wheel widening... is it worth it?

[musclegto]

tired this post at the drag racing forum to no avail. See if someone can help me here.

I am looking into getting my rear wheels widened. They are 17x7.5 and could get them widened up to 17x10 for $450 plus the shipping. Trying to see if it is worth it. How much difference would I see at the track and in the street.

I am thinking of putting some Nitto DR's for the back, but do not even know if they make some to fit this size wheel.

Any advice? thanks alot

[svede1212]

As far as worth it i'll have to wait until April when the tracks open up to see. I think it will give me a better ground contact patch. I had my stock rear 17"s widened to 9". I use Nitto 275/40/17 DRs. From what others have tried and what i measured 10" will get you into trouble hitting the inner wheel well. 9's are about it to be safe. I'm rolling my fenders too. BTW i got mine widened at Weldcraft for $350 for both

[bleek]

IMO no.

[putergod]

IMO no.

^^ +1

[enjoisht]

^^ +2

[tigeragogo]

^^ +3

[ToddO]

Well if you're old and like the stock flower power wheels, than the answer is yes.

[svede1212]

interesting. the naysayers don't have any drag times so i wonder where they get their opinions from? you don't count todd and besides you're putting on 9.5s in the back for a reason :). i don't have the BIG bucks like you do to buy $1,000 worth of wheels. as stated i don't know for sure if they'll help but i think they will. there's a reason they recommend wider wheels after the stock 245 size. at $350 for two which is all i need it's also cheaper than buying 4 aftermarket wheels.

[musclegto]

17x9 hu... maybe I will go with that, I really do not want to roll my fenders thou.

Can you fit the Nitto 275/40/17 DRs. on the stock tires by any chance?

[kyosho]

If you want the stock wheels, and want a wider tire, then the answer is yes. Running a 275 on an 8" wheel is dangerous, period. Look at ANY of the manufacturers web sites and they all say to use a minumum of a 9" wheel for a 275mm section width. Just because people on the forum are mounting 275s on 8" wheels does not make it right, nor safe. And, I am shocked that shops will even do it considering what it is doing to the sidewall. Weldcraft now charges $200 per wheel by the way.

[svede1212]

guess i got mine done just in time then. mine were done a couple months ago for $175. did you get the seams ground? that was $25 more and i passed on it. you can probably put on the Nittos without rolling the fenders if you have a good centering of the wheels in the wheel wells (a lot of our cars are off to one side) and stiff springs or drag bags.

[enjoisht]

interesting. the naysayers don't have any drag times so i wonder where they get their opinions from?

in my own opinion its too much trouble....i would rather just go aftermarket...and i would say if you get a stock 17 up to 10" of width, you will be most likely getting some rub on the inside of the tire...i have 19x9.5 with a 275 on the rear...and then i have stock 17's with 275 DR's on them for the track....no problems here...but then again it does involvee $$. so i guess its all up to whats in your wallet, and how much you wanna spend...later

[kyosho]

guess i got mine done just in time then. mine were done a couple months ago for $175. did you get the seams ground? that was $25 more and i passed on it. you can probably put on the Nittos without rolling the fenders if you have a good centering of the wheels in the wheel wells (a lot of our cars are off to one side) and stiff springs or drag bags.

I didn't get mine done yet - I emailed James at Weldcraft and he said they increased the price to $200 per wheel, plus $25 per wheel for the grinding.

[svede1212]

FWIW i just got back from having my DRs mounted on the widened wheels and they balanced up VERY well. there's only one small weight on each wheel. they were worse before i had them worked on. the sidewalls look totally square now.

[kyosho]

FWIW i just got back from having my DRs mounted on the widened wheels and they balanced up VERY well. there's only one small weight on each wheel. they were worse before i had them worked on. the sidewalls look totally square now.
Cool - what did you get your stocks rear 17s widened to? 9" or 9.5"? I've done some measuring and seem like 9.5" will require a spacer for sure.

