Sorry, sorry, sorry for the length of this! i just don't know how else to sort this all. You guys are the best and I would not post if i did not need the help!

First off I have a 1984 Indy. I want to put up the stockers up to keep them safe. I have searched here first… for 3 weeks at lunch and at night… UGH! Help! I'm just overwhelmed and I need feedback to see if I'm absorbing things right. Sorry this post is long…Lots of info, all intermingling to translate to a doable thought out recipe, w/in a budget. LOL! But maybe it will help someone else down the line!

The spouse has me on a decent budget for wheels (don't spend more then we did on my Stang!) I'm guessing $700-ish for a set, might fly. I wanted 19s, but the spouse is donating a pair of 265/35 18s off the Mustang. I figure a bit of compromise might allow me to finally get some rims for the Indy. So the plan is to find 18s that will hold a 265/35 for the rear. The front is open for what ever in an 18… I just want everything to fit as close to exactly flush with the fender. I also want to lower the car as much as possible to get a tight fender to wheel look. I have also searched coil-over conversions for the rear and plan to do one. Still up in the air on sleeve and spring length to clear my 265/35 r18 rear tires…

I have searched and have gotten very frustrated with trying to digest everything, as there is so much back and forth and unresolved/unanswered threads. So much is archived and so many times offsets or widths are not mentioned together. I think I have an answer and then I find a contradiction. I thought I had it all ironed out when I was using Joe Torma's Wheel diagram, but in searching I see rims/tires fit differently then the diagram says. I'm not sure if the fitment contradictions/differences are strictly the 88s? Or all related to tire bulge?

1. So first: what width rim with the free tires I have?
I know 9 inch rims will be ideal, but what else is doable? The rim selection when talking BUDGET is small. I feel I could go with 8.5 inch safely. There are tons of 18x8 in my price range, but I bet that’s too narrow for a 265??? One shop said I could do it no problem, but they want the sale. Staggered sets are not easy to come by in the style I want.

2. Based on the rear width if I go 9s… I know I need coil-overs, plus this is best for lowering. I saw someone say they had their 18x9s hit the coil-over conversion perch. What type of clearance is gained with a coil-over conversion on an 84? I want to translate that clearance over to Torma's diagram, so I have a good workable reference. Can an 18x9 tuck in the fenders flush, with a coil-over conversion? If not, then the 8.5 width would be better. Remember I also want to lower the car! I also have read the coil-overs clearance can be altered slightly based on the spring length and sleeve length. Maybe I need a longer sleeve and a shorter spring to get the car low and still give myself the needed clearance with the 18x9???

3. Offsets… I'm asking for you guys help a lot here… as I have said I want the car's rims/tires as close to exactly flush as possible. I know tire bulge will play a large part and it is not completely factorable. But I want to get close… Is there anyway to get an idea of what bulge to expect? I looked at Torma’s tire diagram too, but there is nothing in the 265 range. If I can figure a receipe it will make it easier for me to figure my own fender hangout without bugging you guys.

A. Rear: Based on Torma's diagram,

Rim 8.5 wide… 42 offset will put the RIM at the frt fender edge, which the rear is slightly narrower... if the 265 bulges it will bump the width out further right??? So do I want a 45 to 48, to keep it flush? But past a 42 gets into the strut line… will the coil-overs give me enough clearance?

Rim 8 inch… 35mm offset is very popular puts the Rim right on the frt fender edge, but then the wide tire will definitely add some bulge and push me out past the fender? 38mm puts me at the rear fender edge with the RIM. Will 40mm, give me enough to account for the bulge? I've seen most of these offsets... Or do I need to go as far in as 42mm?

B. Frt: Seems based on Torma's diagram

Rim 8.5 inch: looks tricky,(if even doable??) however, the tire is open to any size and can be narrower to stand w/ a straight sidewall to stay even with the fender. So can a 42mm actually clear the spring/strut and suspension? But then will it clear when turning?

Rim 8 inch: So with the above statement I think an 8 is better for the front. But will it clear in an 18 w/o rubbing the frt spring once lowered (I will cut stock springs for now)? So maybe 35mm since I can be open to any tire giving me a straight sidewall and it will give more spring clearance. 38mm might be safer for the fender flushness, or 40mm to stay in the fender, but am I getting too far into the suspension?
Or do I just need to go to a 7.5 in the front?

