Confused and Frustrated- Which set of drag wheels are a direct fit?!!

[avexhype]

Okay Gents, I need a straight answer here.

I've been doing a lot of searching for a set of drag wheels for my 12' GT: Slicks and Skinnies, and every time I see an add posted up or someone talking about drag wheels in a thread there is ALWAYS a mention of sway bar relocation brackets, caliper grinding or brackets, special lug nuts, wheel spacer this and that, etc. I'm SO TIRED of reading about all of that. I just want a set of light-weight drag wheels I can bolt up and go with.

What sizes do I need to run for the wheels up front and back? I would prefer a 17" front skinny. For the rear I assume its best to go with a 15" wheel, but hopefully I don't have to mess with the brakes or suspension pieces. For the slicks in the rear I definitely want to go with a 26" tall tire. I'm an a6 with stock 3.15 gears. For the rear width, I don't know - should I stick with a 8" wide rim or should I get a 10"+ width?

So, which set of drags wheels will require NO modification to my car and it's brake/suspension components? At the most, i'll be okay with running a spacer if its a nice wheel design and I guess the correct lug nuts if I have to, but I want to avoid that too.

 

[BlueCoyote]

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/products/SVE-Drag-Wheels-10-14

These are proven sizes (that will give you an idea what you can run without problems) and use stock lug nus and you will have to cut off part of the sway bar mount tab and run the relocation bracket no matter what 15" wheel you run.
I run these on my 02 drag car and they work wonderfully. Gonna get them for my 14 when the time comes.

 

[q6543]

You just need a 15x8 for the rears, racestar makes the popular one.

same setup I have bolt on and go, dont go wider than a 10" tire.

no grinding ir relocating b.s.

 

[avexhype]

I'm not going to hack or modify anything on my car to make them fit. I want a direct bolt on and go wheel setup, that takes precedence over anything else.

q6543: THANKS! This is the info I'm looking for. I'm pretty much stock other than gt500 mufflers, but I do plan to add a few more mods in the future. I think an 8" wide rear wheel will be more than enough, no?

What about for the fronts, as long as I run 17" skinnies I should be good and not need any brackets or spacers, right?

I'm hoping these Jeg's Sport Stars will work for the rear:

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS-Performance-Products/JEGS-Sport-Star-II-Wheels/1275709/10002/-1

Which backspacing and offset do I need?

 

[rotarymagic]

Not all wheels work for just bolting on, there are slight tweaks that allow suspension and brakes to clear depending on the make and model of the wheel. I wouldn't run 15inch wheels in the back without modification because they require an open shank style lugnut and extended axle studs. If you have lugnuts extending past the studs, that's extremely unsafe. Do it right the first time. Also, your car without a tune is going to be a turd out of the hole with the A6.

 

[avexhype]

I spoke to a rep from American Muscle and they told me that as long as I keep the rear width at 8", I won't need to modify anything with the brakes or suspension. This was specifically for the Race Star wheels they carry. Lug nuts were another deal though - they said the stockers wouldn't work and I would need their direct drill nuts - and they sell both closed AND open ended ones.

This drag wheel set won't be used until I get a Tune in a few months and then hit the track afterwards. I won't use them on the street.

 

[FATHERFORD]

The grinding and cutting isn't that big of a deal. i would make sure you get the wheels you want style wise and not worry about cutting and grinding some.

 

[kona 199]

THE ONLY THING THAT WILL JUST BOLT ON AND GO IS 17in. OR BIGGER FRONT AND REAR.

 

[beefcake]

17x4.5 or 17x7 or 18x5 in the front

15x8, 17x9.5 or 18x10.5 in the rear

none of these will require cutting or moving anything.

we have great pricing on all the racestar wheels
beef
513-478-1965

 

[Scott8583]

IMO you don't need slicks to hook up an A6. How much power are you making? Also I think an 8" Racestar has the wrong offset and looks a little goofy because they stick out. If you go Racestar, I'd go 15x10" or the 17x9.5, or 18x10.5. Our cars also look a little goofy with a 26" tire, because of our large wheele openings. A 17" front & rear Weld RTS would be a sweet set up! Pricey, but sweet...

 

[beefcake]

the offset isn't incorrect

the bigger tires bulge more on the 15x8, and makes the sidewall stick out more. the offset of the 8 and 10 are identical

 

[Scott8583]

The offset is the same (outside of the rim) that's the problem...

A 15x10 has 7 1/4 back space & an 8" has 5 1/4 back space correct? That's like taking 2" off the inside of the rim pushing the center of the tire 1" further out. The tire bulges equally on both sides of the rim, so it not the bulge.
If you were to take a 10" wheel & chop an 1" from the inside & an 1" from the outside that would give you an 8" rim with a 6 1/4 offset and would sit perfect...

I'd chop off the tab to run sway bar relocation brackets to run the 10" rim if I was the OP... Looks better!

 

[20lbbooster]

I agree that the 15x8 race stars with a 275 tire appear to stick out. I run 15x10 weld RTS with 275/60/15 Mickey Thompson ET pro and they sit perfectly flush.

 

[beefcake]

The offset is the same (outside of the rim) that's the problem...

A 15x10 has 7 1/4 back space & an 8" has 5 1/4 back space correct? That's like taking 2" off the inside of the rim pushing the center of the tire 1" further out. The tire bulges equally on both sides of the rim, so it not the bulge.
If you were to take a 10" wheel & chop an 1" from the inside & an 1" from the outside that would give you an 8" rim with a 6 1/4 offset and would sit perfect...

I'd chop off the tab to run sway bar relocation brackets to run the 10" rim if I was the OP... Looks better!

You are correct. You are chopping 2" off the inside of the rim. The outside sits in exactly the same spot. So the wheel doesn't "stick out" any more. That's just math.

You are also correct, that the tire bulges on each side of the rim. It is indeed the bulge. It's bulging on the inside and ouside of the rim more. The inside just doesn't matter.

THe problem with a 15x8 with a smaller offset (which they have) is that you would still need to relocate the sway bar. Not everyone wants to do that though. That's why they have different options

I agree that the 15x8 race stars with a 275 tire appear to stick out. I run 15x10 weld RTS with 275/60/15 Mickey Thompson ET pro and they sit perfectly flush.

They do "appear", but that is the tire, not the wheel. But for the guys that don't want to cut, it's a great option.

 

[Riptide]

A 17" front & rear Weld RTS would be a sweet set up! Pricey, but sweet...

Totally agree. Would love to see some photos of this. I gave up on 17" wheels because I didn't want to pay a butt load for welds. Sure you can get other wheels like a darkstar but they weigh more and cost more than the 18s I went with.

 

[beefcake]

the racestars and welds are very close in weight

if you go with a 17x7 front, you can get tires for $50 each

 

[Riptide]

I was wrong the darkstar 17x9.5 weigh only a pound more than the 18x9.5 I settled on. About the same price too.

Hard to believe the 17x7 weigh a pound more than the 17x9.5 but that's what the catalog seems to say.