The Enkei RS05RR. It comes in 3 different faces and some very nice size options. It’s good to see Enkei come out with an 18×11!!

Click MORE to see the rest of the photos.

As you can see the Rear Design face has A LOT of concave. Looks to also have a good amount of caliper clearance. Guess time will tell if they’ll clear the front Brembos on STIs and EVOs.

The 18×9.5 +45mm with the Front Design disk should clear the STI brembos no problem Could be a killer option for GR/GV owners looking for a multispoke wheel that doesn’t require coilovers or spacers.

There isn’t a lot of love for the GD Impreza on stock fenders, but the Karlton Flare equipped GD Imprezas may have a few options. 18×10.5 +22mm or +25mm depending on caliper clearance and the 18×11 +16mm.

Enough chatter, what does everyone think of the new Enkei?

Here are the rest of the pics from Instagram, Enkei Japan, and Corner – Balance Blog

Who will be the first with these?

Also be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @T3hClap

-Drew

Day one started off as normal as it can, for a Subaru owner.

Take a look at the rest of Ivan’s car by hitting MORE.

Ivan was quick, however, to express himself through his car. These Enkei GTC-01 18×9.5 +38’s fit his personality spot on and were, of course, neon green.

Fortunately for us, Ivan loves a good set of wheels and it was soon time to part with his Enkei’s in favor of something a bit bolder. Enough of my blabbering, let’s hear what Ivan has to say about his ride.

Introduce yourself, reiterate name, age, where you’re from, and your interests.

 My name is Ivan, otherwise known as Jive turkey on all the forums I troll and post in. I’m a 21 year old senior at Rutgers in New Brunswick and am in the process of applying to law school, meaning that the car will soon be put on the back burner of my mind as I have a lot of work to do ahead of me.

I’m from Russia, Yaroslavl to be exact, and I can’t be prouder of that. I’ve heard every soviet joke there is, not funny. I currently reside in Jersey and before you ask, no it’s not actually as bad as they say. I love it here, minus the terrible roads. My interests are that of any other gear head/car guy I know. They revolve around eating, wrenching, shooting cars, etc. and just having a good time. It’s really hard to write about yourself and not sound awfully stuck up so I’ll just leave it with the fact that I love to laugh and you can go from there.

 Say what you love about Subaru and what made you want to get into the game. 

I can’t say that a Subaru was the first car I wanted. My good friends are all from various car scenes, mostly the Audi/VW scene so I honestly was in love with GTi’s and Mini’s for a while. I came close to having an MkV as a first car but ended up with an RX300 instead. I didn’t stumble across Subaru’s until maybe senior year of high school when my buddy got a WRB bugeye which I immediately fell in love with. It was stage 2 with a vf43 and a 38mm EWG. That thing was awesome. Driving it for the first time changed my opinions of Subaru’s forever, until then I thought they were only good at making Outbacks.

It was all downhill from there, and I had been saving since I can remember for this STi and I still am in shock on some mornings that at 21 I own (5 years of payments to go!) a car like this. Before I even bought the car I was stockpiling random things like gauges and etc. because i couldn’t pass up a good deal and I knew that it wouldn’t stay stock. The mod bug bit before I even bought the car. I’ve been trolling NASIOC for even longer than I’ve loved Subaru’s, always reading so that I knew how these cars worked.

Basically to sum up how I got into Subaru’s it’s simple, go drive a GTi or a civic Si but make sure you try to find a modded one. Then go drive an STi or a WRX and you will fall in love instantly. I can’t say I hate any specific cars though, like I said I came from a very varied group, as long as you’re not stuck up and have respect, I can appreciate any car. After all we are all enthusiasts, but to me there is something about that rumble, the AWD, and the community that will keep me in the Subie game for a long time.

how she currently sits.

As she sits now it is as close to my dream aesthetic setup as I can get it. The new wheels that have only been on a week are Work Emotion XT7′s in bronze, 18×9.5 +38 in stock 245′s. Before I even was into cars I remember seeing these wheels on a Silvia and I was in love instantly. They have always been on my mind but for me, between working and school, Work wheels weren’t on my list of wheels for a while. Lets start with how I got here.

First off, this car came with summer tires and I bought it in the dead of winter, thus it was a no brainer that the stock 18×8.5 Enkei’s became my winter set which I wrapped in Pirelli winter performance tires. I picked up the car December 11th, 2010 and before that winter was over I was desperately searching for a set of wheels for the summer, at the time nothing I liked I could afford, and everything else has been done so many times on these cars it made me sick, I didn’t want Grid’s or G Forces but couldn’t exactly afford something I really wanted. I came across the neon green Enkei GTC-01′s on a private sale thread and I had to have them. I’ve never seen them on a Subaru, and many of my friends said I was out of my mind, but I pulled the trigger and they were here in no time.

