Buying new wheels... All feedback would be GREATLY appreciated!

costanZo

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I also posted this in the "General Viper Discussion" I hope that is ok...

So, I haven't logged into this forum since May of 08, but it's about that time when I'm going to spend more money on my car. This year I am buying new tires and wheels for my car.

As you know, I have a 1996 B&W GTS with the stock 17s.

Originally I planned on going the 19s all around route... however, I've been thinking of going 20s all around... I really don't want to get myself in a tricky situation though. Are there are a lot of people out there who have 20s all around or 19s in front and 20s on the rear on their GEN 2 1996-2002 VIPER? Will the tires rub against the fender? Do you have to lower or raise the car going from 17s to 19s or even 20s? I honestly just want to buy new wheels, jack the car up and put them on.. not really looking for any difficult process, but I also heard if your getting 19s or 20s or any new wheel for that matter to go with the Eibach Springs rather then keeping stock; however my buddy had Eibach Springs and his car used to rub all the time so he went back with stock springs and it runs great now.

I also heard going from 17s to a larger wheel size will offset the spedometer and you have to reset the computer to configure it with the new wheel size since the car will be slower until you do so.

I have been very interested in the Iforged 20x13 rear and 20x10 front ClassicII's polished face with chrome 5" rear lip and 3" front.. and was told having eibach springs are a must have with these wheels...

I also know getting new tires could be pricey too..
I was told by someone to go with the Kuhmo tires.. since they stated I will only get 12-15k miles out of them but they are "stickier" and cheaper than the Michelin PS2's. The Michelin's will last longer but cost more, and unless your gonna drive 5-8K miles a year on your car, all tires get "hard" after 3-4+ years anyway despite tread depth and
once they get "hard" they **** bad for traction. I will most likely get the PS2's regardless, but any info on tires would be helpful as well.

I think this guy who owns this car below, his name is Matt.. it's been awhile but I saved these pics because this is the EXACT setup I really want. However, I will definitely keep an open mind if anyone knows of other nice wheels as well. I'm pretty stuck on the 5star design though.

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I would really appreciate all feedback. If anyone also knows of any good deals as well- please PM me and let me know.. I really appreciate it, thank you.

-Anthony
 

Chuck 98 RT/10

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Are you gonna go with a bigger brake rotor too? Because a large wheel with undersized brakes looks about as dorky as it can look and screams "poser."

If you are dead set on new wheels and going bigger I'd move to 18 inch. There are plenty of wheel and tire choices and the wheel won't scream POSER...unless you chrome them.
 
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costanZo

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Are you gonna go with a bigger brake rotor too? Because a large wheel with undersized brakes looks about as dorky as it can look and screams "poser."

If you are dead set on new wheels and going bigger I'd move to 18 inch. There are plenty of wheel and tire choices and the wheel won't scream POSER...unless you chrome them.

Yes I was aware about the brakes situation.. I planned on doing completely new brakes/rotors next year, but how much would just new bigger rotors cost? Also, whatever wheel I do get, I want chrome. I'm not really interested in 18s.. If I'm gonna spend a lot of money I want to go up more then just 1" in wheel size.. thank you for the feedback though!
 

Chuck 98 RT/10

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Yes I was aware about the brakes situation.. I planned on doing completely new brakes/rotors next year, but how much would just new bigger rotors cost? Also, whatever wheel I do get, I want chrome. I'm not really interested in 18s.. If I'm gonna spend a lot of money I want to go up more then just 1" in wheel size.. thank you for the feedback though!

Then you should go with Dave's SRT brake upgrade. Cost isn't too bad.
 

Limit

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iForged Monaco 20's with PS2's:

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Note: Only problem is when closing the hood, you have to turn the wheel to the side otherwise it rubs..
 

PhoenixGTS

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The fact that you can get sticky tires in 19" but not 20" makes 19 vs. 20 an easy decision. Sticky tires completely change a Viper. Gotta have em.
 

dave6666

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20's on the rear and 19's on the front is what I'm doing right now. That is apparently the correct fashion as given to me by Dan at Viper Specialty where I bought everything.

You had mentioned going to just bigger rotors to make things look better with the bigger wheels. I may be wrong but I don't think you can just slap on bigger rotors without relocating the caliper too.

