Thinking of getting a set of 17s for track use.

[chodaboy1980]

I have been getting more and more into autocross lately (would also like to get into open track days) and was thinking of getting a set of wheels and tires for just track use. This would allow me to not waste spendy tires (235/40/18 star specs, currently $192 each at tire rack) with daily driver use and go with a more lightweight wheels. I was thinking a 17x7.5 or 17x8 would be perfect. I know that it might be possible to fit a slightly wider wheel, but for the tire size I am thinking 245 or maybe 255 a 8" wheel should be sufficient and weigh less than an 8.5". I have been looking for lightweight 17" wheels but havn't found all that many options.

I was thinking that the Rota SDX would be a good lower cost option. I found a site that said they weigh 16.5lbs each for a 17x7.5. That is 3.5lbs less than the current 18x8 Rota torques that I currently have. When I was looking for some tires to run it looks like 17" tires are quite a bit cheaper than 18's. The star specs in a 245/45/18 are $151 each at tire rack. One negative is that since these tires have a bigger sidewall they weigh 28lbs each as opposed to 26lbs each for the 18's. I am wondering if there are any other benefits to running a 17" setup instead of 18" with the net weight savings being only 1.5lbs per corner.

http://www.wheeldude.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=244

I know that another option would be the Enkei RPF1. They are a little lighter at 15.2lbs each for a 17x7.5, but they are much more expensive (over $300 a set) and I don't like the look of them as much.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...erBrand=Enkei+Racing&filterNew=All&sort=Brand

Let me know what you guys think and if there are any other lightweight 17" wheels out there that you would recommend.

 

[filphil]

If you're looking for track use, the look of the wheel SHOULDN'T matter. Lightweight + high strength isn't cheap. The enkei's are relatively cheap compared to the other high performance wheels out there.

 

[chodaboy1980]

I know that it shouldn't matter. If the enkei's came in bronze I would probably be all over them. That is the color that I wanted on my torques but I heard that they were on backorder forever.

 

[MSLou]

rx7 fd wheels

 

[crossbow]

If getting the FD wheels, make sure you get the 2nd generation models. (They're 15-16 lbs instead of 14 lbs). I had the 1st gen on my 6, and had to buy 2 sets, because I cracked 3 of them just DD'in.

I currently run kosei K1-TS's in 17x8, with RT615 in 225/45/17. I'm going to roll my rear fenders and run 235/40/17 on Z212 Hankooks as my next tire selection.

You can get the hankooks from tirerack, or the falkens from vulcantire. Both are inexpensive and ridiculously grippy.