 Honestly I can’t say I’ve had issues fitting them. Before they even came in I rolled and pulled my fenders flush because I didn’t want to have any issues, and I’d have to do it sooner or later. These new GR chassis Subaru’s, especially the STI’s and 2011+WRX’s have such wide fenders it amazes how easy it was to fit these. They were 18×9.5 +38 and fit with ease. The blue on green was an instant favorite of mind. I miss those wheels so much as they snapped necks left and right, I never had a day when someone didn’t say something to me and whether it was nice or outright rude, it’s nice to hear either way.

Before I sold the wheels I had picked up BC/BR coils (8k/10k) and had one last shoot with the wheels that I did at a historic location. The car was sitting pretty but as they say, all good things must come to an end and these were sold. Luckily though I stumbled upon one of my dream wheels, the Work Emotion XT7′s before I even sold the Enkei’s. I jumped on those wheels. Thanks to Steve for being patient and selling them to me! I got them in three weeks after I sold my Enkeis and in the time being I was slumming it on my friends Work Emotion XD9′s. All joking aside the XD9′s looked amazing on the car but just weren’t my style.

The Work Emotion XT7′s came in, and I couldn’t get to the local shop fast enough to mount them up. BIG thanks to Bruno and Walter over at Imprezzive automotive in Cartaret, NJ for helping me out with my wheels and rubber, would not have done it without you guys. So this little story brings me back to the beginning, the car’s height, rake, and wheels are where I want them. The rest is a work in progress.

future plans for the car itself

Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you. I don’t have a modding style, as in show or go, I like it all. I like to shoot and look at it, but I love to be able to actually drive it too. My first time at the track over at lighting in NJMP was an eye opening experience, where I learned you don’t need a fast car to be a fast driver so I’m not obsessed with power, but rather I’m obsessed with a good balance and the endless knowledge. It’s not about power, or numbers, or bling or “mad tight” JDM parts for me, it’s about the knowledge and understanding. The sheer amount of knowledge of the people who race cars I find mind blowing. Driving is easy; driving fast is an art that I will eventually try to be decent at.

Some things I have planned soon are minor. I’d like to finish up the suspension with sways, end links and so some bracing. Power wise I’m thinking of doing GroupS headers with a tail 38mm EWG/Grimspeed UpPipe, maybe injectors. Honestly some days I feel like the car is slow, other days it surprises me. One thing that is definite is new tires, the stock tires are not only loud as all hell, but are also not meaty enough. My plan is to wrap the 18×9.5 +38mm Work Emotion XT7′s in a 275/35/18, a proper fitment.

As far as my aspirations for the car I really just want to do my own thing and not follow in someone’s footsteps. It’s really hard to stray from the crown in a group as big as the NASIOC and IWSTI forums, but it’s something I am trying to do it. I refuse to be another WRB on gold STI. Yes it looks good but it’s not my thing, which is why the Work Emotion XT7′s will be powder coated in the winter along with other various goodies that will go on the car. What color? You’ll have to wait and see (ED: Not too long, just keep reading).

In the end, this car is a dream come true and I can’t thank all my friends (you know who you are) enough for helping me wrench on the car late into nights rain or shine. I can’t leave the parents out of this since they let me stash parts in their basement. Also big thanks to AZP installs for putting up with my ‘genius’ ideas and Imprezzive for helping me with the wheels/tires. All of you guys have been a big help and inspiration I can’t soak up the knowledge fast enough from a lot of you guys!

I can’t say I will ever be “done” with the car as there is always something to be done or changed but there will be a time when I’m content. Next year I plan on tracking it a lot more to get some driving under my belt, after all why do all of this for it to only see the street? I don’t believe in messing around on the street, yes we all do some pulls here and there, but I refuse to push it on public roads.

I hope you enjoy the car and the pictures as much as I do since they were all taken by me. The gear is pretty basic, I’m using a Nikon D5000 with a Tamron 18-270 3.5 and a Nikon 35mm 1.8. Between detailing the car and shooting it it’s almost a full time job keeping her clean. Luckily my girlfriend is beginning to understand my ways and I can’t thank her enough for understanding when sometimes the car takes rank above her or when I’m running late to important dates and things because of issues with the car. I think she know who the real woman in my life is, no guys it’s not the STI, or is it?

I can go on for hours talking about the car and mods that went into it or ideas but I’ll try to keep it short. Do what you like and keep yourself happy, and even though it’s just a car, it means a lot to all of us gear heads who put in the time and effort to be appreciated. Thanks for everyone who actually takes the time to read this. Hopefully I’ll meet you guys at meets or see you around, feel free to say hello, I’m as easy going as they get, just don’t touch the car!