[svede1212]

i might have been able to go to 9.5" but i just went to 9" to be safe. i didn't want to push it for a half an inch. i'll throw it on tonite and see what it looks like

[kyosho]

i might have been able to go to 9.5" but i just went to 9" to be safe. i didn't want to push it for a half an inch. i'll throw it on tonite and see what it looks like

Thanks - you haven't even had them on the car yet? Wow, that is some patience. :D

I am planning on getting my stock 18s widened, would be curious how you wind up clearance wise with the 17s widened to 9" with 275s...

[svede1212]

it might even be tomorrow before i can report back. i have a school Booster meeting tonite and won't be home until later.

[putergod]

At $200 per wheel you could easily have a pair of wheels that are wide enough to mount your drag tires on, probably even pick up a pair that are lighter than stock too.

Widen wheels = less safe IMO. The last thing I want is my wheels to split going down the track at 100+.

[svede1212]

:gr_jest: these wheels aren't going to split apart. you'd have a much better chance of your brand new tire blowing out. Weldcraft does a quality job. "= less safe" without seeing them or knowing wheel construction is a shot in the dark opinion.

[ToddO]

If you want the stock wheels, and want a wider tire, then the answer is yes. Running a 275 on an 8" wheel is dangerous, period. Look at ANY of the manufacturers web sites and they all say to use a minumum of a 9" wheel for a 275mm section width. Just because people on the forum are mounting 275s on 8" wheels does not make it right, nor safe. And, I am shocked that shops will even do it considering what it is doing to the sidewall. Weldcraft now charges $200 per wheel by the way.

A Nitto 275 is not a problem on a stock width wheel. They run a touch narrower than others.

[ToddO]

At $200 per wheel you could easily have a pair of wheels that are wide enough to mount your drag tires on, probably even pick up a pair that are lighter than stock too.

Widen wheels = less safe IMO. The last thing I want is my wheels to split going down the track at 100+.


I hope no one values your opinion. I think you're stoned.

[heath]

imo if your gonna spend money on wheels you might as well get some different aftermarket wheels with correct offsets,(roh drift-r's)when you widen wheels alot of times you need to deal with spacers,not worth it imo

[svede1212]

you see i'm not a ricer boy. i like my car stock looking and just have the hidden stuff kick your ass. after market = $800-$1,200 i could spend on go-fast stuff

[heath]

you see i'm not a ricer boy. i like my car stock looking and just have the hidden stuff kick your ass. after market = $800-$1,200 i could spend on go-fast stuff
so everyone that has aftermarket wheels is a :quoties: ricer boy:quoties: ??

[Smitty]

At $200 per wheel you could easily have a pair of wheels that are wide enough to mount your drag tires on, probably even pick up a pair that are lighter than stock too.

Widen wheels = less safe IMO. The last thing I want is my wheels to split going down the track at 100+.

Last I knew, at Weldcraft 17" were $175, 18" were $200, that's probably why kyosho was quoted $200. As for splitting in half, it's yet to happen. Last year, a set that were widened by Weldcraft for a built Cobra broke out the center-section, which has nothing to do with the widening process...

As for easily picking up a pair of wider wheels, I question that as our cars require a very high offset, and are on something of an oddball bolt pattern (BMW being the only other major manufacturer using the 5x120). By having them widened, you can create your own offset, depending upon how much material you add to the inside...

I've had zero problems with mine...

[BlueFlyingGoat]

GENTLEMEN! Ease up....this thread is getting too intense....

I've been thinking about the widening route too because ~$400 < $1200 to do a whole new set. And I like the "sneak attack" factor too...:secret:

Running 275s on the stock rims seems risky at best. I'm sure you can cram them on there but not with proper rim support. 255s I've seen (just recently) and they look good on the rears...

[musclegto]

what nitto drag radials can you put on a 17x10" wide wheel? If not 10, then for a 9.5"

[PARIAH]

Any pics of the widened wheels on GTO's yet? 18's?

[StormSigma]

Any pics of the widened wheels on GTO's yet? 18's?

I too would be interested in costs for widening the stock 18's. Personally, I love the stock 18's more than any aftermarket wheel out there and would love to ditch the 235 nonsense.

[lsx24]

at $350 for two which is all i need it's also cheaper than buying 4 aftermarket wheels.

