This should improve my commute...

[Airjockie]

Well, I bought those Rota's with BFG's for my Subaru more than a year ago...and welp the tires are worn out. Then I bought those Watanabe RS-8's for the subaru...because I just saw the price and had to have them...

Before: Stock steelies, with some no-name tires on them...I was getting about 28 mpg..

Then: The rota's on...it dropped to 23-24 mpg..

Conclusion... The wheels are too damn heavy...

Rota Battles 17x8 +50 offset = 17-18 lbs.
BFG KDWS 235/45/17's = 28 lbs

So each wheel and tire 45-46 lbs.... heavy mutha's

60+ miles a day commute...the subby is just struggling trying to turn them, and the wallet is hurting...and now gas goes back up... $2.49 yesterday for a damn gallon.

So the new setup...

Watanabe RS-8's 15x6.5 offset +47 = 16 lbs.
General Exclaim UHP's 195/50VR-15 = 16 lbs.
new weight total....32 lbs per wheel and tire.

I just ordered the tires tonight, so they prolly won't be here till Wed or Thursday...so the mounted pics will have to wait.

But I got 2 of the 4 wheels cleaned up finally....

First, took them apart, stripped the paint on the hubs chemically, then tossed them in the sandblaster, super cleaned them, inspected them, washed them, hit them with a few coats of gloss black spraypaint, then scrubbed the wheel shells with some heavy duty degreaser, and polished the lip up a tad, then polished up the bolt heads...and slapped them back together...

I think they turned out sweet...

Once these are on, then I won't be too afraid of the wet roads....lately...driving on bald tires in the winter is nothing but white knuckles..

and I hope the mpg goes back up some....I still need to do another tuneup, replace the loose as hell steering rack, and get an alignment. Plus, look for newer Subaru...

 

[Airjockie]

what they looked like before...not much different...but now no corrosion bubbling thru the paint...and since I blasted them...no more corrosion for a long time. hehe

eBay Motors: JDM Subaru Impreza GC8 SSR RS8 15x6.5 Wheels/ Rims (item 110071964195 end time Dec-29-06 19:00:00 PST)

 

[BodyDroppedNikes]

looks good man. lets see what they look like on the subby

 

[klyph]

I hate you.
Sell me those rims dammit.

 

[Airjockie]

their 5 lug.....

 

[TurboMirage]

yum!

 

[klyph]

their 5 lug.....

pwnt
double dammit.
visual comprehension owns me.

 

[Airjockie]

well, I do have a set of 4 lug RS-8's...looks the same...but 14x6ish 40ish offset.... same condition...needs blasted and polished...will look the same. no centercaps....

but I was actually wanting to get them cleaned up also, and mount them on the CRX with Azenis...then take a family photo of all my cars cleaned up, pimping wats.... hehe

 

[klyph]

Where is a good place to search for 4x100 14 inch RS8 wats?
Other than Google/Ebay.

 

[Airjockie]

my basement....

 

[Celerity]

That's wierd man.. I put the Koseis on the xB and it went from 33mpg average to 27. They aren't even that heavy.

I took the Neon from 14" stockers to the 17" Ions (at 21 pounds each!) and it brought the mileage down 1 mpg. (30 to about 28-29)

I can't figure this shit out.

 

[klyph]

my basement....

:thief:

 

[Airjockie]

tires for 17's are heavy as hell...

my Z's new wheels are the epitome of heaviness.... 35 pounds of rubber, and 25 lbs of rim...

the lightest tire I have is the Advan A008's...at 10 lbs each..

 

[Airjockie]

and I finished up the other two wheels today....they look sweet.

The tires should be here tommorrow...and then I run over and get them mounted and balanced...then slap them on the subby. and then the next project is the CRX....

 

[klyph]

my Z's new wheels are the epitome of heaviness.... 35 pounds of rubber, and 25 lbs of rim...

Good Lord. Brake much?

 

[MikeBergy]

That's wierd man.. I put the Koseis on the xB and it went from 33mpg average to 27. They aren't even that heavy.

I took the Neon from 14" stockers to the 17" Ions (at 21 pounds each!) and it brought the mileage down 1 mpg. (30 to about 28-29)

I can't figure this shit out.

MPG is an issue of contact patch, while acceleration is a function of unsprung MOI as well as contact patch. An increased contact patch will increase rolling resistance (i.e. friction), which will increase the amount of required power to keep your car at a constant speed. This will cost you more in fuel, because obviously more power requires more fuel.

In AJ's case, he's decreasing the rolling surface of his tires by approximately 30% by switching from the 235/45-17 bfgs to 195/50-15 generals. This should help his mileage and acceleration in a very noticeable way. The only thing he is sacrificing is his stopping power (not likely by very much) as well as his lateral acceleration. If he was to race this car frequently, he would be able to get a feel for an optimal wheel size an contact patch to suit his needs. For now, since he is going for better gas mileage, I think he'll be just fine.

AirJockey, keep us posted on how well those generals hold up. They are dirt cheap for a UHP rated tire, and I'd be interested in how they work for you.

 

[Airjockie]

the BFG stop like crap...because there is nothing on them...hehe

and the cheap factor for the General's FTW....I'm curious as well to how well they hold up. I know a lot of drifters pimp their 17's....

 

[Airjockie]

hehe....

 

[klyph]

tahs de Hawtnesss

 

[Airjockie]

the cool thing was...when they balanced them...no warps, and one wheel needed 1.25 Oz on one spot, and the other three only needed .75 oz in one spot...prolly the straightest rim's I've ever bought.