jrow3
Senior Member
- First Name
- John
- Joined
- May 20, 2019
- Threads
- 3
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- 181
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- 179
- Location
- Fremont, CA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Civic Type R, 2003 4Runner
- Thread starter
- #1
With so many people asking about wheels that "retain the stock feel" or various other questions I figured I'd dump all the research I've done into a single place for all to see.
When looking for a performance wheel the goal will be to reduce the possibility of introducing torque steer into the system designed for a 20" wheel with a 60mm offset. The easiest way to do that is to maintain as close to the stock wheel setup as possible (there are other ways but they require a significant bit more work than just matching a few numbers). Because your diameter is a sum of both your wheel and the tire you are putting on the car, you'll want to ensure you are putting a tire on that mirrors the outside diameter of the OEM setup as close as possible. I'm a big fan of tiresize.com's offset calc as that does a really good job of visually showing you what changes you'll be making from stock with your particular wheel and tire choice. That all said, some drivers are much more sensitive to torque steer than others, so while one driver may say setup A is flawless, another may still be able to feel the changes from stock. Of course even with our fancy helical wizardry at the front, the stock car does start with a small amount of torque steer, so expecting to feel nothing like a RWD car will be impossible. The goal here is not to eliminate that torque steer, but to minimize adding any additional.
Additionally the big push/pull is with wheel size. There are many 19" wheel options close to stock offset, but 19" tires are more expensive and have fewer choices. 18" wheels though offering a much broader range of tires and prices are harder to find in a >53mm offset. That said if your absolute goal is to stick as close to stock as possible it's easier looking at 19" wheels. Also for those interested in autocross, SCCA limits you do a 19" wheel so you're stuck there.
OEM Stock FK8 | 20" $900/w ~27.6lb +60 Cast - These are the stock wheels that came on your Type R. There are numerous reasons to move off these, so I assume one of those reasons is why you're here.
LE FK8 Type R | 20" $1400/w 23.6lb +60 Forged - These are the newest and (in my opinion) worst option here. They are by far the most expensive (1400$), still fairly heavy (due to being 20") and there are many better options below. If you are able to pick these up very cheaply somehow they are a fine choice, but not nearly worth the estimated price we expect these to leave dealers hands for.
Tire Rack Forged ONE | $680/w 20.3lb +53 Forged - I have not heard much around these wheels, but they seem to be a Motegi/NSX competitor. That said they are more expensive than the NSX wheel and heavier. I would only look at this option if you are unable to find NSX wheels, or are a big fan of the styling.
Titan 7 | $680/w 20.5lb +45 19", $520/w 18.1lb +45 18" Forged - These are a very popular option for good reason. These are one of the closer to stock wheels offered in an 18". That said, the offset is still very high from stock, and on a 265/40/18 tire you are moving the centerline of the wheel almost half an inch towards the car. If I wanted a daily tire setup this would be the route I would take, but for performance I prefer to stick to a >+50 offset.
NSX | $600-$750/w 19.2lb +55 Forged - These are in the middle of the price range, the lightest and closest to the stock of the 19" options. If you really wanted to stay with a 20" you can also do that at a bit more cost. In my mind these are the best none custom option. The +55 offset is as close as you'll find to stock, and the weight is very good for a 19" wheel.
FK2 Type R | 19" $490/w +shipping ~26lbs +60 Cast - These are a great option if you want to drop to a 19" wheel and keep the stock offset. That said, they are not forged, and are fairly heavy for what they are. I think there are better options, but if you want to keep that stock look they are awesome.
OZ ULTRALEGGERA HLT | 19" $440/w 22lbs +53 Cast - These are currently on closeout at Tirerack so I don't know the availability. That said I think the Motegi's are a better option as they are only slightly heavier (0.4lb) but almost half the cost.
Motegi | $260/w 22.4lb +53 Cast - These are the "budget" NSX wheels. Roughly half the cost but they are a bit heavier. These are a great budget option with the only compromise being the weight, and a tiny offset difference than the NSX.
Custom | $1200+/w 18+lb +60 Forged - There are tons of options for custom wheels designed to hit your perfect numbers. That said for most of us, the expense is too large, and one of the above options is better.
Other - There are obviously a ton of other options that are less popular, or have much bigger compromises and are not as close to stock. I would only really branch out if you aren't going for that "stock" feel.
