rpf1s with pirellis installed!

[xaaxjocg]

bought some pirelli sottozeros with enkei rpf1s in 16x7 and man, i'm loving it!

stock tire+wheel is around 36.5 tires, the new setup has a combined weight of 33.7, so i'm shaving almost 3lbs off each wheel.

braking response and acceleration improved dramatically, suspension feels a lot tighter probably because it has less weight to work against.

tires are very 'puffy' looking..... the car is starting to remind me of japanime stuff like the bikes in the movie akira

[Kickapoo]

looks really good, i'm just confused why the wheel/tire combo looks meatier and like it has a smaller rim compared to stock.

do you have any suspension mods?

[xaaxjocg]

no suspension mods so far.... not sure i'll need them, the lighter wheels make the stock suspension feel a lot stiffer because it's not working as hard.

the rim is wider (16x7 vs 16x6 stock) so the tires are stretching a little more outwards. it's a 195/55-16 tire.

i just did a long 3 hour drive..... this wheel/tire combination has made such a huge improvement it's almost beyond words. the car almost feels like a true sports car now.

I bought the sottozeros because cold weather is approaching in another month or so, and i didn't think they would handle well in the 70-80F degree weather we have now, but they are excellent. They are so much better than the stock all season bridgestones.

[TinTin]

going from a 16" wheel to another 16" wheel isn't much of an upgrade. Why didn't you go 17"? There are much better options for tire sizes that match our stock diameter better, less sidewall improves handling more, and the weight differences still are less than stock.

not to mention 17" looks better.

[northbridge]

well, it seems that the mod suited him well.

a 16 inch RPF1 will always weigh less than a 17 so the benefits he got out of this mod would have been diminished for a better look. Seems the OP cares more about actual performance which is completely understandable.

[xaaxjocg]

16s will have better performance than 17s, and i need a beefy sidewall because i live in a city which doesn't believe in road maintenence. i'm tempted to put a hero cam on the front bumper on one of my daily commutes, and it's kind of similar to a WRC course

the overall weight of the rpf1 in 17 with tires would be slightly heavier than the stock 16 wheel, in terms of sprung mass.

for 1 lb added/lost to the tire, that is multiplied by a factor of 2 (roughly) to equate to sprung weight

for 1 lb added/lost to the wheel, that is multiplied by a factor of 1.6 (roughly) to equate to sprung weight.

reason being for this, is that the further out on the wheel/tire diameter you go, the more the mass makes a difference.

also, 17s, or any +1/+2 setup makes the car's stance look awkward unless you accompany the install with coilovers or springs.

[Koala Yummies]

Looks great, good choice. I've always been fond of factory diameter, but increased width in wheels. Also glad Tire Rack confirmed this size RPF1 will fit. As a plus, keeping the same diameter allows you to swap tires between multiple sets of wheels if need be.

[B-rad]

i like the set up im gonna run something similar
i just got some 16" bbs wheels for 280 shipped im gonna run 205/50 16's because i live in the suburbs of chicago and the pot holes going to the city are ridiculous

[KamiSpeed]

every person has their own tastes. I think the 16's look good, though a little beefier tires would look even better in my opinion, I like the look of race cars with small wheels and beefy tires that seem to pop out.

anyways, OP if you need GoPro cameras I have them for $265 shipped (in continental USA)

[romiata]

I like it As long as you, OP, are happy with it, that's all that matters. Enjoy (btw, love the Akira reference, too!)