My plan was to stuff the biggest blingiest brakes I could in the wheels and tonight I started assembling it all. May be the best $12,500.00 I've spent on modding so far.

Nothing dorky here...

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Dom426h

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stick with 18's or 19's, they dont 'take over the car' like 20's do. Your on the right track with the split-5-spoke design, i Love em, the perfect balance between a performance/bling look IMO

jeeze those 20"iForged Monaco's are ugly:crazy2:
 

XLR8SN

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I think it depends. What kind of driving do you do? Whats the road conditions? How much money do you have?

If you are going for just the looks....then go 20's. Tires would be a little limited....I agree with Chuck that you would be better of in getting larger rotors and calipers since they are going to be really visible....and be prepared for a possibly harsher ride depending on your shock settings.

Have potholes or bad roads....then I would go 19's. More tire choices and less chances of getting them damaged by road conditions.

Going to the track...stick with 18's at the most.

Where I am....roads are bad and I heard that some people's 20's rub on large bumps. So 19's all around is what I went with.

Either which way...I am sure that you will find something that you like and can justify though. Dont let us sway your thoughts on what you feel would look good on your car. Enjoy the ride and speed safe. :2tu:
 

2MANYTOYS

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iForged Monaco 20's with PS2's:

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Note: Only problem is when closing the hood, you have to turn the wheel to the side otherwise it rubs..


You need some bigger rotors. The stock ones are killing your look.
 

hou99gts

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Personally I would run 18/19 combo with the stock tires from a 2008 Viper (PS2's). I have 19/19 iForged on my GTS and wish the front was an 18 for more sidewall height.
 

Simms

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Personally, I would stick with 19s over 20s.

Whatever you decide, Matt will get you a great deal on iforged. Many have used him and been very happy.

Another person I would look into is John Purner from CCW (if you are looking into another wheel company). He has always been first class with me.
 
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costanZo

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Hey man, thanks for the tip when shutting the hood! Your car is looking good by the way! So did you just jack the car up and stick the new wheels on, nothing else you had to do besides that? Did it raise the ground clearance a lot with the new wheels? I really want my car to stay as low as possible, like how it is now with the 17s or did you actually have the car lowered a little bit after the new wheels were put on?

Also what year is your car? If its a 97 I can see why your viper gts logo's are colored white or silver on the sides and rear. On the 96, they are the same color as the car and don't really stand out, which I don't like as much...

iForged Monaco 20's with PS2's:



Note: Only problem is when closing the hood, you have to turn the wheel to the side otherwise it rubs..
 
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costanZo

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************Im on my BlackBerry, didnt mean to post the same thing multiple times....how do you delete this?************
 
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costanZo

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************Im on my BlackBerry, didnt mean to post the same thing multiple times....how do you delete this?************
 
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Dom426h

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i cant stand looking at those wheels:crazy2:. Why must yall keep quoting limit's post?????
there is no need ot see a page of the same pics over and over.

simply say : Limit, ....


(no offence limit,;) Love your B/W, but just dont like the wheels)
 

ViperTony

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iForged Monaco 20's with PS2's:

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Note: Only problem is when closing the hood, you have to turn the wheel to the side otherwise it rubs..

:headbang::headbang::headbang: Very nice!
 
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costanZo

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i cant stand looking at those wheels:crazy2:. Why must yall keep quoting limit's post?????
there is no need ot see a page of the same pics over and over.

simply say : Limit, ....


(no offence limit,;) Love your B/W, but just dont like the wheels)


Yea, My bad.... I was on the blackberry at work. First time I've ever went on this forum with it and I was getting an error message whenever I tried submitting a post so I did it a few times and checked it later and realized it finally went through...

stick with 18's or 19's, they dont 'take over the car' like 20's do. Your on the right track with the split-5-spoke design, i Love em, the perfect balance between a performance/bling look IMO

jeeze those 20"iForged Monaco's are ugly:crazy2:


I think his wheels are nice, however, they are definitely not my style. I love the 5-spoke design as you put it. Always have on pretty much all high-end cars I like. I am definitely not doing 18s, but I am still considering 19s all around or possibly 19s in front and 20s on the rear if I don't do 20s all around. Just wanted to get some opinions on here and also see if 19s or 20s would raise the car A LOT higher off the ground as in the actual ground clearance of the car.. and also if the larger tire would rub against the fender.
 