I am excited to see all the things Ivan is going to bring to the table with his STI and know that the likely hood of a “final product” with this car is very slim, because as we all know, no car is ever really “complete”. This isn’t the last time we will hear from him either, since there’s no doubt in my mind that many track days lay in the future and I’ll be right behind him. (ED: After the main interview with Ivan has has added the Grimspeed goodies he was looking to add along with the EWG. He’s also now tuned by EFI Logics)

The List:

EXTERIOR:
Hella supertones
Debadged
RA mudflaps (black with red)
3k hid fog lights
20% tint all around
Vinyl gloss black roof
JDM rear foglight
Thule roof rack with Thule 38′ fairing
HPT motorsports front lip
R205 badges
Yellow over layer fog lights

INTERIOR
Hard wired radar
Setting saver
Armrest extender
WCLathewerks 3′ brushed aluminum shift extender
3M Di-noc interior trim wrapped
Recaro headrest pillows
Killer B Automotive sphere shift knob
Defi advanced CR 60mm boost gauge
AEM UEGO 52mm wideband
gauges mounted in custom cut above rearview mirror pop from Fast WRX

POWER/DRIVETRAIN
TWM SS
Kartboy Front & Rear Bushings
COBB SF Intake + Airbox
Magnaflow 3” CBE
Invidia Ceramic Coated Catless Downpipe
NGK one step colder spark plugs
Walbro 255 fuelpump
Grimmspeed ebcs
Grimmspeed IWG block off bracket
Grimmspeed uppipe/dumptube
Tial 38mm EWG
GFB stealth fx adjustable recirc/hybrid BOV
Gold heat tape TMIC
Engine enamel on y-pipe/STi logo on tmic

SUSPENSION
BC BR Coilovers – 8K/10K
GTspec front strut bar
GTspec H-brace
Perrin 25mm front sway
Perrin 22mm rear sway
Kartboy front and rear endlinks

WHEELS/TIRES
Current
Work Emotion XT7 18×9.5 +38 in custom florescent highlighter yellow Wrapped in Sumitomo HTR Z III 275/35/18

Past
Enkei GTC-01 18×9.5 +38 in Neon Green
Work Emotion XD9 18×9 +43 in Gold
Work Emotion XT7 18×9.5 +38 in Bronze

Winter
Stockers W/225/40/18 Pirelli SottoZero Snow Tires

The Shots:
With the Enkei’s

Interior

With the XT7’s at “The Pagoda Run”

Current XD7s New Color

- The Madman.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_tukhtin/

On to the wheel sizes.
17×9 (+12, +22, +38)
18×8.5 (+38)
18×9.5 (+12, +22, +38)
18×10.5 (+12, +22)
All of them clear the Subaru Impreza WRX STi brembo calipers except the 17×9 +38mm.

These in 18×9.5 +38mm would be awesome on a GR STi.

The 18×10.5 +12mm would be perfect for a Karlton Fender Flare equipped GD STi.

Anyone ordered them yet?

-T3h_Clap

As you can see here they have approximately 2 to 2.5mm of clearance with the 8mm spacer.

J Chhim aka Jcizzo on the boards first tried to use a 3mm spacer to clear the brakes. It didn’t work, it was too tight. He decided it best to run an 8mm spacer. As you see in another pic below anything less than 8mm you’re cutting it far too close for comfort. Personally I’d even prefer a 10mm spacer to be on the safe side.

With any spacer you want to run a set of ARP Wheel Studs or similar long wheel studs. This allows you to use a proper spacer that can be designed to seat correctly to the hub and still have the correct outer hub bore to match your new aftermarket wheels.

The 17×9 +35mm RPF1s with an 8mm spacer to clear the brembos puts the effective offset to a +28mm. This offset isn’t for the faint of heart. +28mm requires a good bit of additional work to fit correctly due to the lower offset. If you’re dead set on 17×9′s and are looking for an inexpensive, light weight and pretty strong wheel the RPF1 is a good choice assuming you’ve got the ARP Wheel Studs, an 8mm hub and wheel centric spacer and the suspension setup to handle the lower +28mm effective offset.

Here are a few more pics of J Chhim’s gorgeous Blue RPF1s

As always if there are any questions on fitment don’t hesitate to comment or email us.

See the pics!!

These things look awesome, can’t wait to see more of them show up on Subarus.

-T3h_Clap

Photos by Michael Guntli aka. drmichi

Work has added Matte-Black to the new Work Emotion CR Kiwami color lineup. I really like the little detail they did on the spokes to differentiate the new CE Kiwami from previous Emotion CR models.

Click more for the photos of the different colors.

