Looking for a GOOD website for aftermarket wheels

[Henrik]

I am trying to find a set of aftermarket wheels for my D but as a lot of owners would agree, it is difficult to say the least. (If Patrick Conlon reads this then I am sure he would laugh. I thought I would have had this wrapped up a year ago.) Seems like most websites want you to search on vehicle and... well.. none of them ever include Deloreans. And I am really tired of hunting and pecking.

So, does anyone know of a website that allows you to select multiple wheel specs such that you can drill down and see what wheels become available? In other words, a site that let's you choose: Diameter = 16" and
Diameter = 17" and
Diameter = 18" and
Lug pattern = 4 x 100

At that point, whatever (few) wheels come up should show offset, hub bore diameter, back spacing etc.

Can anyone point me to a site like that? (A great example of a website that I am talking about is mcmaster.com. Too bad they're not in the wheel business )

Thanks!

[FABombjoy]

When I was searching I couldn't find anything like this. I even emailed Tire Rack to see if they would send me a csv dump of their wheel database (they wouldn't)

Having just gone through the process, my advice is:

-Completely ignore hub bore

-Find a wheel that has at least one offering in 4x100 that you like w/ 40mm offset or larger.

-Expect that you need to have custom adapters machined (figure $300-ish). Then you can up or downsize the hub diameter. Front minimum spacer thickness to downsize is around 8-10mm. If you find a wheel/spacer combo that needs longer studs, ARP 100-7718, 60mm are supposed to fit. I have a set - PM me if you want a discount on them

-Prepare to have a 5 lug rear wheel. PCD is not important as you'll just have the adapter made to match. Yes you'll lose your spare for the rear but trying to find a 4x100 in the correct width for the rear will further limit your options.

You can find the Enkei RPF1 in a host of sizes, pcd, offset. It's probably the most future-proof wheel you can buy as it's been around forever and is a great value in terms of weight -vs- strength. But they're considered the worlds most played out wheel in the wheel community, if that sort of thing is important to you.

A recently alternative would be the Momo Revenge 16: RV70640040A and 17: RV70741442A

[Henrik]

Thanks! Very informative but I am not sure I follow exactly. I'll PM you.

[FABombjoy]

Sounds good!

Just to maybe clarify a little, the front wheels are the most critical. Finding a wheel that directly fits will be challenging, due to the size of the hub (72.1mm) and the slightly shallow offset (35mm). Most aftermarket wheels will have more offset which gives you room for a spacer (right side photo below) but probably not a full adapter (left side). You can find a fair amount of 73mm hub but tend to be higher offset which puts the wheel closer to the hub.

spacers.jpg

These are the adapters I had made for my wheels.

In 4x100 you find wheels geared toward import cars, or like 80s Mustangs. But to keep the stock stagger you find almost no crossover in those two because nobody puts 195s on a Mustang or 235s on a Honda.

With the fronts, the more offset the wheel has, the more room you'll have for an adapter, but the thicker the stack-up becomes. If the combo of spacer and thickness of wheel were to become too great, you'd need extended studs. You might also be able to fit an adapter w/studs but you might have to trim the stock studs.

The good news is that the stock wheels seem to have a pretty thick center, so if your spacer is a reasonable size you can probably get away with stock studs. Mine is 10mm but could probably be up to 15mm.

On the rears you're not going to find a direct fit wheel that isn't custom made. OK maybe there is some obscure wheel out there somewhere but it's unlikely. There rears have this goofy 19mm offset, meaning the center is only 19mm from the centerline. Most aftermarket wheels have a lot more offset and this gives you a ton of room for a full adapter in almost any 4 or 5 bolt configuration you want (the adapter in my photo is 30mm thick). You can make just about any wheel in the world fit the rear with very little concern.

