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I hate speccing out wheels and tires, but the aftermarkets my car came with are just so... meh. It's time for tires, so I figured it's time to replace the wheels too.
My car is an 03 JCW with relatively stock suspension. Stock ride height, factory brakes. I found a nice set of JDM sparco wheels with some decent new falkens on them for a good price, but they're a ways away so before I go out, I'd like to know if they'd probably fit (preferably without a spacer)
Will a 15x6.5 with a 35 offset wearing 195-55's fit the car? I want to go down to as small diameter a rim as possible for a while. I'll upgrade to a bigger wheel when I get around to a BBK.
I'm also interested in a set of steelies to make into winter wheels, but I really don't know where to look for them.
Stock 15" wheels have a 45mm offset and 195/60 tires, but the set-up you're looking at will probably work too. Because those rims have less offset than stock you can't correct the difference with spacers; those wheels will sit outboard 10mm further than stock wheels.
I was running 15" steelies with my winter tires, IIRC I got them from tirerack and they weren't expensive. I'm not sure if they still offer those rims. The stealership can get them but who knows what they'd charge.
The 15" set-up really made the car change direction much more quickly than my 205/50-16 summer tire set-up which almost made the car more fun to drive. But of course there was much less grip.
Stock 15" wheels have a 45mm offset and 195/60 tires, but the set-up you're looking at will probably work too. Because those rims have less offset than stock you can't correct the difference with spacers; those wheels will sit outboard 10mm further than stock wheels.
I was running 15" steelies with my winter tires, IIRC I got them from tirerack and they weren't expensive. I'm not sure if they still offer those rims. The stealership can get them but who knows what they'd charge.
The 15" set-up really made the car change direction much more quickly than my 205/50-16 summer tire set-up which almost made the car more fun to drive. But of course there was much less grip.
Stock tire size on the stock 15x5.5 ET45 wheels was 175/65. The Sparcos should give a bit over 20 mm more poke, I believe.
I run a 15x7 ET35, which fits fine. If you have the JCW brakes, there may be clearance issues with a 15” wheel, IIRC.
Last edited by deepgrey; Feb 15, 2021 at 05:31 AM.
Reason: More fit info.
Stock tire size on the stock 15x5.5 ET45 wheels was 175/65. The Sparcos should give a bit over 20 mm more poke, I believe.
I run a 15x7 ET35, which fits fine. If you have the JCW brakes, there may be clearance issues with a 15” wheel, IIRC.
Does the r53 JCW have different brakes to the regular S? I never really could figure that out. I know some later r53's do, but mine has the gen 1 interior, not the one from the second gen/face-lift.
So with a 15x7 et35, what tire are you running? No wheel extending out of the arch?
Does the r53 JCW have different brakes to the regular S? I never really could figure that out. I know some later r53's do, but mine has the gen 1 interior, not the one from the second gen/face-lift.
I’ve never bothered to check, but presumably not always because of the way the JCW stuff could be ordered piecemeal. Maybe someone else could chime in to confirm.
So with a 15x7 et35, what tire are you running? No wheel extending out of the arch?
205/55R15 Yokohama S.Drives. They don’t poke past the fenders. I would take a photo, but I have my original set of R81s with 175/65R15 winters on the car now.
I’ve never bothered to check, but presumably not always because of the way the JCW stuff could be ordered piecemeal. Maybe someone else could chime in to confirm.
When I was doing my brakes and the brakes on my wife's r55 (thank christ that thing is now gone) I looked around, and don't think my brakes look like some of the JCW ones I've seen. No sticker or badging on them, but they are red.
My car was a full JCW spec from the factory according to the sticker. I don't know of a single option the car didn't have other than a sunroof (which it was apparently specifically ordered without a sunroof and with the roof in indi blue instead)
The only downside it's had is that I didn't like the wheels the second owner opted for after he clipped a curb in 2008. they're a 17x7, I THINK a +40 offset. They fit the arch well, but they're very.... 2008. And the hub centers are different so I can't rotate the tires front/back.
I'm gonna drive up and test fit the tires. I was only asking because it's a ~250 mile trip, though it's up to bellingham, so my wife will enjoy it anyways.
I didn’t think the JCW kit was available from the factory in 2003. Actually, I’m not sure the big brake kit was a thing until around... 2004 maybe?
How are the hubs different? That sounds fishy. You don’t just have a stuck centering ring, do you?
It's not the car, it's the wheels, they literally have different centers for some reason. One pair has a smaller diameter that prevents it from mounting on the front.
It's not the car, it's the wheels, they literally have different centers for some reason. One pair has a smaller diameter that prevents it from mounting on the front.
I don’t see how that’s possible. The mini has a 56.1 mm centerbore on every hub, and I’ve never heard of anyone having mismatched hubs. If a wheel didn’t fit on one corner, it wouldn’t fit anywhere. Are you sure you don’t have a centering ring stuck on the hub? I used to have that happen all the time with the aluminum rings on my Audi.
I don’t see how that’s possible. The mini has a 56.1 mm centerbore on every hub, and I’ve never heard of anyone having mismatched hubs. If a wheel didn’t fit on one corner, it wouldn’t fit anywhere. Are you sure you don’t have a centering ring stuck on the hub? I used to have that happen all the time with the aluminum rings on my Audi.
Hmm. Now you have me doubting it! I could swear things looked normal - I've done the front wheel bearings and didn't notice anything amiss, but I'll take a look before I drive up north.
I'll double check the disc size when I check about possibly having a stuck hub center - I haven't had to do front pads and rotors yet on the car, so I haven't had to source the parts.
I don’t see how that’s possible. The mini has a 56.1 mm centerbore on every hub, and I’ve never heard of anyone having mismatched hubs. If a wheel didn’t fit on one corner, it wouldn’t fit anywhere. Are you sure you don’t have a centering ring stuck on the hub? I used to have that happen all the time with the aluminum rings on my Audi.
You're dead right. both front wheels had their centering rings popped off and stuck flush against the hub, they looked like they were meant to be there. I've NEVER had that happen to BOTH wheels.
But now I'm a little confused on my brakes. I cannot find a reference photo to OEM r53 front brakes, but I'm fairly sure it's only got slotted rotors/stainless brake lines on OEM calipers.
Here's a pic. As long as I can confirm with you guys that I have OEM brakes, I'll be heading up to bellingham to test fit the wheels on Sunday. -oh, and assuming they fit, how far off is a 195/55 on a 15x6.5 going affect my speedometer while I run the tires they come with?
Last edited by Honeybadgers; Feb 19, 2021 at 04:43 PM.
Well, didn't get a reply here, but the guy was able to meet me in Kirkland since he had to stop by his business, and the wheels fit perfectly.
Set of really rare JDM 15x6.5 sparco rally wheels with good 26/18 date code falken ziex with nearly new tread for $400. Immediately improved the ride and road noise over the painted-on tires it was running with the 17x7's.
the 15x6.5 with a +35 offset sits cherry in the arches. These are absolutely the wheel I'm gonna run on the JCW until I finally get around to a BBK.
Glad it worked out and you got the centering rings sorted.
I hope those Falkens are better than the set I had. I think mine were the ze912, and they went from merely okay when new to downright scary on damp roads as they wore. Whatever compound they used for that particular model was utter trash.
Glad it worked out and you got the centering rings sorted.
I hope those Falkens are better than the set I had. I think mine were the ze912, and they went from merely okay when new to downright scary on damp roads as they wore. Whatever compound they used for that particular model was utter trash.
They're the 914's.
Hopefully they aren't terrible in the rain, but it was greasy on the way home and they felt really good.
The sumitomo's it had before were thoroughly mediocre.