They’ve got some really sweet sizes available too.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI and Mitsubishi EVO Fitments
17×8 (Minimal/Shallow Concave)
+47mm, +35mm

17×9 (Deep Concave)
+38mm, 28mm, 17mm

18×8.5 (Middle Concave)
+47mm, +38mm, +30mm

18×9.5 (Deep Concave)
+28mm, +30mm, +20mm, +12mm

18×10.5 (Deep Concave)
+23mm

The deep concave version of these wheels will look great. The 18×10.5 +23mm will require a bit of a spacer to fit right with the Karlton flares, but would be a very aggressive fitment on a stock body GR or it would work nicely with an ARP wide body GD.

Important Note: I haven’t had a chance to confirm caliper clearances just yet. Once I know for sure what clears what I’ll post it up. So be sure to confirm caliper clearances before dropping the deposits.

-T3h_clap

The sweet spot is 18×10.5 +15mm with a 295/30/18, coilovers and some camber. Go Ginormous or GTFO.

This first post will be all 1 piece wheels that clear the STi Brembos, the 2/3 piece article will come later once we know exactly how aggressive we can go with these monster flares Karlton has created.

Advan
RZ-DF 18×10.5 +15mm

Advan RZ-DF

RG-D 18×10.5 +15mm

Advan RG-D

TCII 18×10.5 +15mm (GTR Face)

Advan TCII

Enkei

PF01 18×10.5 +15mm

Enkei PF01

RPF1 18×10.5 +15mm

Enkei RPF1

NT03+M 18×10.5 +30mm

Enkei NT03+M

GramLight

57g 18×10.5 +12mm (Face 3)

GramLight 57G

Ings+

TS06 18×10.5 +15mm

TS06

Volk Racing

RE30 18×10.5 +18mm (L2)

Volk Racing RE30

CE28N 18×10.5 +18mm

Volk Racing CE28N

TE37 SL 18×10.5 +15mm

Volk Racing TE37 SL

TE37 18×10.5 +15mm

Volk Racing TE37

VR.

G2 18×10.5 +27mm (F3)

VR. GR2

WedsSport

TC105N 18×10.5 +12mm (RR)

WedsSport TC105N

Gram Light 57 Ultimate and 57 Ultimate SC come in a lot of sizes. Not too many Subaru friendly wide ones but there are plenty to satisfy the guys wanting a lower offset.

Gram Light 57 Ultimate

Gram Light 57Ultimate

Here are the sizes for the 57 Ultimate

Gram Light 57 Ultimate Sizing

Gram Light 57 Ultimate SC

Gram Light 57Ultimate SC

Here are the sizes for the 57 Ultimate SC

Gram Light 57 Ultimate SC Sizing

Caliper Clearance and basic fitment.

The guys at Rays taking a little spin on a basic design.

They don’t list any of the 9.5″ wheels as clearing the STI Brembos. If they clear the EVO they’ll clear the STI brembos (at least they should). The 18×9.5 +30mm will be a nice “aggressive” fitment on either the GR or GD STi.

Aggressive STI fitment version 9.5″

How To: Properly Modify 05-07 GD STi Rear Fenders

A few of my articles on getting 9.5′s to fit.

Any questions on fitment don’t hesitate to comment or shoot us an email.

It took awhile for the Gram Light 57D to show up on an STI, I wonder how long it’ll take for someone to run these.

-T3h_:Clap:

Volk Racing RE30's For Sale!

I don’t normally post for sale ads on the blog but these wheels deserve a post. These are the famous White 18×9.5 +35mm Volk Racing RE30s from Mr. Adam aka BM_STi aka AdamBOMB_STi. Some of you may recognize Adam’s car from one of my first articles “9.5″ Wheels on a GD Impreza”.

Adam was the inspiration for that article. If you’re looking for an aggressive setup for your STi, you’re in luck because they are for sale!! Adam is moving on to some bigger wheels for some unknown plans. Either way, someone needs to pick these up as they’ll work perfectly on any GR/GV or with some work a GD.

This is the original Proper Fitment setup, big wheels, big tires, loads of grip. One of the first GD Imprezas with 9.5s.

Specs:

Volk Racing RE30 White

5×114.3 18×9.5 +35mm L1 Face

Bridgestone RE01R 265/35/18

Brembo Clearance: 05 – 11 STi

For Sale Thread: CLICK HERE!!

Current Asking Price 1/17/11: $2500 + shipping/fees

2004.7 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Volk Racing RE30

Whoever buys these needs to send me some photos of them on their car. These white Volk Racing RE30s would look perfect on a WRB 2011 STi Sedan. Who is up for the challenge.

You can contact Adam via Nasioc (AdamBOMB_STi) or IWSTI (BM_STi). You can also shoot me an email or leave a comment.

I will keep this post updated when he sells them, hopefully slap a few pics of them on their new owner’s car.

If there are any questions on fitment for your car/setup don’t hesitate to comment or email.

-Drew

Here’s a short list of some of the available 17×9 wheels for the Subaru Impreza WRX STi (05+) that clear the brembo brake calipers.