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costanZo

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Hey Dave,

Would you happen to have any photos of you car with 19s in front and 20s on the rear? I'm not sure if I've ever seen pics of a Viper with that setup before. I've seriously considered doing that as well to mine. I'm assuming with the 19s in front you don't have to turn the wheel like Limit said when shutting the hood.. and do the 20s fit perfectly in the rear?

Also, how much would I be looking for a set of rotors and calipers? I don't need anything special. I planned on doing all my brakes next year, but I would like something that looked nice enough and cheap enough to go with larger wheels. I am definitely a HUGE fan of the slotted/drill look as well. Basically what's on the picture I posted. I just want my car to look exactly like that haha. Is it ok to stick with stock springs too? or should I go with the Eibach Springs? If so does anyone know how much those would run me? I'm trying to get an estimate on how much wheels, tires, rotors/calipers will cost. If I don't have too..I really didn't want to spend over $7,000 on everything together(wheels, tires, rotors/calipers...possibly Eibach Springs). Ideally, I was really looking to spend around $5,000 max! However, I know the Iforge wheels I want plus PS2's alone will prob run me around $7,000. I would definitely consider buying some used wheels for cheaper if they were in good shape of course.

20's on the rear and 19's on the front is what I'm doing right now. That is apparently the correct fashion as given to me by Dan at Viper Specialty where I bought everything.

You had mentioned going to just bigger rotors to make things look better with the bigger wheels. I may be wrong but I don't think you can just slap on bigger rotors without relocating the caliper too.

My plan was to stuff the biggest blingiest brakes I could in the wheels and tonight I started assembling it all. May be the best $12,500.00 I've spent on modding so far.

Nothing dorky here...

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costanZo

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Personally, I would stick with 19s over 20s.

Whatever you decide, Matt will get you a great deal on iforged. Many have used him and been very happy.

Another person I would look into is John Purner from CCW (if you are looking into another wheel company). He has always been first class with me.

I will have to try and contact Matt then. I remember talking to him in the past on this forum.

I have looked into the CCW Wheels.. I was very interested in the 505A since at most would run me $3,000, however I heard you can't get those in chrome... or can you?

These were the ones I was interested in....


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The SP550 look very nice as well......

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However... I def don't want my car looking like this.... looks like it was lowered way too much... the fenders are covering part of the wheel or at least almost touching it.. i think it looks aweful IMO

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costanZo

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Hey man, thanks for the input!

The road conditions around where I live in MA aren't the greatest. But I'm pretty aware of the roads and know where most of the bad spots are. I'm pretty cautious when I drive anyways so I'm safe, but yes I know accidents can still happen.

I don't think I'll ever do track at all. I mean there is a chance I could with some friends, but if I ever did.. it wouldn't be a regular thing. I refuse to get 18s though so even if I did track I would most likely go for the 19s. So when you got your 19s.... you basically just jacked the car up and put them on with no extra work? One of my friends has 19s but his car was also lowered. Having the stock springs, would 19s or 20s be fine on my car you think? Also what kind of tires do you have. My viper with the stock 17s currently has PS2s... so that is most likely what I will be getting with my new wheels; however, the side wall is kinda big.. I was more interested in a lower profile tire so the car would appear lower. Or do the PS2s come in different styles as in sidewall size?

Thanks again for your feed back though, I really appreciate it!:)

I think it depends. What kind of driving do you do? Whats the road conditions? How much money do you have?

If you are going for just the looks....then go 20's. Tires would be a little limited....I agree with Chuck that you would be better of in getting larger rotors and calipers since they are going to be really visible....and be prepared for a possibly harsher ride depending on your shock settings.

Have potholes or bad roads....then I would go 19's. More tire choices and less chances of getting them damaged by road conditions.

Going to the track...stick with 18's at the most.

Where I am....roads are bad and I heard that some people's 20's rub on large bumps. So 19's all around is what I went with.

Either which way...I am sure that you will find something that you like and can justify though. Dont let us sway your thoughts on what you feel would look good on your car. Enjoy the ride and speed safe. :2tu:
 

XLR8SN

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Hey man, thanks for the input!

The road conditions around where I live in MA aren't the greatest. But I'm pretty aware of the roads and know where most of the bad spots are. I'm pretty cautious when I drive anyways so I'm safe, but yes I know accidents can still happen.