See I've made myself crazy with doubt and frustration! It’s even worse by the lack of options out there in width and offset with a staggered stance. Especially when I want them in white to throw back to the indy style… UGH.

So far I have found in white
18x8 Drag DR-42 w/ 35mm offset (no staggered option or other offsets)
Worried about the 265 bulge throwing me out of the fender lip
18x8 MSR w/ 35mm offset (no staggered or other offsets) backordered - favorite & the exact look I want!
Worried about the 265 bulge throwing me out of the fender lip
18x8.5 XXR w/ 48 offset (no staggered or other offsets ) Not sold on the looks
Worried about the clearance of the suspension in rear, but esp frt. (maybe spacers?)

Still looking... these are just the best I have found so far in white. If I must I will get another finish and powder coat them, but the spouse might kill me!

Thank you for any help at all on the subject. I just want to buy right the first time!

Joe's diagram (if it posts for me)

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"I'm just a girl..."
1984 Indy Fiero Pace Car

[This message has been edited by redraif (edited 06-29-2011).]

I looked through this thread to see what other people had done and it helped me tremendously.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/052912.html

Here is a good one that Fiero Tom put up.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/086135.html

Mike

Thanks for the Voxx link... got some playing to do there.

Now I just ahve to figure out what the stock indy wheels are and what tires are supposed to be on there. I threw some free tires on the indys that came off an 1987 pulsar

The stock Indy tires are 215/60/14's. You should be fine with a 265/35/18 on an 8 inch wheel. The tire will give you a little extra rim protection. I have had them on my 88 without coil overs using a 35 offset rear wheel. (Falken Torque 5 wheels in Gunmetal). 18X8 rear and 18X7 front.) The front offset is 42.

Thank you! The 265/35's on the 8 inch rim - how much tire bulge is there? Any way you can get a measurement on how much the tire sticks out past the edge of the rim?

On the Indy rims, if I'm reading right, they are 14x6, 35mm offset. Can anyone confirm?

quote Originally posted by redraif: Thank you! The 265/35's on the 8 inch rim - how much tire bulge is there? Any way you can get a measurement on how much the tire sticks out past the edge of the rim? On the Indy rims, if I'm reading right, they are 14x6, 35mm offset. Can anyone confirm?

As I recall it is about half an inch on each side. I can measure exactly but I won't be able to post it till tomorrow. With the wheels I have the tire does not stick out but is flush with the fender opening.

In my opinion 265s are a bit much and although my initial plan was 265/35R18s on the rear I doubt I'll ever do it given how nice the 245/40R18s I have on the rear fit and look. I did have a problem with my 18x9 38mm offset wheel/tire combo touching the spring perch with 12" springs so a 10" spring would have been fine. I also had excessive negative camber as well and with that cleared up everything barely clears without a wheel spacer.

On the front I have 18x8s with a 38 mm offset on an 86 car with 225x40R18s and 1" drop springs with excessive negative camber. They work fine but the width and tire height comes into contact with what now must be the frame on a good dip since that part of the wheel well deflector has been rubbed away. Next go around I'll do 215s.

Switching to the new rims and tires from the 15" combo put on about 85 lbs and cost me about 3 mpg hwy.

quote Originally posted by TXGOOD: I looked through this thread to see what other people had done and it helped me tremendously. https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/052912.html Mike

HAHAHA! Its so funny you listed THAT rim thread... I spent hours looking through it at the start of my quest. I literally "right click saved" pics and renamed the pic what it was... (Frt 18x? ??offset ??tire size - rear 18x? ??offset ??tire size - if coilovers)

quote Originally posted by Rick 88: Email sent with pics.

Excellant! Thank you! Yes that does help. I would still love to see the 265s on them though it you could. One half inch bulge is not horrible, but it will deffinately effect my choices.

quote Originally posted by Joseph Upson: In my opinion 265s are a bit much and although my initial plan was 265/35R18s on the rear I doubt I'll ever do it given how nice the 245/40R18s I have on the rear fit and look. .