Regarding tires, the current magic size combos are:

205/45 R16
245/45 R17
or
205/40 R17
245/40 R18

Very close to stock ratios and a substantial quantity of real quality options. That's assuming you want to keep the wheel diameter stagger, too.

https://www.willtheyfit.com/ is the best site to use as you consider different wheels.

[Patrick C]

I am trying to find a set of aftermarket wheels for my D but as a lot of owners would agree, it is difficult to say the least. (If Patrick Conlon reads this then I am sure he would laugh. I thought I would have had this wrapped up a year ago.)

Patrick isn’t laughing! I’m sorry it is this difficult for all of us to find appropriately fitting wheels now that the XXR 502s are out of production. Glad to see Luke has helped with some info above my post.

My friend, Joe, just had these American Racing wheels installed on his car. The rears have no spacers and I don’t believe the fronts do either. I think they custom drilled them in the 4 x 100 bolt pattern when he ordered them.

[FABombjoy]

Oh yeah, undrilled wheels would be another way to go!

Looks like those are the AR921 TRIGGER, available undrilled in both 15mm and 38mm offsets, pretty close to stock. 8" max width which would be a little thin for 245 tire but you could probably stretch it on there.

Braid Fullrace would be another sub $1000-per-wheel made to order option. Can choose your bolt pattern, offset, and color.

When "custom" and "forged" converge that's when it gets pricey and you'll save money if you can use adapters.

[Henrik]

Thanks guys. This is GREAT info.

Based on your feedback here is my new approach:

General:

Find a wheel that is offered in the desired diameters (16”/17”/18”), desired widths (7”/8.5”), and style that you like. (I still haven’t decided if I want to go 16/17 or 17/18.)

Front:

Make sure the wheel you chose is offered in a 4 x 100 lug pattern. It’s great if it also has a +35 mm offset but if not, make sure the wheel has an offset that is greater than +35mm, and then make up the difference with a spacer to bring the offset back to +35mm. (Make sure the spacer is not so thick that the stock studs become too short.)

Rear:

Don’t worry about lug pattern or offset, but make sure the wheel’s offset is substantially greater than +19mm. Then have an adapter made that a) makes up the difference in width to bring the offset back to +19mm and b) if needed, has a 4-to-5 lug conversion. Example.

About hub bore diameters for the spacers and adapters:

-The inboard side should have an ID that is the same as the stock (72.1mm).

-The outboard side should have whatever OD that matches the hub bore diameter of the wheel you have chosen.

Is all of the above the right approach and assumptions?

Finally, a few questions:

-Do the front and rear stock wheels have the same hub bore diameter?

-Should I keep the 3 mm stock spacer in the rear or should I get rid of it and add 3mm to the adapter thickness?

Maybe one of these years I will actually have a set of killer wheels after all

Your feedback is most appreciated.

Thanks, Henrik

[Josh]

Luke and Patrick are the only two guys you need to talk to. They know this topic inside and out!

[FABombjoy]

General:

Find a wheel that is offered in the desired diameters (16”/17”/18”), desired widths (7”/8.5”), and style that you like. (I still haven’t decided if I want to go 16/17 or 17/18.)

Check! There are charts of recommended wheel-vs-tire widths. You can usually break the rules a little but will trade for uneven wear / maybe odd handling if your tire is pillowed out a bunch.

Front:

Make sure the wheel you chose is offered in a 4 x 100 lug pattern. It’s great if it also has a +35 mm offset but if not, make sure the wheel has an offset that is greater than +35mm, and then make up the difference with a spacer to bring the offset back to +35mm. (Make sure the spacer is not so thick that the stock studs become too short.)

