18" Subaru WRX Wheels?

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Mojoe9955

Mojoe9955

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I see lots of these wheels and aftermarket reiterations on FB marketplace pretty which look pretty cool and have the right bolt pattern 5x114.3. I'm not sure about the center bore though.
Anyone using these?
I'd like to post some pictures but my "media picker" doesn't seem to support pics I download from storage to ABO. That is another question I have...
 
114mm close to 4 1/2" THe FWD wheels look goofy on old cars I think. They are all backspace.
 
toolmanmike said:
114mm close to 4 1/2" THe FWD wheels look goofy on old cars I think. They are all backspace.
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Subaru wheels are 114.3, exactly 4.5.

Backspace is the only way to put a wide tire on the front of an A-Body and keep the tire under the fender. But it also means 17" wheels at a minimum, too. Not sure what the typical offset is on a Subaru, but it might not be any more than a late model RWD Mustang wheel.
 
copy and paste directly from the ad to FABO
 
I have 17 Mustang wheels on my 70 Duster. They are OK, but I'm looking for something for a 74 that I'm working. I saw some 18x8.5 Enkei GTC-01 with +40 offset, which is about backset. The car has a 65/67 8.75 set up for an A body. So they may work, depending on the
YY1 said:
copy and paste directly from the ad to FABO
Click to expand...
Not sure what that means or can do it even if I did :rolleyes:
 
I tried 18x8.5 Enkei Raijin from a WRX on my Duster. Center bore is slightly small but I was able to open it up. With a stock width A body 8-3/4 I needed 2" spacers to make it work. B body diff would be way better. I didn't mind the look of them, but they made my stock brakes look foolishly small so I just test fitted them and never drove them anywhere.
The 245/45-18 tires were nice size for the front, but I would have needed taller tires in the rear to make it look right.
Not sure if that info helps, but that's my experience with it.

Cley
 
Thanks, I imagine a new hole saw can deal with the bore and have a 65/67 b body under mine. I know what you mean about brakes though
 
Mojoe9955 said:
Thanks, I imagine a new hole saw can deal with the bore and have a 65/67 b body under mine. I know what you mean about brakes though
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Hole saws will cut a hole but they can't enlarge a hole. It would have to be machined. A few thousands could possibly be honed.
 
I've "back yarded" a hole saw to enlarge an existing hole by clamping/bolting a wood brace to the part in back of the hole.
You could use the lug holes...
...and work slowly and carefully with a real metal tooth profile.
Diamond grit would be better.
 
Honestly a flap disc on a die grinder is probably the safest hack way to enlarge the holes. Just go slow!

Cley
 
Typically the Subaru wheels are in the +40 to +45 mm offset range, which is a bit on the high side for an A-body. With an 18" wheel and an 8" or 8.5" width it would work though, especially with a B-body rear although with those kinds of offsets a 68-70 would be better than the 65-67. It would depend on your exact wheel and brake combination but a small spacer may be necessary for some tire sizes. Other options for used wheels would be 350-370Z's, they have a bit less offset than the Subaru's. Or most modern Mustangs, although even the Mustangs start having a bit too much + offset when you get into the most recent body styles, especially the latest 5 years or so. Infiniti G35/37's work too.

I used to carry a 17" spare from a '07/08 Infiniti G35. I did need to do a little dremel work on the hub bore, it was a couple mm's too small. Not a big deal for a temporary spare though.

IMG_1822_zpsojer7eso.jpg


The Enkei RPF1's that I run I had machined. They list the hub bore at 73.1 mm (which is a fairly standard bore for aftermarket wheels). That's actually big enough to clear the hubs on the later mopar disks, but, the RPF1's are pretty thin at the mounting surface, and the Mopar hub has to protrude through the wheel. The issue is that while the hub bore starts at 73.1, it tapers to a 65mm wheel cap. So I had my front wheels bored to 73.1mm all the way through at a machine shop. This was quite awhile ago but it was about $80 a wheel. For a small difference I wouldn't hesitate to do the work with a dremel (like I did with the G35 wheel), but for a significant change in bore diameter I'd have them machined.

You can see the difference in the bore here, stock

IMG_5252.JPG


vs machined all the way through
IMG_5253.JPG


The RPF's on my car are 18x9 +35 in the front and 18x10 +38 in the back, but that's with DoctorDiff 13" brakes in the front which widen the track about 5mm and a 68-70 B body rear axle with 1/2" offset springs.

img_5983-jpeg-jpg.jpg
 
72bluNblu said:
Typically the Subaru wheels are in the +40 to +45 mm offset range, which is a bit on the high side for an A-body. With an 18" wheel and an 8" or 8.5" width it would work though, especially with a B-body rear although with those kinds of offsets a 68-70 would be better than the 65-67. It would depend on your exact wheel and brake combination but a small spacer may be necessary for some tire sizes. Other options for used wheels would be 350-370Z's, they have a bit less offset than the Subaru's. Or most modern Mustangs, although even the Mustangs start having a bit too much + offset when you get into the most recent body styles, especially the latest 5 years or so. Infiniti G35/37's work too.

I used to carry a 17" spare from a '07/08 Infiniti G35. I did need to do a little dremel work on the hub bore, it was a couple mm's too small. Not a big deal for a temporary spare though.

