My 1998 SC Rivera

What are the spec's on the wheels?
I'm assuming they are 18" dia.

18" x 7.5" with 5 x 114.3 bolt pattern, 45mm offset. My only real concern is the offset being too much, although TireRack sells 18" x 7.5" wheels for our cars with this offset. If I run into clearance issues with direct mounting, I will probably go this route: http://adaptitusa.com/5x115to5x450wheeladapter.aspx



The 1" spacer would push the wheel out, resulting in a 19.6 mm effective offset. It would also correct the bolt pattern to a true 5 x 114.3 mm.

your wheel game is proper.

Thanks, brah. Good to know the wheels are cool with the young cats!

nice find! my new ones are gathering dust in the garage,i just cant see myself putting them on my unfinished riv? gotta wait till the fresh paint goes on or ill look like the ricers with a $1000 set -o- wheels on a $300 car??not nice

I agree, I would wait until the new paint. My car has a few scratches, but still looks presentable when it's washed up. I'll need to fix those yellowed corners, I guess.

Those rims should look beautiful on there. They should make the paint look even nicer. It sounds like you got a good deal too.

AA wrote: tire will weigh 27 lb ea . ???
what kind of tires are those that weigh more than the rim??

What are the two different bolt patterns on these wheels.
I notice that on a lot of wheels but never inquired about it.
Also, for what it's worth, I think you should go with a silver or black caliper to blend in with the wheels. Just my opinion.

Nice find AA. Those would look great on your car. Let me know when the autocross event comes- I don't live too far from you...

ewolfe0050 wrote:

Nice find AA. Those would look great on your car. Let me know when the autocross event comes- I don't live too far from you...

you know i'd prolly track my way down too if we got a few riv's to go

I'm still confused bout the weight of your tires?? a tire weighing 27 lbs?/ am i missing something?

For our stock wheel size, a 225/60R16 tire weighs between 22-28 lb, while a 245/45R18 weighs between 27-30 lb. I think with a lower profile tire you have less variance, because the different sidewall thicknesses don't effect the overall weight as much.

no way! when i pick up my crap cumho it dont weigh as much as my rim! no way!

I think we need a video "Weigh Off"

my bfg traction t/a's weight in a hair over 25lbs. 225/60/16
tirerack.com shows weights of tires btw.
here is what Aaron has...i think

The issue is not that tires are heavy, it's that the OEM chrome rims are. My tires aren't outweighing the rims, the new rims are light, making the tires seem heavy. Although economy tires do weigh less because the side walls and tread patterns are leaner than on a performance tire.

Quote :

What are the two different bolt patterns on these wheels. I notice that on a lot of wheels but never inquired about it.

Rick, the other pattern is 5x100mm, which makes these wheels kind of a universal fit with many popular vehicles. I don't like the look of the extra holes, but it helps if/when I should want to sell them.

Well, got two of the new rims on the car tonight - mounted fronts for testing. They fit perfectly using the hub centric rings, which I finally got from a vendor other than 1010Tires. I got the incorrect size from the first vendor, so I found another set of aluminum rings on eBay.

Lugs lined right up with the holes. I used a torque wrench to cross-tighten them at 10,15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, and 75 lb-ft. I know, mucho overkill, but I wanted to give these rims every chance to be exactly centered.

Even with just the two on the front, I noticed a nice change in the handling. Vibration was minimal to nonexistent, although more than a few people told me you can't mount 5x114.3 wheels to a 5x115 hub. Can't wait to put the rears on!

One thing I did notice about the wider 8.5" wheels and tires, it makes the steering shudder more pronounced. I may finally need to upgrade to the larger trans power steering hoses to correct the problem.

The tires that came with the wheels, Bridgestone Potenza RE050-A are an expensive tire, and have a lot of positive reviews in regards to handling performance. I might agree, but I will also say they are noticeably louder than my OEM size Firehawk Wide Ovals, which I felt were a fairly loud tire.

To read about the unexpected result of mounting only the two front wheels, see my post in the TC thread:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/brakes-suspension-f6/anti-lock-brakes-and-traction-control-ses-light-t161-150.htm#106518

So, to clarify you used just the hub centric aluminum rings and not the complete adapters with flanges and studs, is this correct.?

And, just so you know you mentioned replacing the Trans lines instead of Steering hoses.
Just an FYI

did you notice any difference in the weight of the new rims/tires? that was one of the first things i noticed was my power after 60mph was less due to more weight, and further from the center.

Matthew,
Can you explain in any more detail possibly about the feeling of loss of power and "further from the center"
I don't quite understand.
I'd like to know for when I install a set of 18"ers.

Rickw wrote:

Matthew,
Can you explain in any more detail possibly about the feeling of loss of power and "further from the center"
I don't quite understand.
I'd like to know for when I install a set of 18"ers.

sure! but i have to warn you i've had 4 whiskey coke's tonight so if my explanation doesnt make sense i'll correct in the am

with larger rims more of the wheel/tire weight is shifted to the outside and away from the center of the hub. the further away it is the more power it takes to turn.

as for the weight difference, the 18's i got feel slightly heavier than the sotck combo so i lost some power to the wheels, but not much. (most people probably would not notice.)
I find it is much more noticeable with larger wheels like 20's 22's etc that weight a lot and have all the weight on the outside. the steering has to work extra hard and so does the motor.

Ive been on this website since 2008 I believe, and thats the first time Ive seen your car. And the other day, I almost posted it on here because you have a train of mods in your sig and I wondered what it all looked like. Nice job!

Thx for comments, Kenneth!

Quote :

with larger rims more of the wheel/tire weight is shifted to the outside and away from the center of the hub. the further away it is the more power it takes to turn.

I think it all depends on the wheel, the material, if it's chromed (heavy!) or not. I think it has more to do with the tire than the wheel, if it's a light wheel. A larger wheel is usually a wider wheel, so the tire gets wider to, and that puts a lot more weight to the outside.

So far in my case, I think any extra weight of the wheel/tire is being offset by the fact that the effective tire diameter of the new rim is 3.7% smaller than my OEM's. That means less leverage needed to get the car moving. Maybe when I put larger tires on my new wheels I will notice.

Here are the tires, showing the size difference. New rims have the more worn tires. The Wide Ovals are almost new!



First wheel on:









Looks like a new car from that angle. Definitely need to replace these tires with a larger profile.

is the vehicle on the ground in those pics or is it jacked up slightly?

I plan on going with a smaller diameter tire because with my lowered springs i hit the fender liner tabs under hard corners/ banks.
245/35/18 vs the 245/45/18 that i have on now