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So, I settled on Motegi Racing MR138 18x8 front and 18x9 rear. I have a 2004 crossfire base.
Reason for the rear diameter downsize, to run a higher sidewall in rear. My immediate neighborhood has horrendous potholes. So bad that Im cold patching my own damn street in front of my house.
Was pretty sure it ought to work, but when my guy at NTB called to get price on wheels, the wholesaler they use was on and on that crossfires are set up for specificly for the 18 7.5 and 19 rear etc etc and will PROBABLY have to modify the hubs to fit them. BUT he wasnt very specific about WHAT or WHY. Listening on the other side of it, sounded like he was really pushing my guy to push me to a much more expensive wheel option (his suggestion over double the cost, and frankly not my aesthetic).
I recently bought the car with 18/19 zenettis... those of the horribly peeling chrome, inside and out, so i have a constant front driver leak, daily air it before i can leave the house leak. Obviously, new wheels are important ASAP. But equally important, is that they fit, lol.
So any thoughts? Advice on viability of fit? Not wanting to toss $800 around on a lost cause either. Thanks for all input.
MR138s are:
5x112, 66.56 bore, 38mm, 6 inch backspace on the 18x8s
5x112 66.56 bore, 35 mm, 6.38 backspace on 18x9s
My racing setup is 18" on all corners. You want an offset of 30 to 32 on the front. 20 to 25 on the rear. I have 18x9 ET 30 front and 18x10 ET 25 rear. 245/35/18 front and 275/35/18 rear. The rims your looking at require a 10 mm spacer on the rear and 5mm front along with the correct length bolts. Hub centric spacers are OK but for the cost of the rims, spacers and longer lugs it makes sense to consider custom rims that fit correctly.
My racing setup is 18" on all corners. You want an offset of 30 to 32 on the front. 20 to 25 on the rear. I have 18x9 ET 30 front and 18x10 ET 25 rear. 245/35/18 front and 275/35/18 rear. The rims your looking at require a 10 mm spacer on the rear and 5mm front along with the correct length bolts. Hub centric spacers are OK but for the cost of the rims, spacers and longer lugs it makes sense to consider custom rims that fit correctly.
Les
Big thanks... exactly the info I needed. One sites wheel visualizer/fitment app said 8/9 were viable in those rims, but another didnt so I was at a loss to which was correct. I have a machine shop at my disposal, but trying to not go that route. Back to drawing board.
Take a look at Oz manufactured Alleggerita wheels. After much searching they are the closest thing I could find as to fit without going to custom made.
Have you tried putting the 18" fronts on the rear ? That said my SLK320 has 16s all around and uses the same brake rotor. I find that profiles 50 or below are best on smooth surfaces. 60 and above are a lot more forgiving. 55s are neither one nor the other.
They are tight, had to remove 1 bolt on each side if front on top center fender well, and when I put in the adjustable rear camber arma I rolled the rear fenders.
but wider and lighter wheels and tires that stock
I really liking the esr 's and the price was alot better than most, and definitely better than custom.
Alot of info and pics in my thread 19x10 or 19x10.5 wheels
Take a look at Oz manufactured Alleggerita wheels. After much searching they are the closest thing I could find as to fit without going to custom made.
You got me with that suggestion! I actually dig those, and my guy ran Oz's on a subaru & attested to quality. Tomorrow is the day, be making order one way or the other, either Oz or possibly the motegi 135s, depending on what package price I get offered.
Maybe I'm too late to the party, but I just finished upgrading my wheels to a 1" downsize on all four corners.I also found the lightest wheels I could to minimize unsprung weight. Everything worked well and the rough road handling is SO MUCH BETTER. The suspension feels much better over bumps and more in control during turns. Here is what I did:
Fronts:
Konig Hypergram 47MG Wheel 17x8 5x112 Grey 45mm
2pc 10mm (.6) 5x112 Wheel Spacers - Hubcentric Billet 66.56mm Hub Bore
225/45R-17 Vredestein Quatrac 5 XL
Rears: KONIG HYPERGRAM 18x8.5 5X112 ET43 MATTE GREY
2pc 15mm (.6) 5x112 Wheel Spacers - Hubcentric Billet 66.56mm Hub Bore
I used the original FRONT tires- Continental 18s.
All 4:
20 Pc Black Locking Spline Lug Bolts M12x1.5 + 2 Keys 33 MM Length
There was only one small issue with fitment: The front wheel bearing covers did not fit inside the new wheel hubs so I have to... massage them a little bit. In the mean time I am relying on the wheels to keep moisture out of the bearings.
Hope this can help!
Last edited by slipton; 03-21-2019 at 06:40 PM.
Reason: spacer size
There was only one small issue with fitment: The front wheel bearing covers did not fit inside the new wheel hubs so I have to... massage them a little bit. In the mean time I am relying on the wheels to keep moisture out of the bearings.
Hope this can help!
I had to modify my caps slightly, popped off the hub, ground off about a 1/8 and painted silver, since I have silver wheels
Ok final run.. Motegi MR135s My Crossfire Bacall, nose to nose with the world record fastest wheel driven piston powered streamliner, in her new shoes. Motegi Racing MR135s
Those look very nice from the photo you posted. Where did you get them? Are they a direct bolt on or did you have to get spacers? I assume they are the same size as the originals (18" and 19"). If you have a side profile photo I would love to see them.
No speedo issues, ive clocked via speedo gps app. Higher sidewall comes within 1/4 inch of previous rear 19.
The Motegi Racing MR135 could be done with a standard staggered 18/19 though, no worries.
Roads here are utter ****, and i went to a higher sidewall in back to try to give myself a fighting chance in hell of not wrecking my wheels. Of course after i dropped 10 bags of cold patch on my street (need to drop another 20), and switched to 18/18 set up, the city decided to repave the entirity of the adjacent main street... sadly not mine too tho. Unlike chicago proper, you cant send the city a bill for wheel damage reimbursement around here.
Considering a set of staggered 18/19 HyperGrams from Konig as an alternate for next summer, with faster rubber, and keeping these as my winter only set if we get any traction with city repaving a couple more main problem spots between me & the freeway on ramp 😏
EdenLake - Where did you get those wheels, were they a direct bolt on or did you have to use spacer rings? You said they were Motegi wheels but didn't mention where you got them.
New wheels... custom config help?
