In the market for some new Wheels....
 

So Friday night i hit a curb and messed up my two right side Rims. In the market now to replace all 4 and looking to get some 18's again. the current ones i had rubbed a lot (18x8.5 38ET, 225/40/18's), so trying to find a set that wont rub. I have the Arden lowering springs (comfort), so not sure if ill be able to find the right set w/o rubbing issues. Any advice on wheels appreciated. I am thinking i will need a 42-45mm offset depending on the width. I just ordered some tires last weekend that are 215/40/18's, so they will be going on the new wheels now.

Thanks in advance.

You are rubbing because you need to roll your fenders. 18x8.5 with 225/40s should clear no problem with just a very slight fender roll (I know this because that was my old setup except I was +33 all around)

I have the fenders shaved in the rear and rolled in the front, but still had rubbing issues in the back. cound never have anyone in the back. I have the lowering springs which left only about an inch gap between the fender and the rear You said the offset was +33 all around, did you have much of a gap between the tire and fender? My wheel lined up exactly with the fender, so not sure how different the 33mm offset compared to the 38mm are in comparison. Thanks for the input.

I agree with UFO's, you shouldn't rub. I've had 18x10 ET18 under the rear of my car without rubbing (winter setup - with 225/40). My guess is that your fender liner is damaged somehow or not sitting right, alignment is too far positively cambered, or a bump stop is damaged. Even a massively overwidth 225/40 tire like a Yokohama S-Drive should clear on a standard lowered X-Type with ET38 and no fender mods.

If your 8.5 width +38 wheels are lining up perfectly with your fenders, there is something wrong with your car. My +33s are far from being flush, I could probably push them out another 10mm before I start running into real issues. I would check your alignment if you havent already and make sure your fender liners arent torn up. I completely removed the liner from the rear and recommend you doing that too to help in wheel fitment.

Here is my gap with H&R springs:
https://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4776/pic0151ih.jpg

Even with a car full of people and a trunk full of **** I dont rub.......... Therefore I am going lower. Haha.

I just had my alignment done and i beleive my camber is still off by about 0.4 degrees on both the rears form the specified range. Need to find a place to get that corrected. I have had rubbing issues even without lowering the car with weight in the rear on the 18's. Do you guys think it could be something to do with my suspension? Both your set ups look clean and i am trying to do something similar w/o the rubbing issues. Now that i need new wheels, i want to do it right this time round. If you dont mind me asking, what brand wheels do you have?

Sounds like you just need to roll your rear fenders more for that extra clearance, I had the same issues before I did mine. Your camber being off by 0.4 degrees shouldn't have that much of an impact on your wheel fitment.

My wheels are Stern ST1 18x8.5 +38 with 5mm spacers all around and 225/40 rubber.

exepat, have u done any engine mods yet

Is there anything one can do for a dramatic improvement? I have just dubbed my car "3 point slow" in the time-honoured tradition of making fun of 2.0 Volkswagens. I think we are doomed to having ridiculously slow cars until we figure out a transmission + engine swap solution that involves a turbo or supercharger for at least 300hp. [/threadjack]

OFOZ (I need your first name), your H&Rs appear to sit about an inch higher in the rear compared to my H&Rs. I wonder if the sport model has different perches, you have Bilstein HDs (or similar) or if H&R springs aren't consistent. I'm more willing to believe the former two, as I have spent weeks with the H&R team on site at their factory in Lennestadt, Germany and know Werner Heine and Heinz Remmen personally (they have very exacting specs on their products, trust me). Just seems weird that our cars have the same suspension, but my rear is quite a bit lower.

The H&Rs seem to sit pretty evenly, maybe it sits a little higher because my trunk is empty (no spare or jack when I'm just driving around town - I keep stuff in the spare tire well so its not flying around the trunk all willy-nilly) and mine is a regular model on stock struts. It wont matter shortly, because these just showed up today:

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs494...._6217874_n.jpg

Sorry for the thread jack OP.....


-Allen

No worries at all UFO, im all about seeing new suspension parts added to the X. What Coilover kit is that, and is it specific to the X? They look a little similar to the KW ones ive seen, but the box says otherwise so im not sure. How much they set you back and where did you get those? I think i might have to change out the Arden Springs as they a too soft, so looking for an alternative. I think the coilovers will probably be a little too pricey for me, but if you are thinking about parting with your H&R springs, i may be interested. I only need the rears though. Id be interested to know how the coils feel too once installed. Dont think i have seen anyone put them on an X so far.

Those are KW's. I can tell by the labeling on the parts, colors, etc. "Gewindefahrwerke" is the German word for coilovers. I never knew anyone from KW, but the H&R guys had many great things to say about them ;) They seem to be the only ones making small production run coilovers - including Jaguar and Volvo applications.

Can't wait to see those on there, Allen. I'd love to do airbags, considering they are almost the same cost.

-Jeremy

Yes they are KW Variant 1 coilovers... Currently the only coilover anybody makes for the X. Got mine from Vivid Racing, took less than a week to get them all the way from Germany to my doorstep.

Installing them on Saturday. Ill definitely post up a quick review after I get some miles on them... Also debating ordering one more set of goodies from KW (but that will delay other plans for the car gah!):

http://www.kw-suspension.com/us/kw_hls.php

As for my H&R springs, I'd kind of prefer to sell them as a set unless I get someone who's interested in the other two only.

That option is super cool. When did they start doing that and how much $? I may need to jump ship from H&R also :)

Waiting on my guy at Vivid to get back to me with pricing on the hydraulic stuff... If that's too pricey I have a few other options but those are a little more involved (basically a bag on coilover setup with an airtank and everything).

What do you guys think of these?

http://www.makwheels.it/EMP0000000027.asp
or
http://www.makwheels.it/EMP0000000073.asp

look like these have the correct fitment im looking for, just need to figure out where i can get these from. not sure if they are distributed in the US.

I believe that MAK is part of TSW. There is a distributor in Canada, but I didn't find any in the US. This shop in SoCal lists MAK, but the only thing they're showing are some goofy Hummer rims...

www.wayneswheels.net

You might give them a call. Good luck.:icon_teeth:

I like both of them, 04. may be hard to find if no US distributor/retailer

The first one looks like machined-finished vomit for a Lancer, but the second one is ok. You have better options even in the factory replica world (for Jaguar and/or Volvo) for around the same price or less.

Thanks for the input. Ive been having a hard time finding wheels with the fitment i want so choice of the style of wheel is somewhat limited.

exexpat, do you know where i could find some reps? ive been looking for some of the 18" stock reps but have not been able to find any.

The wheels i have come across so far with the size and fitment i have attached in a word doc. May be helpful to someone else too if looking for wheels. If you guys could maybe help me pick out a couple to choose from would make my decision a little easier. i know its all personal preference, but at this point, i just cant decide what i really want.

Thanks in advance