some people say the handling is best or most fun when the cars left on original 14 wheels, so I thought this was a solution to change the look but not affect the set up? I was also thinking about the weight, I know aftermarket wheels can be lighter than stock so 15's probably wouldn't be any heavier but likewise lightweight 14's like the pro-race would actually be lighter than stock which would surely have been a bonus?
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
the problem with forums like this one are all the purists who think the mk1 is the greatest car ever and should be left standard, or with standard fitment parts.
id say 15's are probably the best handling wheel on the MR2. you reduce the tyre sidewall to just the right aspect (retaining the same rolling radius) for the balance between comfort and performance. it is able to deform JUST enough to strike a good balance on the road. 15's are lightweight, hugely available (literally everyone makes a 15x6.5 or 15x7 rim), tyres are cheap and there is a huge high-performance range to choose from, plus they look good. they are also pretty cheap to buy, and loads of cars have 15" rims as standard that can easily be fitted to the mk1 MR2.
you can get more performance out of 16's, but you sacrifice comfort, make the car more sensitive to the road surface (a good thing for performance, but annoying on the road), and you need to alter the suspension to get it to work. that means spending a ton more money which most people dont want to do. plus 16's can accomodate the biggest brakes an MR2 will ever require (even on racing slicks) and are capable of putting down tons of extra power (perfect for 3S-GTE and V6 swaps). im running 16" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2's on mine, got them for £324 delivered from eBay in mk3 MR2 fitment (exactly the same as mk1), and i think the seller still has sets for sale on there.
15's are the way forwards for 95% of MR2 owners looking to change/upgrade their wheels. 16's are for people that are pushing things much further, 17+ just arent necessary (they are acceptable on turbo/v6 engine swaps, but nothing else, they are for people that want looks ahead of performance who really shouldnt own a mk1 MR2, its never going to be pretty!!), and ugly stock 14's are for the purists who we will just leave to it.
id say 15's are probably the best handling wheel on the MR2. you reduce the tyre sidewall to just the right aspect (retaining the same rolling radius) for the balance between comfort and performance. it is able to deform JUST enough to strike a good balance on the road. 15's are lightweight, hugely available (literally everyone makes a 15x6.5 or 15x7 rim), tyres are cheap and there is a huge high-performance range to choose from, plus they look good. they are also pretty cheap to buy, and loads of cars have 15" rims as standard that can easily be fitted to the mk1 MR2.
you can get more performance out of 16's, but you sacrifice comfort, make the car more sensitive to the road surface (a good thing for performance, but annoying on the road), and you need to alter the suspension to get it to work. that means spending a ton more money which most people dont want to do. plus 16's can accomodate the biggest brakes an MR2 will ever require (even on racing slicks) and are capable of putting down tons of extra power (perfect for 3S-GTE and V6 swaps). im running 16" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2's on mine, got them for £324 delivered from eBay in mk3 MR2 fitment (exactly the same as mk1), and i think the seller still has sets for sale on there.
15's are the way forwards for 95% of MR2 owners looking to change/upgrade their wheels. 16's are for people that are pushing things much further, 17+ just arent necessary (they are acceptable on turbo/v6 engine swaps, but nothing else, they are for people that want looks ahead of performance who really shouldnt own a mk1 MR2, its never going to be pretty!!), and ugly stock 14's are for the purists who we will just leave to it.
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Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Jim you running 195/45/16's to cover the 7J 1.2 pro race?
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
SuperRedMR2 wrote:Jim you running 195/45/16's to cover the 7J 1.2 pro race?
yup. they fit awesome, sidewalls are slightly inwards of upright (which is perfect for minimising lateral sidewall deflection). plus they look cool lol.
you can fit ST205 GT4 brakes underneath them with no modifications and no spacers too
Re: Advice Please On Aftermarket Wheels/Tyres
Thanks for that advice Jim