Stock 18" and Lift... questions..

[SilverBullet75]

Hi,
I am getting closer to lifting my VX but have a question about wheels.

For those who have changed wheels to something other than the stock 18's, is there a reason why you changed? Is there a limitation that is undesireable with the 18's? Was it "style"? Width?

I actually LIKE the design of the 18's. Considering doing black powder coat on them. Wouldn't mind lifting and using them with 33's.

thanks!
---JIM---

[etlsport]

sticking with the stock wheels will make fitting larger tires easiest because it will keep your geometry while turning down there the same as the wheel wells are designed for

[taylorRichie]

I changed mine cause I couldn't leave them stock ;) But having them powdercoated would be pretty cool.

And keeping the stock ones will save a lot of trimming, but the stock wheels are 7" wide(I think), my new wheels are 8.5" So you can fit a wider tire.

[ZEUS]

There is a minimum width of wheel for tire sizes. Trying to fit wider tires on a stock rim can cause the tire to wear poorly or "roll" during hard cornering. I like the added track width afforded by offset and/or wider wheels and they also help fill the wheel well out better, IMO.

[johnny010]

Will the Nitto's that littlebeast has on his work with the stockers?

[Triathlete]

You will find more tire size availability with 15, 16, and 17.5's than the 18's. You will also have more sidewall with the same size tire...ideal for offroad not so much for on road.

[tomdietrying]

I'm thinking about going to a 15 in. wheel instead of my 18 in. I want a wider tire/look. Anyhow, I've offroading the past 4 years in Moab and 18 in. wheels never touched the rocks anywhere. With that said, Billy is right. You would have that much more sidewall with a 15 or 16. That would equate to a bit more protection.
Peace.
Tom
012009

[Riff Raff]

SilverBullet75--- I would highly recommend that you stick with your stock OEM 18x7 wheels, as they have the proper factory "offset" that you will want to maintain, especially in the extremely cramped front wheel wells!!! In addition, the stock wheels are really a nice looking wheel, and you would be hard pressed to find a more attractive wheel than the OEM stock rim. Further; you already own your current OEM wheels, so save your money.

With regard to tires, the largest width you can install on the stock OEM 18x7 wheel is a "285" series width tire. A tire manufacturer that has one of the most diverse tire size selections is: TOYO "Open Country", available in both A/T and M/T tread patterns. Of special note, TOYO makes a LT285/75R18 (35" O.D.) in the "Open Country" that fits the stock OEM 18x7 wheel. Truly amazing tire!!!

Further, there are only three(3) tires manufactured in the world in this specific size LT285/75R18 (35" O.D.), they are: TOYO Open Country A/T; TOYO Open Country M/T; and the MAXXIS "Big Horn" (with TOYO making the only A/T version in the world, as the other two are M/T tires).

Using this specific size tire on the stock OEM 18x7 rims will give you the maximum possible ground clearance, with the minimum amount of trimming (if necessary) in the very cramped area of the front wheel well. I highly encourage you to check out both of the TOYO and MAXXIS websites on the internet before making a final tire decision.

[tom4bren]

It all depends on the look you're after. Some foolish members feel that my look is a little 'over the top' but I like:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/9939

Take some time to explore the gallery section & find the look that you like & then ask for the specs on their wheel/tire combo.

Here's a thread with a lot of discussion about rim/tire combos:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=13540&highlight=wiki

Tom

[Gussie2000]

Hey guys happy holydays for all of you !

Since i'm on the "market" for new wheels & tires i did & still doing a hard research about which is the best set of wheels/tires our belovd VX's shall go with.

So far i think that the best aftermarket wheels is 18x8.5 with a maximun of 15mm off set, it gives the VX a wider stand while no lifting/cutting is required & it looks very good.

About the tires there's so many options that i don't know which one i'll ended up with,but all this depends on your daily commute.

I personally drives 95% city & the rest 5% is highway,but NYC is a place where snow & rain makes the city streets very slippery so my best bet is to add a set of tires that comes with a excelent traction & long lasting because of the constan stop-and-go traffic.

I also think that tires shall be purchase based on the terrain you drives over than the looks.

You should always research tires performance based on customers reviews & experts opinions & don't just rush into the store & make emotional purchases.

Other specs such as speed rate ( OUR VX COMES WITH A "S" SPEED RATE which is 120 MPH) maximum recommended load per tire,etc. that is very important.

On the wheels you can play on the looks,i love wheels that comes with no more then five spokes because they're easy to clean just like the 2000/2001 OEM wheels.

Because i own a astral silver VX my choice on the wheels are the american racing JR cannon model,they comes in chrome/black,full chrome or full black.

I hope my input can be helpfull in any way.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

I went with aftermarket wheels because I wanted a wider stance than stock. Wider stance in theory gives you greater stability. (An example would be the wider stance of a Blazer ZR-2 as compared to a stock Blazer.)

*Plus my stock 18" wheels had major chrome peeling going on the inside of the wheels.

The stock wheels are +38mm of offset...I went with +12mm of offset which moves the wheels/tires out towards the fender edges.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/2008_Moab_Utah_pics_007.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/12486)