View attachment 1716251398

The Enkei RPF1's that I run I had machined. They list the hub bore at 73.1 mm (which is a fairly standard bore for aftermarket wheels). That's actually big enough to clear the hubs on the later mopar disks, but, the RPF1's are pretty thin at the mounting surface, and the Mopar hub has to protrude through the wheel. The issue is that while the hub bore starts at 73.1, it tapers to a 65mm wheel cap. So I had my front wheels bored to 73.1mm all the way through at a machine shop. This was quite awhile ago but it was about $80 a wheel. For a small difference I wouldn't hesitate to do the work with a dremel (like I did with the G35 wheel), but for a significant change in bore diameter I'd have them machined.

You can see the difference in the bore here, stock

View attachment 1716251394

vs machined all the way through
View attachment 1716251393

The RPF's on my car are 18x9 +35 in the front and 18x10 +38 in the back, but that's with DoctorDiff 13" brakes in the front which widen the track about 5mm and a 68-70 B body rear axle with 1/2" offset springs.

View attachment 1716251399
Click to expand...
I'm glad you chimed in.Trying to buy used wheels especially FB Market place, between lack of information and communication is an adventure. I've kind of moved on from the Subaru's not sure which direction I'll go. Sometimes you get lucky.
 
Mojoe9955 said:
I'm glad you chimed in.Trying to buy used wheels especially FB Market place, between lack of information and communication is an adventure. I've kind of moved on from the Subaru's not sure which direction I'll go. Sometimes you get lucky.
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Sure thing, buying stuff secondhand can be an adventure for sure.

But all the cars I listed, the Z cars, mustangs, and Infinity G35/37’s are all options, same as the WRX’s. Some are better than others for specs, but that can even depend on the options on the car.
 
I was pretty sure 72blu had some of them wheels on his car. They look nice for sure. And the main benefit I hear is the weight is much lighter than most aftermarket wheels. My bullet mustang 17s are heavy. Not a fan but theyll do for now

Buying second hand can save a bunch if you know whatll work and what wont.
 
72smallairparticler said:
I was pretty sure 72blu had some of them wheels on his car. They look nice for sure. And the main benefit I hear is the weight is much lighter than most aftermarket wheels. My bullet mustang 17s are heavy. Not a fan but theyll do for now

Buying second hand can save a bunch if you know whatll work and what wont.
Click to expand...

The Enkei RPF1’s are very light. When I first installed them I weighed them vs the 15x7” Mopar police wheels I had been running with 225/60/15’s. Despite running 275/35/18’s on 18x9’s that combo was over 4 lbs lighter than the cop wheels with 225’s, and the 295/35/18’s on 18x10” RPF1’s were still about s half pound lighter than the cop wheels and only 225’s. So massive improvement in tire AND a reduction in weight.

IMG_7348.jpeg
 
I was having problems posting pictures here and i just figured it. I saw this car on the FB ABodiesOnly group this morning...kind of the look I'm going for.
He also did something interesting with a Mustang gas tank. I have a Demon that needs a trunk floor and a gas tank.

1000001340.jpg
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
72bluNblu said:
The Enkei RPF1’s are very light. When I first installed them I weighed them vs the 15x7” Mopar police wheels I had been running with 225/60/15’s. Despite running 275/35/18’s on 18x9’s that combo was over 4 lbs lighter than the cop wheels with 225’s, and the 295/35/18’s on 18x10” RPF1’s were still about s half pound lighter than the cop wheels and only 225’s. So massive improvement in tire AND a reduction in weight.
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Wow, 4 lbs per corner is an amazing reduction and improvement on steering control, esp if you're running manual steering as well. Love it blu!

Mojoe9955 said:
He also did something interesting with a Mustang gas tank. I have a Demon that needs a trunk floor and a gas tank.
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Very interesting fuel tank swap. I have to cut out my trunk tire sump as it's rusted and very badly patched from previous owner. I'm curious if the mustang tank has a benefit of some sort? Seems he's using the same mopar lock ring mechanism on the bottom side, but it's facing the opposite direction. Also looks like an external fuel pump. Hmm... tanks are pretty cheap to go with factory replacements, but obviously if you want a flat trunk floor this could be a good alternative.
 
72smallairparticler said:
Wow, 4 lbs per corner is an amazing reduction and improvement on steering control, esp if you're running manual steering as well. Love it blu!



Very interesting fuel tank swap. I have to cut out my trunk tire sump as it's rusted and very badly patched from previous owner. I'm curious if the mustang tank has a benefit of some sort? Seems he's using the same mopar lock ring mechanism on the bottom side, but it's facing the opposite direction. Also looks like an external fuel pump. Hmm... tanks are pretty cheap to go with factory replacements, but obviously if you want a flat trunk floor this could be a good alternative.
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I like because I need a trunk floor and a gas tank. I asked about the wheels and tank. The tank is 64/65 Mustang and they wheels are from Klutch, not sure what model though.
 
Flat floor really flexes. That tank may twist. Unless maybe you add some ribs to it. My 500 RB stroker does twist with no cage. The spare tire well incorporates a lot of strength in the floor. I have flat floor with fuel cell strapped under.

Trunk.jpeg
 
I actually feel it most when turning say into a gas station where the entrance is elevated a little bit and the car twists. It makes a slight noise when it happens.
 
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