If they were not FREE... LOL! But only having to pay for 1/2 the tires... I'll make it work.

quote Originally posted by Joseph Upson: I did have a problem with my 18x9 38mm offset wheel/tire combo touching the spring perch with 12" springs so a 10" spring would have been fine. I also had excessive negative camber as well and with that cleared up everything barely clears without a wheel spacer.

Yeah that was your post I read on the coil-over build thread by fierohoho. How low did you end up seating your rear? I want mine as low as possible and don't want to have your issue with clearance. You think the 10inch will get me the clearance to drop it pretty low? Would I need a longer sleeve for the 10inch spring?

quote Originally posted by Joseph Upson: On the front I have 18x8s with a 38 mm offset on an 86 car with 225x40R18s and 1" drop springs with excessive negative camber. They work fine but the width and tire height comes into contact with what now must be the frame on a good dip since that part of the wheel well deflector has been rubbed away. Next go around I'll do 215s.

Good to note... keep the front conservative. Any rubbing besides hitting bumps?

[This message has been edited by redraif (edited 06-30-2011).]

You should come out fine with a 10" spring as that would move the perch up two inches above where mine sits and there's room for it on a 7" sleeve if that's what you have. I still need to lower the rear another .5 to 3/4" although it looks fine the way it is. I haven't actually had the car aligned, just checked. I made some adjustments from the print out indications and will have it aligned when I replace the bad upper ball joint. Putting the front camber in spec toward the positive side will give me a little more clearance up front and new stiffer than the old sensatrac shocks will help reduce the front fender contact but there is no interference turn stop to turn stop.

If you're aiming for more than a 1" drop you will definately want a shorter tire than the 225/40R18 or you'll need to stiffen the suspension a good bit. My car rides pretty good but it doesn't like anything resembling an old unkept railroad track. Extremely low profile tires require that you know your territory or loose a wheel to the minimum cushion protection.

This should help, as you can see there's more room to lower and the back end is not quite there yet.

[This message has been edited by Joseph Upson (edited 06-30-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Joseph Upson: You should come out fine with a 10" spring as that would move the perch up two inches above where mine sits and there's room for it on a 7" sleeve if that's what you have. I still need to lower the rear another .5 to 3/4" although it looks fine the way it is. I haven't actually had the car aligned, just checked. I made some adjustments from the print out indications and will have it aligned when I replace the bad upper ball joint. Putting the front camber in spec toward the positive side will give me a little more clearance up front and new stiffer than the old sensatrac shocks will help reduce the front fender contact but there is no interference turn stop to turn stop. If you're aiming for more than a 1" drop you will definately want a shorter tire than the 225/40R18 or you'll need to stiffen the suspension a good bit. My car rides pretty good but it doesn't like anything resembling an old unkept railroad track. Extremely low profile tires require that you know your territory or loose a wheel to the minimum cushion protection. This should help, as you can see there's more room to lower and the back end is not quite there yet.

Awesome. Thank you! Awesome shot of the front tire clearance to the fender well BTW. Exactly waht I needed to see.

I might take the front a touch lower then that, but that is all up in the air right now. Right now with the stock 14's and tiny Nissan Pulsar tires it looks like a 4x4... so anything is better then that... LOL!

quote Originally posted by redraif: I might take the front a touch lower then that, but that is all up in the air right now.

A touch lower is about it because I just went out to the car and realized that picture was taken before it was lowered. There's about 1.5" between the front tire and fender height and a little more in the rear to provide about the same stance only approximately an inch lower than what you see in the picture.

[This message has been edited by Joseph Upson (edited 06-30-2011).]

thanks for that info.... sounds like yours is sitting right where I want mine.

Wow ever just feel like screaming. Seems this wheel search is going to be more challenging then I thought. Just trying to look up 18s in a 5x100 is a pain. Freaking wheel sites want the car. Won't find anything over 17inch for a fiero. Ugh! Tried to go to manufactures sites and they show size and width but no offset or lug pattern. So frustrating.

http://www.performanceplust...s/wheels/#prodAnchor

Wheels Next maybe able to help also but you will have to call them, that's where my wheels are from and they've since changed the site to the more restrictive vehicle search which doesn't include the Fiero.

