how do you choose wheel diameter/widths?

when talking VIP, what is the driving factor for wheel diameter/widths? do you try to go for a +2 fitment and a width governed by the chosen offset, or as big and as wide as possible?

whenever i see sizing from japan it's rare to see anything over 19", and 18"s seem more common... but for someone like me who has 17" stock, what is the best way to go?

Well, it depends on if you care how flush it is

I personally...(when i get a new car and im trying to fit wheels)
put a jack under the LCA of one wheel. jack it up, then jack up your car so that the wheel sits in the well where it would normally be
remove wheel
Get some cardboard
bolt it on your hub
measure from the cardboard (on the hub) to your  
that is the measurement you need to be flush

i also measure fromt he hub to the suspension to make sure i have clearance


just a bit of help for you

18 or 19...depends on what you think you can handle

The more aggressive fitments you have, the bigger your wheels appear to be. I get asked if my wheels are 19s or 20s all the time, because they quite aggressive fitments (even for Japanese standards). 
As for offsets, IMO its not 'flush' unless it has camber. Its not rare to see cars (esp. smaller fwd cars) with wheels that are in line with the guards, so its not exactly anything new. But when you've got camber and the the top of the wheel is still only just sitting even with the guards, thats flush

When choosing size/offsets, Its easy when you have a vip platform - just open a vip mag and decide what size looks good. There are guides to say what offsets give 'flush' fitments too. I took those recommendations, and took 15mm lower offsets to get my current sizes...

i struggle sometimes when looking at some of the VIP japanese magazines that i have been able to find locally. i see some big cars, like celsiors and the like, running smaller diameter (eg. 18") wheels with some very wide widths at low offsets, but hide the actual ride height with very low skirts or front spoilers and fender flares with smaller arches than stock. it gives the impression that the car is sitting low to the ground, but in actual fact, it's the bodykit that is creating the illusion.

others, like you mentioned, use some massively negative camber to make the top of the tire tuck underneath the fender, whereas the bottom of the tire is totally out of the body. i know it looks great, but it's just too hard to daily drive on.

and then there is the air suspensions... i see pictures of many that look absolutely great sitting on the ground when parked, but when it's time to go, it's driven away at nearly stock ride height... ?

i guess what i'm hoping for is to come as close to something acceptably VIP and still be a daily driver, without resorting to massive camber or bodywork? or is that a pipe dream?

[quote=thumper;43292].
 
 
 
i guess what i'm hoping for is to come as close to something acceptably VIP and still be a daily driver, without resorting to massive camber or bodywork? or is that a pipe dream?[/quote]
 
yeah, pipe dreaming:p 
 
I think you should just go with a little bit of camber and a nice tuck....and 
yes, it can be a daily driver.....nothing wrong with that.
just make sure you always have proper psi on all four tires to prevent blow outs.
when you gliding that low to the ground and don't rub and dont shake...it makes an awesome daily driver:thumbsup:

[QUOTE=Dominik;43266]The more aggressive fitments you have, the bigger your wheels appear to be. I get asked if my wheels are 19s or 20s all the time, because they quite aggressive fitments (even for Japanese standards). 
As for offsets, IMO its not 'flush' unless it has camber. Its not rare to see cars (esp. smaller fwd cars) with wheels that are in line with the guards, so its not exactly anything new. But when you've got camber and the the top of the wheel is still only just sitting even with the guards, thats flush

When choosing size/offsets, Its easy when you have a vip platform - just open a vip mag and decide what size looks good. There are guides to say what offsets give 'flush' fitments too. I took those recommendations, and took 15mm lower offsets to get my current sizes...[/QUOTE]

preach on.  so true so true.

I have NEVER seen a car in a vip mag where the fenders have been made smaller, they only ever go larger over there. If the car looks low, thats because it is low. Oh, and the whole airsuspension thing is a misconception; most of the cars in the mags run coilovers. And even if it is air, they still roll low... It sounds crazy, but these guys just choose their roads and drive carefully.

Btw, what do you mean by 'massively negative camber'? is 3-5 degrees too much? That shouldnt give too much tire wear if you have your car aligned right.

But at the end of the day, you can have something 'acceptably vip' without slamming it; a few of the Y33 guys on here arent driving completely slammed, or with crazy camber. In fact i think there arent many people with serious camber on here (myself, Oneton, EndlessNA).

It all comes down to what [i]you[/i] are happy with. I'm having troubles now because i lowered the car even more and i cant make it into most shopping centres, or even over some roads. But now that i hve seen it low, i dont want to raise it back up - for me it [i]has[/i] to be cambered, slammed etc, but thats only my opinion. Others (inc my gf) think i'm crazy... Go figure!

[quote=Dominik;43324] Others (inc my gf) think i'm crazy... Go figure![/quote]
 
 
haha, same here:eek: