Favourite Wheels Options

[SrSilkie]

As I plan to get an MR2 soon I will no doubt change the wheels almost immediately if they are not to my taste.

What are some of the favourite wheel options within the community, best suited to the MR2? (mk2)

Off the top of my head I quite like Rota Torques (perhaps a bit common) was thinking drifts at the back normal at the front, they will most likely be in white though that could change depending on the colour of the MR2. Really is an initial idea until I get my car and car photoshop visuals etc.

Ive researched they must be a staggered setup up but as to how staggered I am unsure off, was thinking f7.5j r8.5j or f8j r9j? something like that? I want the best setup for handling from what you have experienced.

What is the max width you can go without scrubbing standard arches?

Also I see alot of people go with a 17" wheel, is this the most popular size? I personally do think the 17's look aesthetically best, 16" look good in my opinion also but would probably go 17 as id assume perhaps a wider range of tyre options?

I understand this has been covered many times but the info is all over the place across various forums. Any help and personal opinions would be appreciated.

Ross

[Ryan6926]

For me personally I'd go 16's, If you go for Rota Torques I'd personally go 7.5j front 8J rears although that's just me, You can't really get much bigger than a 7.5J without issues from what I've read anyway.

I had 17's on mine, got rid of them and am now going for 16's instead although I like to be different haha

[KarlBristol]

I've had various different wheel sizes on mine and am content that 17" is the best size for me as its a good compromise between cosmetics and ride quality.

If I had the money to buy a different set of wheels I would go for a set of proper JDM wheels, namely Advan SA3 split rims. I have always wanted a set as they look cracking on the MR2. They are held in very high regard by the MR2 community as they are well built and lightweight.

I would even be tempted to go for it as double staggered, ie offset and wheel size (16" on the front and 17" on the rear). Polished lips and gunmetal or blue centres would be how I'd have it done I think

I will own a set one day!

[KarlBristol]

Drop Cardhore a PM as he is the wheel guru on here and normally stocks some good wheels

Here's a link to one of his sale threads (which just happens to be SA3s )

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=171263

[SrSilkie]

For me personally I'd go 16's, If you go for Rota Torques I'd personally go 7.5j front 8J rears although that's just me, You can't really get much bigger than a 7.5J without issues from what I've read anyway.

I had 17's on mine, got rid of them and am now going for 16's instead although I like to be different haha

awesome, so no more than 7.5j is that max for just the front? I like how the 16s give a lower stance. I think the style of the wheel will affect the best size also

[SrSilkie]

Drop Cardhore a PM as he is the wheel guru on here and normally stocks some good wheels

Here's a link to one of his sale threads (which just happens to be SA3s )

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=171263

They are lovely and a hard wheel to pull off aswell, think 16s would look right with them too. Personally I would have a set of them as show wheels in a funky colour!

Im sure he is the guy that built the T020 MR2? what a machine, anyway back to wheels ...

[KarlBristol]

Advan are very highly thought of for build quality, and the SA3s are very well known and quite iconic. For a reasonably priced JDM wheel with a staggered set up you can't get much IMHO.

Yup he is the bloke that built the TO20. I think there's a build thread on here somewhere.

Wheel choices, sizes and offsets are a very personal thing tbh. I have some Rotas on mine currently having sold my Jap split rims so that I can afford to do things in other areas of my build. I will return to decent Jap wheels in the future though as the quality and feel of the ride can't be beaten.

Be warned : Rotas may look the part and be tempting but they certainly aren't built brilliantly or using the best of materials. Generally they just copy decent quality jap makes and turn them out at a cheap price. The quality isn't the same. I only have them on mine as a stop gap until I have other parts of my build done and can afford the wheels I want.

Mine will eventually go in favour of a set of Advans

You get a good ride quality with 16", but having had 15, 16, 18 and now 17s on there I just found that the 15s and 16s looked lost in the wheel arches. They gave the best ride quality but as its not a daily driver for me I can sacrifice a little comfort for a decent look. 18s I did find uncomfortable.

17s aren't uncomfortable by any stretch of the imagination, you just feel the road a little more than you would on 16s. A lot depends on your suspension as well.

If your running original suspension any size wheel will feel rubbish!

Here lies the money pit that is MR2 ownership, it starts with swapping your wheels over, then you feel that you have to upgrade your suspension to get the most out of your wheels. Before you know it your commissioning an engine build. When you buy your MR2 expect to wave goodbye to any savings you have

[SrSilkie]

Rotas will also be a stop gap for me, they do the trick in terms of cost and looks though I have heard horror stories due to build quality but I have also owned a set and would again to start out.

