Rick, I posted some photos on the DMCForum photos section of various aftermarket rims. Click the link http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/ and then click "Photos". The dimensions you mention are what most people tend to agree on; however, I suggest carefully measuring your OEM rims before you spend the bucks. I say this because all the front rims that I have looked at had the following markings on the back side, "6JJx14x35". Presumably "6" is the rim width, "14" is the diameter and "35" is the offset. Some caveats when shopping for aftermarket rims: The rear hubs have spacers held on with a phillips screw. If your new rims need an adapter, calculate the width of the adapter to eliminate the OEM spacer. Using the spacer effectively makes the hub shorter and less effective when mounting hub-centric. Removing it makes extra width available to the adapter making it stronger. The OEM spacers saved from the rear hubs can be used on the front if necessary. Extras can be bought from the vendors. If you use spacers/adapters, make sure that they are made with a 72mm hub to fit the new rim and a hub hole on the other side to tightly fit the car (very slightly larger than 72mm). Make sure that the hole is deep enough so that the adapters fit flush. Most rim manufactures will not warranty a rim if it has been mounted lug-centric. Lug-centric means that the hub hole is too big and proper centering of the wheel depends on the lugs lining up properly as you tighten the nuts. Hub-centric means that the hole fits neatly over the hub & centers the wheel before you tighten the nuts. The OEM front rim width is 6", and this is rather narrow by industry standards. Few manufactures make rims this narrow, so normally people end up using 7". For best handling characteristics, it is best to choose your offset so that this extra inch is evenly divided on both sides. If you put it all toward the center then you may have clearance problems. If you put it all toward the outside, this transmits more vibration & road feel though the steering wheel as well as slings more mud on your fenders. Look at the outer edges of your front sway bar and see how the tires rub it. Depending on your front alignment, the wheels rub the sway bar at about the same time that the steering rack stops lock-to-lock. If you put wider rims on the front, you may decrease your turning radius due to interference with the sway bar. Also depending on the diameter vs. width & offset, it may be the metal part of the rim scraping the sway bar instead of the rubber. Whether using OEM or aftermarket rims, it is a good idea to put a very thin coat of thick grease between the rim & the hub. This will help to reduce the chemical reaction that happens from the dissimilar metals -- aluminum vs. steel plus moisture & road salt equals some nasty oxidation. Be careful not to get any grease on the lugs. They are meant to be dry-torqued. Be very leery of a dealer who re-drills the lug hole pattern to make a rim fit your car. Drilling a new hole is fine if properly done, but drilling an existing hole to change the lug spacing is a bad idea. You end up with your lug nuts seating on oblong holes that don't hold a torque well. Correcting this with a pressed-in steel insert makes a crappy job. Make sure that your OEM lug wrench still fits. The clearance between the lug nut & hole may be too tight for your OEM lug wrench. Or you may end up with aftermarket lug nuts that don't fit your original wrench. Stuck on the side of the road changing a flat tire is a bad time to learn this. Let us know what you come up with. The TSW rims you saw on my car when we met in Orlando were not worth the effort. The dealer drilled the hole pattern inaccurately and had to repair & re-powdercoat them. It wasn't worth the hassle. And the dealer wouldn't make good on them after I found out that the rims rub the sway bar. It would take a lawsuit to make it right. Walt ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> 4 DVDs Free +s&p Join Now http://us.click.yahoo.com/pt6YBB/NXiEAA/Ey.GAA/HliolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
Back to the Home of PROJECT VIXEN