These models listed below may require modifcations to fit a given suspension setup. The modifications required to make these fit will be addressed later. Although the 9.5″ article seen here (http://t3hclap.com/archives/11) and the Fender Mod article seen here (http://t3hclap.com/archives/49) are must reads for all people hoping to run 9″ wheels.

In short the lower the offset the more fender mods and the more spring rate and the more camber you’ll need (or a combination of those three) to fit.

For a proper fitment you’re looking at a nice tire (preferably 245 or wider) and a performance oriented amount of camber to make it all work (-1.5 to -3.0 front and -1.5 to -2.0 rear).

The wider the tire you choose the more fender work/camber you’ll need. I’ll go into more detail on that later.

Here’s the short list so far. Any other models you’d like added don’t hesitate to comment or shoot me an email.

17×9 +40mm Volk Racing CE28N
17×9 +40mm Volk Racing RE30
17×9 +40mm Volk Racing TE37
17×9 +45mm Advan RG2
17×9 +45mm Advan RS
17×9 +45mm Advan RZ
17×9 +38mm gramLight 57Maximum
17×9 +45mm Kosei K1 TS
17×9 +45mm 57Motorsport G07WT
17×9 +43mm 5zigen FN01R-C
17×9 +42mm WedsSport TC005 (15.8 lbs)

Contributors to the above list so far; bdi, me

Volk Racing

VR.G2 

New Volk Racing G2

VR.G7

New Volk Racing G7!

VR.G10

New Volk Racing G10!

All three of the wheels come in some great sizes. Although some will say they are too big.

19′s are going to be come standard here in the coming years with most cars coming factory with 18″ wheels, stepping up 1″ is standard operating procedure for a street wheel.

I’m looking forward to seeing some GRB Sti’s running the 19×9.5s. The G10 is going to look spectacular on a GRB. So, Who’s first?

Sizing as Follows for Subaru Impreza WRX STi Brembo Clearance

VR.G2

19×8.5 +43mm S1 5×114.3 

19×9.5 +42mm S1 5×114.3

VR.G7

18×8 +50mm 5×100

18×8 +50mm 5×114.3

18×8 +40mm 5×114.3

VR.G10

19×8.5 +43mm S1 5×114.3

19×9.5 +44mm S2 5×114.3

As always don’t hesitate to comment or email any questions.

Here are the applicable sizes. Each of these will work on a stock body WRX with the correct wheel/offset/suspension/alignment setup. May need fender rolling or other fender mods to fit without rubbing. 05-07 GD STi Fender mod.

225/45/17
235/45/17
245/40/17
255/40/17

225/40/18
235/40/18
245/35/18
255/35/18

Each of these sizes will work with the right setup. As always any questions don’t hesitate to Comment or Email.

First up is a comparo of a select few 255/35/18 and 265/35/18

all tires listed in this graph are a 35 profile and 18″ diameter

Measuring Width is the wheel width that was used when measuring Tread width and Section width. Both of tread width and section width change with wheel width. More on this in a future article.

Tread is the Tread width of a given tire on a given wheel width, measured from the inside tread to the outside tread. Tread Width is not always published as you can see here where the red sections go down to zero.

Section is the Section Width of a given tire on a given wheel width, measured from the inside to the outside of the tire at the widest portion. The three digit number on the side wall of a tire relates to the tires section width.

as you can see the the difference between a 255 and 265 is noticeable in both section and tread widths.

the measuring wheel width also changes, the measuring wheel width for a 255 is generally 9″, 265 is generally 9.5″.

Mounting a tire on a wheel narrower than the measuring wheel width will result in a narrower section width then the published number.

Mouting a tire on a wheel wider than the measuring wheel width will result in a wider section width then the published number.

2nd up is a graph comparing 255/40/17 tires, all tires below had a measuring wheel width of 9″

As you can see comparing 255 only tires creates a more uniform graph in terms of section width. Tires range from a 10.2 to a 10.4. 10.2″ Section Width belongs to the Toyo T1R and the 10.4″ Section Width is from the new Dunlop Z1 Star Spec and R888.

The tires with the largest tread widths A048, R888 are both R-Compound Track tires.

Unfortunately the new Dunlop Z1 Star Spec does not have their Tread Width numbers publicly published, if anyone has a Dunlop connection that has these numbers I’d love to get my hands on them.

The RT615 and RE01R are the middle ground in terms of size for a Max Performance Street Tire, both measuring 9.4″ tread width
The AD07 from Advan is by far the largest coming in at a staggering 9.9″ tread width.

The R1R is between the RE01R and AD07 with a 9.6″ tread width

Choosing the correct tire for any application is critical, with the tires being the only thing touching the ground it’s key to make the right decision on what tires will maximize the use of your vehicle.

There will be another Article Following next week going into more detail on the Measurements listed here.

Also look out for more Tire comparison and analysis.

