final: 17x8 vs 17x9 and tire size?

controlo

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'07 Mazdaspeed3 Sport, Sunlight Silver
i'm ready to pull the plug on enkei rpf1 but idk if i want 17x8 or 17x9 and what tire size...

if i get 17x9, they're gonna be silver. if 17x8, i can get bronze or black. i have a sunlight silver with stock suspension, btw. i'll probably lower it down the road.

i'm pretty set on dunlop star specs. 235/40/17 weight 24lbs where as 225/45/17 weight 26lbs. the 17x8 weigh less and are going to be easier for the car to rotate than the 17x9.

i'm not into the whole, lets get wheels and tires that stick out 5 inches look. i want flush.

swampass's setup looks cool but they don't make the star specs in a 50/17.

(help)

indecisiveness FTL
 
I finally made up my mind. 17x8 +48 OZ Allegerrita HLT's with a 225/45 tire. That way if I want to go beefier with the tire later I could go all the way to a 255 but I will need some serious fender rolling for that. My other choice was the RPF1 like you said but I don't want another black rim or a silver rim. I can get these in a gun metal color which I think will look good on my car. The RPF1's are almost identical weight wise but the OZ's are a little more expensive. I scored a deal on tires so I figured the extra cost of rims would hurt. The main reason I didn't want the Enkeis is because a lot of people have those in my area. The racers and auto crossers anyway. I've seen them on Evos, Subarus, Miatas, CRX's, ect. If that weren't the case I would've chose the Enkei's.

But ya indecisiveness FTL! I've changed my mind from 18x8 to 18x8.5 to 17x7 to 17x7.5 and now to a 17x8. I think I'm finally happy with the decision but tomorrow is a new day and something else might tempt me.

For your tire question:
I'd go with a 235/40 if the type of tire I was getting came in that size. If you want a different size you can always switch brands unless you are set on the Dunlop tire. There are a few tires in that exact performance range that are great. I would also stick with the 8 inch rim if you want to stay flush and avoid rolling your fenders. Also less weight! And if you are going 235/40 why have a 9 inch wide wheel? Only thing you will miss with the 8 inch tire is you can't go to 255's on the Star specs. That would stick out too much for what you want though.

I'd say stick with an 8 inch wide wheel to save on a bit of money and weight and go with the 235/40's. If you see that you have enough clearance you can always move to a 245 later when you burn your 235's up (flame2). BTW the 235/40's are going to look very small and leave a big wheel gap if you are not lowered.
 
Why not go with a 235/45/17 tire? It's closer to the stock tire size. Plus, going with a lower profile will just make the gearing shorter since the sidewalls are shorter. Just a thought.
 
Why not go with a 235/45/17 tire? It's closer to the stock tire size. Plus, going with a lower profile will just make the gearing shorter since the sidewalls are shorter. Just a thought.

He might not be able to get that size for the tires he looking at. I was looking for 235/45 for the tires I wanted. Unfortunately Hoosier makes no 235 tires in any rim diameter. So I settled for 225/45's.
 
I'm getting Direzzas in 235/45 17" for RPFs in 17x9. Tirerack has them at $130 each. Great value for what's quickly becoming the tire to have.
 
I'm getting Direzzas in 235/45 17" for RPFs in 17x9. Tirerack has them at $130 each. Great value for what's quickly becoming the tire to have.

ya the star spec doesn't come in 235/45 . And the 225/45 weighs 2lbs more per tire.
 
Do the 17x9's . Dopeness. But cheack out onlinetires.com for really nice prices. Shipping is cheaper and theres no taxes.
 
I'm getting Direzzas in 235/45 17" for RPFs in 17x9. Tirerack has them at $130 each. Great value for what's quickly becoming the tire to have.

man, i just hate how they weight 27lbs vs. 24lbs for the 235/40's

the kumho xs weighs 23lbs for the 235/45/17 and 21lbs for 215/45/17

hmmmmmmm.....
 
man, i just hate how they weight 27lbs vs. 24lbs for the 235/40's

the kumho xs weighs 23lbs for the 235/45/17 and 21lbs for 215/45/17

hmmmmmmm.....


23lbs is light. stock potenzas are like 24lbs. Plus the XS grip up nicely.
 
A set of Hoosier r-comp weigh 20 lbs in 225/45 trim LOL. Good luck with those on the street though. Kumhos are probably your best bet.
 
Get the 235/45 Kumhos.

They're a better dry tire than the Star Specs anyway...

i've been comparing the two a lot and ya, they do have better dry traction. BUT, they have lower tread wear rating. BUT they have 11/32 as opposed to 10/32. haha.
 
I like the Kumhos also, but wet performance is important to me and sounds like you're looking for something that will do both also controlo.

I've debated 245/40, but don't want to loose gearing. I had 245/40s on my WRX and felt that I lost gearing, and a friend of mine with that size on his STI really noticed the gearing loss.

245/45 is a more comon size but that'd be a challenge to fit even with the stock suspension.

Edit: You said you do want Star Specs but they don't come in 235/45?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...5WR7Z1SS&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
 
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i've been comparing the two a lot and ya, they do have better dry traction. BUT, they have lower tread wear rating. BUT they have 11/32 as opposed to 10/32. haha.

The lower treadwear rating needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because treadwear ratings are pretty much manufacturer specific and can't really be used to compare tires across different brands.
 
I like the Kumhos also, but wet performance is important to me and sounds like you're looking for something that will do both also controlo.

I've debated 245/40, but don't want to loose gearing. I had 245/40s on my WRX and felt that I lost gearing, and a friend of mine with that size on his STI really noticed the gearing loss.

245/45 is a more comon size but that'd be a challenge to fit even with the stock suspension.

Edit: You said you do want Star Specs but they don't come in 235/45?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...5WR7Z1SS&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes


yea, i knew they came in 235/45. i must've gotten confused. i've been looking at so many tire/wheel options lately. haha. they're 27lbs though!
 
The lower treadwear rating needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because treadwear ratings are pretty much manufacturer specific and can't really be used to compare tires across different brands.

hmm... i think i might just go with the kumho's. they're lighter in the size i want and they supposedly have better dry traction. although they're reported to have horrible wet traction. i live in southern california so i don't really feel like that will be a problem.
 
i think everyone that has the 17x9 setup is running 235/40, though. not sure if i'd rub with 235/45...
 
I made my decision today! Got an awesome deal on tires so I went with a better rim. Got a set of Forged SSR's 17x8 +48. Gona be running 225/45's. I don't see any reason to go to a 9 inch wide rim. If you lower the car at all you will rub like no other.
 
I made my decision today! Got an awesome deal on tires so I went with a better rim. Got a set of Forged SSR's 17x8 +48. Gona be running 225/45's. I don't see any reason to go to a 9 inch wide rim. If you lower the car at all you will rub like no other.

nice! what kind of tire did you get? i'm most likely going to get the kumho's. they're overall diameter is 25.4 vs. the stock potenzas 25.7. so that's probably the closest to stock gearing i'll find, right?

that's for 235/45/17
 
i wonder what would be more flush, a 17x8.5 +40 or a 17x9 +45.

idk anything. haha.
 
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