This is the ideal situation. Many aftermarket wheels have a 73.1mm bore and you fit a hubcentric ring adapter to help center the tire as you mount it. I don't think you'll find a 72 to 73 as it would be 0.5mm thick and not really very helpful. Maybe you could hammer on a speedi sleeve

My wheels had a 65mm CB, and since I was having custom spacers made I just had them made 72 -> 65

Regarding wheel width - it's such a mess of absolute and relative measurements, imperial and metric. Remember that offset is relative to centerline, so a 35mm 7" wheel will poke out 1/2" more than a 35mm 6" wheel.

https://willtheyfit.com/ is a super useful tool for helping to calculate your needs in a spacer. Plug in the old and new wheels as-is, compare where they sit inner -vs- outer, then continue to add offset until the inner -vs- outer differences balance. The offset that you've added should be the spacer thickness required to put the new wheel on the same centerline as the original wheel.

Rear:

Don’t worry about lug pattern or offset, but make sure the wheel’s offset is substantially greater than +19mm. Then have an adapter made that a) makes up the difference in width to bring the offset back to +19mm and b) if needed, has a 4-to-5 lug conversion. Example.

That's right, although the one you've linked is for a lug bolt to lug stud conversion, which is why how one factory hole is reused. You'd probably have 2 piece adapters - an inner that uses the existing studs, with an outer 5 stud piece that bolts to the inner.

Those tend to be no thinner than 35mm which is where you'll need to have a wheel with a fair amount of offset so it isn't sticking out of the wheel well and running into the quarter panel.

Doing the math:
Stock wheel: 15x8", 19mm Offset, 235 60
Hypothetical wheel: RPF1, 18x8.5, 40mm Offset, 245/40 (pn 3798856540SP)

Fitment without spacer (link)

Now, add a 35mm spacer, which remove 35mm of offset (link)

Not bad! Sticks out 20mm more than before. Remove the 3mm spacer and now you're at 17mm. Might want to run a tape measure against your current wheel to check your fender clearance but I'll bet it would be OK unless your suspension is slammed.

These guys made my adapters: http://www.motorsport-tech.com/

They do good work. It can take a while but I didn't want eBay adapters - many of which are Alibaba adapters - plus I was never going to find what I wanted anyway. I paid to have them anodized too and the coating is very thick, which I found out when I had to adjust the front LH spacer to accommodate the speedo drive cap. PS anticipate whittling if you need front spacers. Maybe order a spare dust cap.

About hub bore diameters for the spacers and adapters:

-The inboard side should have an ID that is the same as the stock (72.1mm).

-The outboard side should have whatever OD that matches the hub bore diameter of the wheel you have chosen.

Ideally, although there is some debate as to whether it's truly important if you're careful. The lugnut tapers will center the wheel even if the wheel & hub bores don't mate. I wanted them to match to help make the wheels easier to install.

-Do the front and rear stock wheels have the same hub bore diameter?

Yep!

Should I keep the 3 mm stock spacer in the rear or should I get rid of it and add 3mm to the adapter thickness?

Yes? No? Maybe? It may depend on how things really stack up. I did my math based around removing it so I took it off. I preemptively rolled my quarter panels just a little but didn't need to. Your need to do that may depend on suspension height and where the fender actually sits, and I'm not sure how consistent that is between build months.

Maybe one of these years I will actually have a set of killer wheels after all

As long as you're prepared to have some custom parts made up it's not so bad.

Luke and Patrick are the only two guys you need to talk to. They know this topic inside and out!

Thanks! I cheated by reading Patrick's homework Since I had seen his car in person - and had lots of photos to reference since it's so photogenic - I plugged in all of the numbers from his XXRs and used them to estimate my own safe window.

[Robmac123]

Something else to consider that I don't think has been mentioned is that if you go with a wider wheel (or narrower) than stock you won't necessarily want the stock offset. For example if the wheels you find are only available 1" wider than stock and you feel your fender clearance is already tight you might might not want to split that extra inch 50:50 inside and outside vs the stock wheel, which staying with the stock offset number will do.
I'm just saying don't be too focused on the 35 and 19mm on wider than stock wheels. The willtheyfit website already mentioned is really helpful to work out what changing wheel widths and offset together will leave you with vs stock.