Race Car Wheels....can these work?
 

Hi Guys

Being down in the land of "wherethefuckarewe"...makes getting 6UL's extremely expensive $2400.00 landed with tax etc....

SO, i was wondering if you guys think these could work.....(stud pattern is wrong but hopefully can work around that...)

Wedssport tc10sN 17x8" | Trade Me

I KNOW they are not ideal but I presume better than the 15x7 that I have.....

Thoughts, flames, encouragement etc.......

How do you plan to work around this? Surely you can find some alternate wheel with 4x100 bolt pattern easier than converting 5-lug wheels to 4-lug.

Well, my question is more aimed at 17 x 8 but people here have converted to 5 stud hubs, depending on the offset could use spacer / adaptors....cordy has mentioned a solution .....No idea really just sounding it out...

The range of LIGHT 15 x 8 or 9 is more or less non existant here, so I am investigating the possiblities of 17 x 8 of which we seem to have a massive supply.....i.e the purpose of the thread....

huge waste of time and effort.

WOW, that was tame...thank you :)

The rear is easy to convert to five lug if you have the regular brakes(non-sport) front is more difficult.

btw, I have the tc015n's in 17x9 +25, they are a very nice wheel very light.

Call Emilio and see how may wheels it would take to drop ship a container on your side of the ocean. Then find a vendor over there to be a retailer and you are set, plus more of the world gets the best wheels. :party:

Thanks Ian

I know why Hustler and the rest dont go for 17's as they are not ideal BUT the Weds you mention and similar must be a relatively light wheel....we simply dont get the wheels you guys do.

So that being the case will they be an improvement on a 15 x 7 on 205's...?

Would going to an NB subframe help (added camber) etc.....

But it still boils down to is / can a 17 x 8 or 9 be quicker than a 15x7 or 8....

Mr Hyde, way more than a country with a population of 4 million in the middle of the pacfic ocean could handle (I have considered it...have been very close a number of times to wheels, Autokonexion fast back in a container but is a bit beyond my "free" expenditure at the meoment... :) ) Unfrotunately shipping from Australia is not a lot cheaper than the US, bizarre but true...

Just get in your rowboat and head over there. One of the AU guys will bring your wheels to the beach. :giggle:

You'll need an inch and a half or so extra in your fender and another that much if you want to fix the ride height so its not 7" from the ground to the frame. That said you'll have to cut the fenders quite a bit to make them physically fit and not rub everywhere. The 5 bolt to 4 bolt is another project on its own.

Its just not practical. the 17s will mean you need really low profile wheels, or you will hit the wheel well. Plus low profile tires will bend wheels faster. There is no advantage to the 17s, you aren't going to run any brakes that big on the average miata.

So whats the point? There has to be some 15" wheels in your country somewhere.

you can run 205s on x7s and x8s. and the 225 RS-3s are for x7.5" wheels. I don't see a big performance difference (if any) from the wheels you posted. And when you consider that the 15s are cheaper, it seems like the reasonable decision is to pass on these.

Have your stock wheel widened by an inch, any reputable fabricator should be able to do it.

Track - No one brings in a 9" wheel in our stud pattern in to the country as no one uses them here. We literally only have 1.5 million people in our city and around 4 million in the whole country. You can imagine the limited market ESPECIALLY considering the shipping etc involved in getting anything here.

For example, the wheels that Goodwin etc sell (15 x 7) sell in the shops here for $3500.00 (infuriating). Considering you pay $99 - $120.00 per wheel for the EXACT same model what ever market IS here just won't pay it.... (for reference 89 - 94 NA MX5's sell here for $3500.00 - $5000.00) So there is NOTHING 2nd hand around.

So you may very well say it's pointless but here it ISN'T pointless unless it doesn't actually work or is slower.....

My friend with his LS1 powered road / track day 1990 MX5 HAS 17 x 7" wheels to clear his 6 pot calipers so I know it can work.......I just want to know if it has ANY merit in a 240whp 1600 turbo in a semi stripped out road / track / soon to be race car......given I have been looking for 9" 15's for the past year (almost). 8" are available but they are heavy 20 lbs (approx) and still around $1500 +.......(parallel importers).

I know to you guys in the states this is hard to fathom but you guys really dont know how great you have it (in terms of availability of parts and prices...)

Zabac Is this really viable and / or safe........?????

Tracking a widened wheel concerns me. I wouldn't do it.

Send me an email with your shipping info. I'm sure we can do better than $2400 for a set of 8's or 9's

Air freight from 949 cost nothing compared to all the hassle of all other options (including group buys).
$80 per wheel IIRC. Just a couple of clicks away.
A weak USD helps of course

If anyone you know ship classic US cars, there is usually plenty of room left over in the containers. But making different shipping times match is not always easy.

Hi Niklas

Freight to here is approx $120 - $140 per wheel (approx, I have the email from 949 at home). The problem is the $ conversion (+20%) and then our sales tax (+ 15%) and then duty (??? %).

Hence why I wonder about tapping in to the wheels we have here already which go for $500 - $1000 2nd hand.

It's okay, obviousley Miata Turbo members are not fans of 17's....seeing as they are the most knowledgable I will accept that. (for now :) )

PHil - Thank you , I will email you and see what we can work out.

I've seen one bloke run 17s in Brisbane
Because he uses porker cup (GT3) second hand slicks.
If the guards rub , that's what hammers are for.
I don't run any thing wider than 7' wheels with 205s. Doesn't seem to slow me down any. I dont want to sound like a wanker, But, I'm pretty sure I still hold the mx5 record around mt cotton with 6.5 rims with 205s, in a gutless 1600. When some of the others where using forced induction. With all the bells and whistles.
Don't worry about your wheels and just drive s#it out of it.
Look at the bright side you don't live in invercargil
Like Burt did.