I understand wheels are personal but just to get an idea of styles so I can decide what I want to go for

After owning a Starlet GT previous I have already accepted that no matter how much money I earn in my life I will not beable to help spending a vast majority of it on cars and mods. Ill happily plough money into a car im enthusiastic about

Think the MR2 will be staying for a long time, at least until I get a Supra anyway.

[jimGTS]

if you got 2-3k (plus tyres) going spare, how about some BBS LMs, highly regarded as one of the best wheels on any jap car EVER!

heres my old rev5 turbo sitting on them

(secondhand prob 800-1000?)

[Nik_L]

For me it has to be the 1 piece Super Advan's. They look epic on MR2's.

[Magic Beans]

Rays TE37s in bronze, no contest

[SrSilkie]

if you got 2-3k (plus tyres) going spare, how about some BBS LMs, highly regarded as one of the best wheels on any jap car EVER!

heres my old rev5 turbo sitting on them

(secondhand prob 800-1000?)


Image Replaced With URL For Quote http://url.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ ... 254080.jpg

Image Replaced With URL For Quote http://url.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ ... 8_1953.jpg

Looks stunning, bbs style wheels do go very well with the MR2.

If a car like that came up for sale tomorrow Id be on it, if you dont mind me asking how much it went for? Not after and exact figure just roughly. Im in the market for a clean one rev 3 on and would hopefully give me a benchmark for a clean rev 5 just pm me, would probably be more appropriate.

Just googled super advan mr2 and they look superb on, as I said above they are a hard wheel to pull off I think.

[Ryan6926]

I've had more rims than I've had hot dinners (not on the MR2 admittedly)

I've had Rota's before and had no issues with them at all, I think that the horror stories are sometimes exaggerated by 'brand whores' as they don't like replica wheels etc

I almost bought a set of SA3's myself but for what I wanted I was just out of budget

I'd personally not go bigger than 7.5J on the front. I previously had 8.5J (not done by myself I might add) and had all sorts of issues with the studs / spacers / etc it's just too much hassle.

If you're lowering on coilovers you may have already seen that it gives even less clearance than previous with stock suspension hence suggesting the 7.5 as opposed to the 8's that you can get away with if you wanted to I'd just advise against it myself

One of my favourite sets of rims for the MR2 is the Enkei RP-01's and I'm hopefully getting a set in the next few days.

I've realised my car isn't going to be that quick as it's only a Rev 2 N/A so instead I'm going to fit the Enkei's then lower the coilovers down to give it a nice low / aggressive look

[Ryan6926]

Rays TE37s in bronze, no contest

Now this I can agree with although I think it depends on the colour of the car. It'd look great on a neutral colour black / white / silver even but when you start looking at Green / Blue / Yellow even I'd start to go Anthracite colour instead although obviously that's only my personal opinion

[uglee]

I'd second the BBS LM's. Being a long time fan of them.

I had the 17's which I should have really kept as it drove fine, but the 18's looked better so got them.

As a side note if it's for an everyday car I'd stick with a one piece design with as few spokes as possible (but never less than 5).

[mwmackenzie]

BBS are a great looking wheel but need a deeper dish on the rear to work in my view I currently have staggered Enkei's but I think again the lip on the rim seems the same front to rear Mine are 8 and 9" wide I believe, 17" with 215 40 17 front and 245 40 17 on the rear. my car is lowered 40mm





I like them as they are pretty similar in style to the standard Rev 5 wheels only bigger

[uglee]

Thing is to get a deeper dish you have to change the offsets so it would suit something like a TRD kit, way too sticky outty.

This is pushing it to the limit with what you can get width wise and what you can get under the rear wings and not catch the strut.

ET35 9J with 265 tyres.

[cosmos]

Looking at the BBS rims above note the old fashioned tyre lips with a raised edge where rim meets tyre which simulates old steel wheels, modern wheels have a gentle uncomplicated angle, also the old method was to have the split rim screws proud of the contact face which is awkward for cleaning and likely to stub your fingers in the process, whereas more expensive wheels have the split rim screws recessed for a smoother uncluttered look. Nominations are,

Work VS XX
Blitz type 03

[SrSilkie]

I like those Enkei's aswell though tink I want the rears to have either a deeper dish or cave in like the drift series wheels.

That sonic shadow is gorgeous thats my favourite colour and what I want to hold out for.

uglee, what are are your front wheel sizes?

[uglee]

They are 18x8J ET35 with 215/35(I think)/18 tyres.

They are quite close to the front struts, but would prefer next time to go for a 225 tyre to reduce the stretch as I'm not a fan of stretched tyres.

Hope that helps

, also the old method was to have the split rim screws proud of the contact face which is awkward for cleaning and likely to stub your fingers in the process, whereas more expensive wheels have the split rim screws recessed for a smoother uncluttered look.

Don't think I'd call BBS wheels cheap, plus you can always replace the bolts with different ones like so: