Four affordable aftermarket wheels options

[Opelupogus]

About two months ago I started looking at aftermarket wheel options for the GT and found four reasonably priced ones that match the GT's 4-100mm lug pattern and have an acceptable offset (<=4.75").

Stock Wheels for the Opel GT are 13x5 ET25 with 4-100 bolt pattern.

• 5" wheel + 1" bead seat = 6" rim width * 0.5 = 3" to centerline
• 3" centerline + 25mm(1") offset = 4" backspace

Sportmax Racing 002 (15x8 ET0)

• 8" wheel + 1" bead seat = 9" rim width * 0.5 = 4.5" to centerline.
• 4.5" centerline + 0mm(0") offset = 4.5" backspace.
• These are available from www.motorsportsr.com or their ebay store for $300 a set plus shipping - talk to Stephen.

ROH Snyper (15x7 ET15)

• 7" wheel + 1" bead seat = 8" rim width * 0,5 = 4" to centerline.
• 4" centerline + 15mm(0.5") offset = 4.5" backspace.
• These are available from www.jdwheels.com for $480 a set.

Voxx MG (15x7 ET20 or 16x7 ET20)

• 7" wheel + 1" bead seat = 8" rim width * 0,5 = 4" to centerline.
• 4" centerline + 20mm(0.75") offset = 4.75" backspace.
• These are avaiable from www.discounttiredirect.com for $444 a set.

MB Wheels Vision (15x6.5 ET20 or 16x7 ET20)

• 7" wheel + 1" bead seat = 8" rim width * 0,5 = 4" to centerline.
• 4" centerline + 20mm(0.75") offset = 4.75" backspace.
• These are available from www.discounttiredirect.com for $600 a set.

On my car I mounted the following:

• Sportmax 002 (15x8 ET0) that I bought on eBay for $280 plus $80 shipping.
• Kuhmo Ecsta tires from www.tirerack.com 205/50/15 in front and 215/50/15 in the rear for $180 plus $30 shipping.
• Dorman M12-1.50 Spline-Drive Wheel Locks (711-355) from Autozone for $30.
• Tires mounted and balanced at a local shop for $50.
• Total for new wheels and tires: $650

There was a very slight rub at full turn on the front and back of the fender.

• On the front I cut a small groove into the felder approximately 0.5" deep x 1" long.
• On the rear I used a hammer to bend the metal back approximately 0.25".
• Neither of these modification are particularly noticable unless you feel the need to stick your head inside my fender well.

--Bruce

[Stanley_P]

Bruce,

WOW! That's not the same car! Did you find anything wrong in the engine?
Send more pics.

Stanley

[JJ 70 GT]

Hello,

just wanted to say Thanks for this post ,, i have searched for aftermarket wheels but wasn't sure if they would really work or not so i never purchased them for my GT

Thanks Again
Jesse

[Opelupogus]

Originally Posted by Stanley_P Bruce, WOW! That's not the same car! Did you find anything wrong in the engine? Send more pics. Stanley

Stanley,

As far as pictures - I attached a few more to show the fitment and profile plus there are a few in my Gallery. The edge of the rim is approximately even with the outer lip of the fender with zero camber.

Thanks again for listing the car for your friend in KY. I'm extremely happy with the look of the wheels and can't beat the price either.
As for as the engine - both my local mechanic and neighborhood "car expert" think the knock is lifter noise, but there is a lot of back pressure that is a cause for concern.
I found that the PCV fitting was removed and capped off by the PO. I replaced the fitting and ran a new vacuum line up to the valve cover - but still have the back pressure. Any ideas - since my mechanical expertise is basically non-existent???

--Bruce

[Willy_g77]

i got the voxx mg's on my gt.. looks great... i got nitto nt450 tires on the rims... very nice ride.. look at my photo gallery for pictures.. those look awesome on the gt by the way...

[StefanLee]

Opelupogus....

Say, how much clearance do you have on the inside of the wheels with those Sport Max rims? 205 in front and 215 in the rear, right?

I´m looking for 205 in front and 225 rear, would you be able to put 225´s on your rear rims? How wide can you go?

My car is lowered about 1,5" in the back, I don´t know about yours.

Stefan

[coolchrisp]

i dont know if this is relevent, but i have 245's on the back of my gt and i had to get stiffer springs in the rear so they wouldnt hit on big bumps (michigan roads...) but also there pretty big being a 245/60/14..i should have gone with a 50... o well

[baz]

I'm putting 255 /80 /15's on the front and rear of my gt good job I'm changing the wheel tubs and a lot more

[coolchrisp]

that is one huge sidewall haha

[Opelupogus]

Originally Posted by StefanLee Opelupogus.... Say, how much clearance do you have on the inside of the wheels with those Sport Max rims? 205 in front and 215 in the rear, right? I´m looking for 205 in front and 225 rear, would you be able to put 225´s on your rear rims? How wide can you go? My car is lowered about 1,5" in the back, I don´t know about yours. Stefan

There is not much extra clearance on the front, but plenty in the back - see picture of the rear clearance. ... and Yes... 205 in front and 215 in rear.