I agree....I like the stock look, so it would be worth it to me to widen the stock wheels, to run a 275 tire out back.

But how does that work? I assume you have to take the wheels off and ship them to Weldcraft, but then how long does it take? Is the goat down and out for an extended period of time?

And what about offset? If I go to 9" wide, what offset should I get, to best fit a 275 KDEW tire? Do they do different offsets, or is it a one-size fits all deal?

[DewieJr]

On the stock 18's run 235's up front, 255's out back and then buy 2 17" stockers and widen them to 9" to fit 275 DR's.

Thats what I'm doing at least.:wall:

[Pulse_GTO]

I do not understand why you guys all say 275's on 8 inch rim is unsafe. The new 500hp m5 runs 285 on 8.5 double checked that to be sure, I dont know what you guys think but that car handels like a champ. I understand the argument in theory, but their is to much data backing up the fact that it works totally fine. It may not be ideal but it seems to work.

[lsx24]

The new 500hp m5 runs 285 on 8.5

That is wrong. The FRONTs are 8.5. The rears (with the 285 tire) are 9.5.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/0602_b mw_data_panel.pdf

9" is a minimum width for 275 tires for a reason.

[Pulse_GTO]

go to motor trend and look it up

[DewieJr]

M5's are 9.5 rear, hes right.

[lsx24]

go to motor trend and look it up

You obviously didn't look at the link I posted. :fawkdance

If you think MT sais otherwise, it's wrong. I'd like to see a link.

[GTO1_OHIO]

I do not understand why you guys all say 275's on 8 inch rim is unsafe. The new 500hp m5 runs 285 on 8.5 double checked that to be sure, I dont know what you guys think but that car handels like a champ. I understand the argument in theory, but their is to much data backing up the fact that it works totally fine. It may not be ideal but it seems to work.

I've emailed Mickey Thompson about the fact that our members use their 275/45/17 DR on our 8 in wheels and if they thought it was safe. They replied that "they recommend a minimum of 9 inches". ...so I'm looking for a lightweight staggered set with at least 9 inches in the rear.

[radkon]

Sorry for the hi-jack.

The reason a 9' rim is recommended for a 275 tire is simple. The sidewall of the tire is pulled in a bit on an 8' rim, thus loosing horizontal stability. Now there are a number of people on this board (myself included) who have the Nitto 275's mounted on the stock rim and have not had issues. That being said I do NOT use them often (to and from the track and down the strip, thats it). They are off the car before I drive it on the street again, why? Bottom line I'm not very comfortable with the cornering of the car with them on. You can feel the shoulder roll on the tire at speed (50+). For straight line I don't think its a big deal. I've gone down to 18 PSI and they still hold up at the track.

The Nitto 275 is narrower than other brands. I have pics (posted here somewhere) of Sable's 275 MT's on the stock rims and they are at least 1/2' wider than mine. Lastly some folks who have mounted the Nitto 275s have had rubbing, this is most likely due to the rear cradle not being centered from the factory.

So moral of the story, 275's aren't recommended for the factory rims but plenty of people do it. Is it safe? Depends on what you consider safe, if you're at a track you're already taking some risk so to each his own.

[musclegto]

anyone on my question?

What are the biggest tires you can fit on 10" wide wheels. 275's or 315's ??

[Pulse_GTO]

Check BMW website I was in the wrong but the M/T website does say it has 8in rims in the back. So, it looks like I do indeed have egg on my face. BTW no need to be a total f-face and use the :fawkdance that has to be one of the things I dislike most about this site is that people always need to be smart asses about things. Again sorry I am not a bench racer and that I dont study every stat on ever car.

[kyosho]

I would say 295 is the widest tire for a 10" wheel.

As a suggestion, simply visit the tire manufacturer websites and they have all the specs for wheel width, etc.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/specs/g-force-t-a-kdw/22.html

For example:
275/35ZR18 95Y BSW 46785 9 - 11 10.9 on 9.5 25.6 10 814 1521@51

9-11 is the rim wdith - PERIOD for a 275mm wide BFG KDWS.