Gram Lights 57 Ultimate SC

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:

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.