I don't think I'll ever do track at all. I mean there is a chance I could with some friends, but if I ever did.. it wouldn't be a regular thing. I refuse to get 18s though so even if I did track I would most likely go for the 19s. So when you got your 19s.... you basically just jacked the car up and put them on with no extra work? One of my friends has 19s but his car was also lowered. Having the stock springs, would 19s or 20s be fine on my car you think? Also what kind of tires do you have. My viper with the stock 17s currently has PS2s... so that is most likely what I will be getting with my new wheels; however, the side wall is kinda big.. I was more interested in a lower profile tire so the car would appear lower. Or do the PS2s come in different styles as in sidewall size?

Thanks again for your feed back though, I really appreciate it!:)

This is a picture of my Viper:

http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/594700-ultimate-wheel-thread-13.html#post2639062

And yes...all you need to do is jack the car up and replace with the new tire and rim. The larger the rim...the smaller the sidewall. Has to be that way to maintain the overall diameter of the tire for speedometer readings and other important things I am not too sure of. Not to mention that every car can only handle an "X" amount of increase in size.

Change out the springs and shocks while you are under there as well. Modest cost in upgrades. Going to a larger rim with a lower profile tire will mean more of a "gap" between the top of the tire and the top of the fenders.

To me though....as nice as 20's are...I still prefer to use the 19's for this car at the max. You have a decent amount of tire choices and enough sidewall to buffer the rim from impacts. I prefer the more aggressive look versus the "flashy" look. Just a personal preference I suppose.
 
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costanZo

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Thanks man... that's some VERY good advice :2tu:

What are your thoughts on the 19s in front and 20s on rear tho?

This is a picture of my Viper:

http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/594700-ultimate-wheel-thread-13.html#post2639062

And yes...all you need to do is jack the car up and replace with the new tire and rim. The larger the rim...the smaller the sidewall. Has to be that way to maintain the overall diameter of the tire for speedometer readings and other important things I am not too sure of. Not to mention that every car can only handle an "X" amount of increase in size.

Change out the springs and shocks while you are under there as well. Modest cost in upgrades. Going to a larger rim with a lower profile tire will mean more of a "gap" between the top of the tire and the top of the fenders.

To me though....as nice as 20's are...I still prefer to use the 19's for this car at the max. You have a decent amount of tire choices and enough sidewall to buffer the rim from impacts. I prefer the more aggressive look versus the "flashy" look. Just a personal preference I suppose.
 

dave6666

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cosntanZo...

Some of the things that have been brought up here by you and others...

My 20/19 install is going on now so no pics for still a few more days. Likely next week.

The sidewall on the rears is the same as the OE 18" and on the fronts is reduced by about 3/8". Not significant. I drive my 4x4 in pothole country BTW, not the GTS.

I do not anticipate issues with the hood as the fronts are only 0.3" larger than the OE tires were.

Whether 19/18 or 20/19 like I did, either matches the stagger of the SRT. I was not terribly concerned about tire selection as long as PS2's are avail.

As far as brakes go you have to choose between:

-> Cost
-> Bling factor
-> Reputation

I did not care about cost, wanted maximum bling, and bought rotors that don't quite yet have the reputation of others. I can't think of any combination of those factors though that results in a cheap setup. There are however some options to pretty up what you've got with some powder coating etc. Would certainly be an improvement over the stock dull colors/rusty rears.
 

Simms

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I will have to try and contact Matt then. I remember talking to him in the past on this forum.

I have looked into the CCW Wheels.. I was very interested in the 505A since at most would run me $3,000, however I heard you can't get those in chrome... or can you?

These were the ones I was interested in....


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The SP550 look very nice as well......

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However... I def don't want my car looking like this.... looks like it was lowered way too much... the fenders are covering part of the wheel or at least almost touching it.. i think it looks aweful IMO

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I'm sure Purner can get them chromed for you. I'm just not sure on the cost. Here is a pic of my car with 19" CCW SP600s, another style option. Car is lowered with Eibachs.

Picture_044B.jpg
 

hou99gts

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If you were closer I would consider selling you my iForged wheels, I am thinking about doing something different wheel wise, but haven't decided yet. They have runcraps on them, however.
 

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