Try searching for a VW New Beetle. Most any year.
They are 5x100 and the offsets are just about perfect. If you need something with more offset, Search a Subaru Impreza.
Be careful with the Subaru wheels. Some of them are "subaru specific", which means you'll have to have the centerbore enlarged by 1mm. (Subies are 56.1mm. Fieros are 57.1 centerbore.)
Most aftermarket wheels will be a 70-something centerbore, and use hub-centric rings to fit the appropriate hubs.

Well and here I was going to go fiddle with the fiero today... and then I dropped a table on my foot. Ugh. I was trying to flip it to install wheel castors

[This message has been edited by redraif (edited 08-25-2011).]

quote Originally posted by redraif: Well and here I was going to go fiddle with the fieriest today... and then I dropped a table on my foot. Ugh. I was trying to flip it to install wheel castors

....And its broke. Hairline fracture 2nd toe b/w toe joint and ankle joint, so not horrible. So much for making a mobile table to help with my coilover conversion... ugh!

I'll bet you said "darn!"

Sorry 'bout that.

After much reading I have almost decided on the coil over set up

Ordering:
10in QA1 325LB 2.5inch ID springs (went with 10 inch for greater wheel/tire clearance)
Coleman racing 8 inch 2.04 ID sleeves
Stock perch will be removed and the sleeve slid all the way down

I want to get a drop that will result in a two finger gap b/w tire and fender. And I want the car to handle the corners finally. I like the car to dig in on the turns. Hense the spring rate. Not worried about a harsh ride... I prefer responsiveness to comfort.

Still flip flopping on the 300lb or 325lb in the 10inch...

And I'm leaning toward a 9 inch in a 38 offset

Foot is doing better though... makes it a pain to work on a car though... LOL!

[This message has been edited by redraif (edited 08-26-2011).]

What's the reason behind your choosing of such wide tires?

They are take offs of my spouses Mustang... so free! They are over 80% remaining. My spouse had a full set of sumitomos on the stang. The rears were almost done and we wanted wider rears on it. We found a closeout on new Falkons for $50/ea. So new 315s for the rear and new 265 for the front. All total $200 for 4 tires. So the sumitomo 265 frts came off. We can't sell them for what they are worth so I decided to run them on the rear of the fiero

[This message has been edited by redraif (edited 08-27-2011).]

Well it took some work, but I finally found sleeves at Summit that will work as well. Summit's site does not list the inside diameter of the sleeves they sell, so I did not know what would work. I did notice notice they carried Allstar perfomance sleeve kits at $37.99 per side for sleeve & perch. That is cheaper then Coleman and with Summit local for me, there would be no shipping. The kit is black anodized. Perfect match for the springs I bought. So I called Allstar directly and asked which of their 7 inch sleeve kits in the 7 inch length had an inside diameter of 2.04. The guy called me back w 2 kit numbers: ALL64141 for AFCO & Monroe and ALL64145 for QA1 2" steel bodied. I got these part numbers and went to Summit, but they were not in the computer. So I got my manager friend at Summit to check into it. They had the part numbers in the system in a different que that was not active for some reason. He got the part numbers activated. They should go live Monday night or Tuesday. Then they will order them for me. Free shipping. So cheaper then Colmans kit for me. Yeah! I will report the results when I get them. So they might prove to be a better alternative for folks who order springs from summit as they can order all together and only pay shipping once!

quote Originally posted by Raydar: Try searching for a VW New Beetle. Most any year. They are 5x100 and the offsets are just about perfect. If you need something with more offset, Search a Subaru Impreza. Be careful with the Subaru wheels. Some of them are "subaru specific", which means you'll have to have the centerbore enlarged by 1mm. (Subies are 56.1mm. Fieros are 57.1 centerbore.) Most aftermarket wheels will be a 70-something centerbore, and use hub-centric rings to fit the appropriate hubs.

So I was doing some more searching and used these and had a heck of a time getting anything wider then a 8.5. I tried to get a bit experimentive with the Subaru, but then I started getting the 5x114 bolt pattern results... UGH. Just want to find more selection in a 9 inch rim that also has a 8 inch mate!

ok here is my diy coil-over thread in process showing the final decision I made

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/F...118751.html#lastpost