As always if there are any specific questions don’t hesitate to shoot me an email or comment.

-t3h_Clap

Go wider than stock?

Stay the same width?

Go narrower than stock?

These are a few questions that must be asked and answered before selecting a wheel. Not all wheels are available in all sizes.

The width of a wheel is measured from the inside bead to the outside bead.

The wheel width determines backspacing, forward spacing, offset selection and tire sizes.

Offset as said earlier is measured from the center of the wheel to mounting face.

Backspacing is the distance from the mounting face to the back of the wheel.

Forward spacing is the distance from the mounting face to the front of the wheel.

With knowing this only looking at offset when selecting wheels can be a very bad thing. Changing forward spacing and backspacing (by increasing wheel width) while maintaining the same offset can lead to potential rubbing issues.

the width of a wheel also dictates the size of tire that can safely be run.

is it possible to run a 275 series tire on an 8″ wheel? Yes, I ran it for part of the 2006/2007 season Solo2.

Is 275 on an 8″ wheel ideal? No, ultimately grip will be increased compared to a properly sized tire but there will be some side effects such as slower turn in, and “squirmy” sidewalls.

Why run an over sized tire for autox? Rules, in stock class changing wheel width is illegal, but tire width is unlimited. I will go into more detail about autox classing later.

Back to wheel width and tire width, each manufacture has listed the range of wheel widths any given tire can fit on. This is a good starting point for what is “ideal” although they do tend to lean towards a slight stretching of the tire. Some people prefer to have a little extra tire to help protect the wheel and increase grip. This can be accomplished by using a wheel width that is on the narrower side of the listed range.

Wheel width is a large contributor to wheel weight. When increasing wheel width it is a good idea to also upgrade to a better construction wheel either a high quality cast wheel or forged. Upgrading to a better construction usually means the overall weight of the wheels will be less.

Wheel weight will be discussed in further detail in a future article.

Wheel width is only one of the many aspects of selecting a wheel.

The other aspects of Diameter, Offset, Desired Tire Width, Acceptable Camber, Desired Usage, and Current and Future Suspension setups all need to be consider as well. Blindly saying “I want a 9″ wheel” can get you in loads of trouble if you’re not careful and don’t do your research.

Quote:

E,

I’m familiar with your setup, the RCIIs look very good on your car.

As you see with the 235/40/18 tire you’ve got a decent amount of room at +45mm offset all around.

Fronts don’t really require a fender roll but if you’re doing it you might as well, to help clearance in the front you can add a little more negative camber (~-1.8 or so would be good).

With a fender roll in the rear you should be able to safely run a 265/35/18 with your 45mm offset wheels.

key word is should, you may have to “pull” or “flare” the rear slightly due to you being on springs and not stiff coilovers. Also, you may need to invest in some rear camber bolts (Ingalls work well) to dial in a little more rear camber to keep the tire away from the fender.

Being an 04 you can’t get around not rolling your fenders, unfortunately you don’t really have a choice there if you want to run wider than a 235 (at your current width/offset/suspension).

which tire were you thinking of running?

a 265/35 is a fairly common size and most Max Performance Summer tires come in that size.

another size to look into is the 255/35/18 (RE01R specifically). This will be better suited to your 8.5″ wheel and will have less rubbing issues in the rear.

now that you know it is possible to make it work, I’ll tell you the downsides of running wider tires.

the bad:

1.) Your car will find every groove in the road and start trying to follow it like a blind dog on a leash. Now it isn’t that bad really, as long as you’re paying attention. (i’m running 265s and -2.9 camber in the front, trust me I know what it’s like ).

2.) you will give up some steering response for the increase in total grip. it’s a trade off that is a hard one to decide if it is worth it or not. the decrease in steering response wont be that much going from 235 to 265 on an 8.5″ wheel, and the ultimate grip wont be that much either, at least not on the street (or canyon). I hope you’re not pushing 10/10ths out on those canyons.

3.) there will be some added roll over which you may or may not notice, it really depends on you as an individual. Some people can tell when their camber is off by a 10th of a degree. I’m not one of those people btw,

the Good:

1.) they’ll look beefy as hell
2.) You will have more grip at the limit if you get there.

The above would also apply to all Base Imprezas and WRXs as well as MY04 STi’s. For a MY05+ STi the tire talk is similar the only real difference is the fender rolling. On a MY05+ STi fender rolling tends to be more complex and it can be easier to actually cut the fender lip off versus rolling it. I will address fender rolling and trimming in a future article. 

 For all Models Suspension does play a roll, I removed the specific suspension in this so it isn’t assumed it will always work.

If there are any specific questions such as this don’t hesitate to email me or shoot me a PM on one of the many forums.

 -t3h_clap

the center line of the wheel being further from hub creates more stress than the stock offset.

is there “proof” of this? is there some mile marker where your bearings will explode if you run a +30mm offset on a Subaru? No.

