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Hey Guys. New to the section, long time F-body owner, first time attempting to autocross. I just picked up an 02 WS6 that has some suspension work done(LCA's,Subframe connectors, Strano springs, Bilstein shocks) and the car came with 2 sets of rims and tires. The first set is AR TT2 in 17x9(or9.5) and 17x11 rears. They currently have Continental ExtremeContact DW's on the front and Nitto 555R's on the rear. The other set of rims and tires are C5 magnesium rims that have Blizzaks on them. I really like the look of the C5 magnesium rims and in the minimal research I've done, it seems like they might be the lightest wheel I can find. My only issue is with the rears being 18's, can I find a good street performance tire that can also be used on autocross?
Those Corvette wheels I believe wear 245 front and 275 rear which are puny. How heavy are the other wheels? I'm a fan of a square setup which enables tire rotation. How big are you willing to go?
I'll most likely sell the torque thrusts just because I'm not a fan of the look of them. I could potentially sell both sets of rims/tires that came with the car and just start fresh. I figured 17s would probably be cheaper on tires but could go with an 18" rim as well.
In ESP (or CAM) you can run 17x11s or 18x11s. If you want to run street tires (not R comps) it looks like 18" rims are the way to go now, I switched from 17 to 18 this year. I hear the BFG is about the best tire choice for 315s, you could run Yokohama a032 (?) in ESP but not CAM. Forgestar F14 wheels 18x11 are actually not "very heavy"... mine came in at about 24 pounds. Only about 1lb heavier than a set of 17" CCWs. (But the F14s have a few downsides, worse part being tiny lug holes and less than perfect quality control IMO.) I don't think you can get a whole lot lighter without compromise (Bogart wheels supposedly super light but make me nervous).
I'd never run anything less than a 275 tire on the car. The front tire on the Mag wheels in your pic look tiny, or maybe they are also offset inward a bit, not quite sure.
Call Sam and talk to him, he can sell you some Forgestars and/or tires too. You might also want to seriously consider KONI shocks.
I've pretty much decided that I'll sell both sets of rims and tires to get 1 set. Doing research it looks like I'd be mostly wanting to run in CAM. Tire wise, it seems like 18's run $50-100+ more per tire. I think I'd like to get a set of 17s in 275 or wider just for cost, unless there is a good 18" tire that wont break the bank? Looking at OEWheels, the 18" rims don't seem like they cost much more than 17s. Looking for advice.
Well what's the budget, for tires wheels or both? My Forgestar 18x11s were around $1800 I think, tires around $1600 (and I think that's a decent price). I'd say if you are selling and going all new, go 18s all the way. You can fit a bigger brake caliper later on too, have more tire selection.
You could look for used rims but it's a waiting game to see what comes around.
I've pretty much decided that I'll sell both sets of rims and tires to get 1 set. Doing research it looks like I'd be mostly wanting to run in CAM. Tire wise, it seems like 18's run $50-100+ more per tire. I think I'd like to get a set of 17s in 275 or wider just for cost, unless there is a good 18" tire that wont break the bank? Looking at OEWheels, the 18" rims don't seem like they cost much more than 17s. Looking for advice.
There are no good 17" tires so I'm not sure what you are hoping to save.
18x10.5 C5 Z06 wheels can be had cheap if you're patient, but lacking a little in width unless you're going to stop in the 305mm area.
I think you guys have almost fully convinced me to run 18s. I don't plan on getting too serious with the tire so a 10.5" width would probably work. Do the 18x10.5's fit in the front? Or would I need spacers?
If you're cheap and don't care about being the best, go for c5 wagonwheels rear, I got a set of 4 for 100 plus shipping, then another set for around 150 plus shipping. Then I had to replace a cracked one for around 60 shipped. Paint em black and they look decent but will only fit 275s which are decent. I hear it's getting hard to find 315 race scrubs?
In ESP (or CAM) you can run 17x11s or 18x11s. If you want to run street tires (not R comps) it looks like 18" rims are the way to go now, I switched from 17 to 18 this year. I hear the BFG is about the best tire choice for 315s, you could run Yokohama a032 (?) in ESP but not CAM. Forgestar F14 wheels 18x11 are actually not "very heavy"... mine came in at about 24 pounds. Only about 1lb heavier than a set of 17" CCWs. (But the F14s have a few downsides, worse part being tiny lug holes and less than perfect quality control IMO.) I don't think you can get a whole lot lighter without compromise (Bogart wheels supposedly super light but make me nervous).
I'd never run anything less than a 275 tire on the car. The front tire on the Mag wheels in your pic look tiny, or maybe they are also offset inward a bit, not quite sure.
Call Sam and talk to him, he can sell you some Forgestars and/or tires too. You might also want to seriously consider KONI shocks.
I just heard that they are re-engineering the Yokohama tire to have 7/32nds". Will be out soon, and "should" be legal to run.
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AutoX Rim/Tire Selection 