For me I've gone with the NSX wheels primarily because I autocross with them and they are the best autocross friendly option. That said, I'll probably eventually pick up a set of Titan 7 18" for dailying once I wear out the stock rubber I already have.
When looking for a performance wheel the goal will be to reduce the possibility of introducing torque steer into the system designed for a 20" wheel with a 60mm offset. The easiest way to do that is to maintain as close to the stock wheel setup as possible (there are other ways but they require a significant bit more work than just matching a few numbers). Because your diameter is a sum of both your wheel and the tire you are putting on the car, you'll want to ensure you are putting a tire on that mirrors the outside diameter of the OEM setup as close as possible. I'm a big fan of tiresize.com's offset calc as that does a really good job of visually showing you what changes you'll be making from stock with your particular wheel and tire choice. That all said, some drivers are much more sensitive to torque steer than others, so while one driver may say setup A is flawless, another may still be able to feel the changes from stock. Of course even with our fancy helical wizardry at the front, the stock car does start with a small amount of torque steer, so expecting to feel nothing like a RWD car will be impossible. The goal here is not to eliminate that torque steer, but to minimize adding any additional.
Additionally the big push/pull is with wheel size. There are many 19" wheel options close to stock offset, but 19" tires are more expensive and have fewer choices. 18" wheels though offering a much broader range of tires and prices are harder to find in a >53mm offset. That said if your absolute goal is to stick as close to stock as possible it's easier looking at 19" wheels. Also for those interested in autocross, SCCA limits you do a 19" wheel so you're stuck there.
OEM Stock FK8 | 20" $900/w ~27.6lb +60 Cast - These are the stock wheels that came on your Type R. There are numerous reasons to move off these, so I assume one of those reasons is why you're here.
LE FK8 Type R | 20" $1400/w 23.6lb +60 Forged - These are the newest and (in my opinion) worst option here. They are by far the most expensive (1400$), still fairly heavy (due to being 20") and there are many better options below. If you are able to pick these up very cheaply somehow they are a fine choice, but not nearly worth the estimated price we expect these to leave dealers hands for.
Tire Rack Forged ONE | $680/w 20.3lb +53 Forged - I have not heard much around these wheels, but they seem to be a Motegi/NSX competitor. That said they are more expensive than the NSX wheel and heavier. I would only look at this option if you are unable to find NSX wheels, or are a big fan of the styling.
Titan 7 | $680/w 20.5lb +45 19", $520/w 18.1lb +45 18" Forged - These are a very popular option for good reason. These are one of the closer to stock wheels offered in an 18". That said, the offset is still very high from stock, and on a 265/40/18 tire you are moving the centerline of the wheel almost half an inch towards the car. If I wanted a daily tire setup this would be the route I would take, but for performance I prefer to stick to a >+50 offset.
NSX | $600-$750/w 19.2lb +55 Forged - These are in the middle of the price range, the lightest and closest to the stock of the 19" options. If you really wanted to stay with a 20" you can also do that at a bit more cost. In my mind these are the best none custom option. The +55 offset is as close as you'll find to stock, and the weight is very good for a 19" wheel.
FK2 Type R | 19" $490/w +shipping ~26lbs +60 Cast - These are a great option if you want to drop to a 19" wheel and keep the stock offset. That said, they are not forged, and are fairly heavy for what they are. I think there are better options, but if you want to keep that stock look they are awesome.
OZ ULTRALEGGERA HLT | 19" $440/w 22lbs +53 Cast - These are currently on closeout at Tirerack so I don't know the availability. That said I think the Motegi's are a better option as they are only slightly heavier (0.4lb) but almost half the cost.
Motegi | $260/w 22.4lb +53 Cast - These are the "budget" NSX wheels. Roughly half the cost but they are a bit heavier. These are a great budget option with the only compromise being the weight, and a tiny offset difference than the NSX.
Custom | $1200+/w 18+lb +60 Forged - There are tons of options for custom wheels designed to hit your perfect numbers. That said for most of us, the expense is too large, and one of the above options is better.
Other - There are obviously a ton of other options that are less popular, or have much bigger compromises and are not as close to stock. I would only really branch out if you aren't going for that "stock" feel.
For me I've gone with the NSX wheels primarily because I autocross with them and they are the best autocross friendly option. That said, I'll probably eventually pick up a set of Titan 7 18" for dailying once I wear out the stock rubber I already have.
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