Are you causing more stress than factory? Yes.

Will you need to replace them earlier? Yes.

I’m more than willing to read a report from someone who has proof of their broken wheel bearing vs. non broken low offset wheel bearing.

You wont see me wasting time figuring out the actual point of where it happens. Low offset wheels increase wear. Either you accept that or you stay with a higher offset wheel. End of Story.

-T3h_Clap

Running an Aggressive fitment on an STi isn’t easy but at the same time it isn’t impossible. For autox, track, show, street it is possible to find a wheel and tire combo that will meet the needs you’re looking for.

To run a 9.5″ wheel on an Subaru Impreza WRX STi GDB/F you’ll need the following

Needs

• Coilovers with stiff springs (550/10k+).
• Camber adjustability Front and Rear (preferably with plates and bolts).
• The drive to make these work, this size doesn’t “bolt on” like other sizes.
• A dremel or fender roller or a hammer .
• 5×114.3 hubs are recommended mainly because of their out of the box durability and the wheel choices in 5×114.3 are much better than 5×100.
• Also a 9.5″ wide wheel that clears brembos and has an acceptable offset.

This is a very basic “needs” list, what EXACTLY needs to be done to run an aggressive setup will depend on many different variables.

On to the wheels that are available in 9.5″ that clear brembos.

More will be added as the days go on.

Specific fitment questions should be directed to drew@t3hclap.comas every setup is different and just because they clear brembos and the offset looks good doesn’t mean it will work.

Some wheels are available in custom offsets and widths, but not all. Most 2 and 3 piece wheels can be ordered with custom offsets.

Rays Engineering

Volk Racing RE30
17×9.5 +40mm
18×9.5 +47mm
18×9.5 +40mm
18×9.5 +35mm

Volk Racing TE37
17×9.5 +35mm
17×9.5 +40mm
18×9.5 +40mm
18×9.5 +35mm

Volk Racing CE28N
17×9.5 +47mm
17×9.5 +40mm
18×9.5 +47mm
18×9.5 +40mm
18×9.5 +34mm

Volk Racing Progressiv ME
18×9.5 +36mm

Volk Racing SF-Challenge
19×9.5 +40mm (disk A)

Volk Racing SF-Winning
19×9.5 +44mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +32mm (disk A)

Volk Racing GT-S
19×9.5 +30mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +43mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +40mm (disk B)

Volk Racing GTM
19×9.5 +36mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +33mm (disk B)

Volk Racing GTF
19×9.5 +30mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +42mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +40mm (disk B)

Volk Racing GTV
19×9.5 +30mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +42mm (disk A)

Volk Racing GTC face 1
19×9.5 +33mm (disk A)

Volk Racing GTC face 2
19×9.5 +36mm (disk A)

Volk Racing GT-7
19×9.5 +30mm (disk A)
19×9.5 +42mm (disk A)

gramLights 57F (No Longer in Production)
17×9.5 +38mm
18×9.5 +38mm

gramLights 57-Pro
18×9.5 +30mm (disk A)

gramLights 57S-Pro
18×9.5 +33mm (disk A)

gramLights 57Maximum-Pro
18×9.5 +30mm (disk A)

Yokohama

Advan Racing RS
17×9.5 +35mm
17×9.5 +25mm

Advan Racing RG2
17×9.5 +35mm
17×9.5 +25mm

Connoisseur No.151C
18×9.5 +38mm

Work Wheels

Emotion CR Kai
18×9.5 +30mm

Meister S1 2P
18×9.5 +20mm (T-Disk)

Emotion XT7
18×9.5 +38mm

Emotion XC8
18×9.5 +35mm

SSR

Competition/Type-C
17×9.5 +42mm

Type-F
18×9.5 +40mm

Enkei

NT03+M (May No Longer be in Production)
17×9.5 +44mm
17×9.5 +38mm

RP03
17×9.5 +38mm

GTC-01
17×9.5 +38mm

5zigen

FN01R-C
18×9.5 +35mm
18×9.5 +45mm

Simply, wheel diameter is the height of the wheel.

Late Model vehicles don’t generally see smaller than 14″ and can go as high as 20″ from the factory.

Aftermarket wheels generally are going to be larger in diameter than their factory counterparts.

When going to a larger diameter wheel you must also go to a larger diameter tire.

The reasoning for going to a larger diameter wheel is different for different people.

Reasons for changing wheel diameter:

• Looks. Generally speaking a larger wheel looks better than a smaller wheel, of course there are exceptions to this rule. There tend to be more styles of wheels in the larger (17″+) diameters as well.
• Brake Clearance. Larger diameter wheels have more space for larger rotors and larger calipers. When changing wheel diameter be sure the new size will be compatible with your current/future brake setup.
• Tire Selection. Changing wheel diameter can open up access to a larger selection of tire sizes and compounds. When selecting wheel diameter one should also look at available tire sizes and pricing, just because a 255/35 18 is the ideal size in both width and height doesn’t mean it is readily available in all compounds.
• Offset and Width availability. This is my personal favorite reason to change wheel diameter. Some vehicles come equipped with a relatively uncommon wheel diameter. The MY03 WRX is a good example, with a factory size of 16×6.5 and an offset higher than +50mm finding a 16″ wheel with the right width and offset can be difficult. Upgrading to a 17″ wheel allows for more widths and offsets to choose from.

Negative Aspects of Changing Wheel Diameter:

• Weight. Looking at two wheels of the same brand/style/width and offset where the only difference is diameter the larger diameter wheel will weigh more. Weight is the enemy when it comes to performance (handling, acceleration, deceleration). The extra weight can also cause added stress to a vehicle’s braking and suspension systems. When upgrading from a factory wheel it is possible to save weight (even when increasing diameter) if the correct brand/model/size is selected.
• Cost. Changing the diameter from the current size costs money, not only does one need to purchase the new wheels, but the current tires will not work on the new wheels which means it’s time to buy new tires. When upgrading to a larger diameter wheel the tires tend to be more expensive (and they get more and more expensive the larger you go).
• Rubbing.
  • Too big. When increasing wheel diameter it is possible to create rubbing problems that were not there previously. Just because some guy down the street fit 22″ wheels on his monte carlo doesn’t mean they will also fit on your accord coupe*. Increasing wheel diameter without increasing the overall tire diameter is the key, this is accomplished by decreasing the sidewall height of the tire**.
  • Too small. When decreasing wheel diameter it is possible to create rubbing problems on brake and suspension components. Before decreasing wheel diameter be sure the needed clearance is there.
• Availability. When changing wheel diameter the concern of being able to replace the new wheels in the event of an accident or failure one should consider the wheels availability. Is this new diameter a limited edition wheel? Is this new diameter hard to come by? Do I need to wait 10 months for them to come by boat? Are they stocked by my favorite vendor? All of these availability questions can be answered by the company you purchase the wheels from.

*Is it possible to make anything fit? Of course and we will get into model specific fitment at a later date.

**Detailed information on tires will be covered at a later date.

The combination of wheel diameter, wheel width, offset and disk/face is needed to know fitment.

Offset is the distance between the centerline of the wheel and the hub mounting face.

This distance dictates the wheel’s placement within the wheel well. Offsets are described in three different ways, Positive, Zero and Negative.

Positive Offset: Hub mounting face is on the outside (towards the wheel face) of the wheel centerline.

Zero Offset: Hub mounting face is the wheel centerline.

Negative Offset: Hub mounting face is on the inside of the wheel centerline.

There are other important measurements that include offset. Forward Spacing is the distance from the front of the wheel to the hub mounting face. Backspacing is the distance from the hub mounting face to the inside of the wheel. Both of these measurements are key to calculating fitment.

The manufacture of a given vehicle designed their wheels (offset included) around the chassis, suspension, braking and steering of said vehicle. Changing the offset can lead to problems if it is changed.

The change in offset can be calculated by finding the difference between the offset of the new wheel minus the offset of the factory wheel. When this number is large side effects start to become apparent.

Simply, when the difference in offset is positive the wheel will sit further in the wheel wells. When the difference in offset is negative the wheel will be pushed further outward.

This is the effects of offset very simply, ignoring wheel width can lead to serious problems. DO NOT LOOK AT ONLY ONE MEASUREMENT, all measurements of a wheel are key and must be considered when purchasing a new wheel.

Knowing the potential side effects of changing the offset drastically is key.

Potential Side Effects of drastically changing offset.

Rubbing:

• On suspension components
  • Springs
  • Struts
  • Control arms
  • Trailing arms
• On body panels
  • Fenders
  • Fender liners
  • Bumpers
  • Sideskirts
• On brakes
  • Calipers
  • Rotors

Knowing your clearances to all of these components is key before purchasing or deciding on a given offset.

I will be going into detail on specific models.

• Acceptable Offsets
• Acceptable Diameters
• Acceptable Widths

Math Explained:

Offset is generally measured in millimeters (mm) although converting an offset from inches (in) to millimeters (mm) is very simple. mm = in * 25.4

Change in Offset = New wheel offset* – Factory wheel offset*

Wheel Width in mm’s = Wheel Width in inches * 25.4

Centerline in mm’s = Wheel Width / 2

Backspacing in mm’s = Centerline + Offset* + 12.7

Forward spacing in mm’s = Centerline – Offset* + 12.7

*this formula applies for both Positive and Negative offsets, use the appropriate sign for a given offset to calculate both back and forward spacing.