In terms of width:
I think the 225's will be fine since it will only add an additional 5 cm of tire to each side of the wheel. There is about an inch (~25 mm) of clearance between the tire and inner wheel well which would equate to a 265 mm tire max. Keep in mind that an 8" wheel is about 228 mm - therefore a 205 mm tire and a 228+ mm tire will have a very different profile when mounted on the same size wheel. The 215/50/R15 is very close to the circumference of the stock GT tire - so the speedometer will stay accurate.
BTW - TireRack recommends 225's on 8" rims.

In terms of height:
With the 225 you will also add an additional 5 cm ((225 mm-215 mm)*0.5 ratio) of tire into the wheel well. I have about 2.5 inches of clearance between the top of the wheel and the fender with stock suspension - see picture below.

Back to the width:
The 215 is flush with the outer edge of the fender - meaning the 225 will extend past the edge of the fender by 5 mm. With the 225 and lowered 1.5" you would have about a 13/16th space between the tire and the fender. Depending upon how stiff your shocks are - this may or may not be a problem (meaning tire rubbing on fender). I don't think rolling the fender will solve the problem either because the tire will stick out beyond the fender.

--Bruce

[JJ 70 GT]

Jello,
Bruce

could you post some pics with your GT outside ? i would like to see a good view of the clearance and a side view as im ready to order the same setup as yours just want to make sure that's what i want .

Thanks
Jesse

[Opelupogus]

Originally Posted by JJ 70 GT ...could you post some pics with your GT outside ? i would like to see a good view of the clearance and a side view as im ready to order the same setup as yours just want to make sure that's what i want...

Jesse,

Everything in St. Louis is coated with several inches of solid ice following a storm last week - 6 hours of non stop freezing rain at my house.

I'll try to get the GT out sometime this week for some photos.

--Bruce

[JJ 70 GT]

Hello,

Bruce
we got 8 inches here in Carroll county where i live , really looking forward
to some pics and if you would send me a email at

dj@cvalley.net

as i have some more questions to ask about the tires and wheels ,,

we must hookup some time and meet with the Opels as im about 3 1/2 hours from you ..

Thanks Again
Jesse

[Opelupogus]

Here's some outdoor pictures of the Sportmax 002 on a GT.

--Bruce

[show no go]

There are many good tire size calculators out there that will give you the different section width of the tires. It's a good idea then to check a site like tirerack or other similar site to see what with those tires will be on different width wheels. They can vary significantly in actual width and height depening what size wheel the tire is mounted on. I have 245/35/18 front and rear. With the proper offset those tires did fit in the rear wheel well. The diameter on the front is too big to work without major body modification. This site has a nice and quick tire size calculator.

Tire size calculator

[StefanLee]

Do any of you guys know of a retailer of SportMax rims inside the EU?

Stefan

[Opelupogus]

Originally Posted by StefanLee Do any of you guys know of a retailer of SportMax rims inside the EU?Stefan

Stefan,

I looked around the internet over lunch and found that Pack Racing Products in Arizona carries Sportmax 002's and ships internationally. They are listed at $113 per wheel plus $65 shipping to Sweden.
Superlite USA

There is a new set of 4 for sale on Craig's List in the Sacramento area for $750 including new Falken tires.
***BRAND NEW Sportmax 002, 15x8, with Brand New Tires***

--Bruce

[Paul]

What about these on E-bay
eBay Motors: BMW E30 318i 325i Opel GT Konig Rewind 15" Wheels Rims (item 290066070633 end time Jan-06-07 17:47:44 PST)

Or these
eBay Motors: BMW E30 318i 325i Opel GT Konig Rewind 15" Wheels Rims (item 290066070602 end time Jan-03-07 17:47:41 PST)

I know two of the same.....

[oldopelguy]

Originally Posted by Paul What about these on E-bay

I got in a set of those a month ago, and while I haven't mounted them yet I do like the look and finish of them. On his previous auctions he had the "make an offer" option, and he accepted my $340+$60 shipping offer, so there might be some room for discussion if you e-mail the seller directly. Maybe not tell him where you heard you could low-ball him, but instead an "any chance you'ld go lower?" type approach would come across better.

[GTJIM]

The offset (ET) of the stock Opel wheel is 25mm - this means that the centre line of the wheel is 25mm inside the mounting face on the hub.
This dimension is the real important one as it affects the steering geometry - you have about 5mm each way with similar diameter tyres brfore the steering is badly affected and it won't 'self-centre' when you release the steering wheel.
While the "Backspace" (the distance between the inner edge of the rim and the mounting face) is important as to if the tyre will fit inside the guard and clear the chasis - the "Off-set" is critical to steering.

It is not enough just to have the wheels fit under the guards and clear on turning at the front - The "ET" or "Off-set" MUST be correct as well. "Backspace" and "Off-set" are two entirely different things
Using wheels with an ET of '0' on the front is a disaster waiting to happen.
Using wider tyres on the rear than the front amplifies the GT's already bad understeer tendancies also.

LOOKING GOOD CAN KILL YOU!

[StefanLee]

Hey, what about these?

New for 2007, by Sportmax and with and offset of 15! Very cool and classic looking to boot.

As i undersand it the offset is even better suited to the GT than 0. It´s dang near ideal!

Here´s a link to an ebay auction of the same.

eBay Motors: 15 8 Sportmax wheel Corolla gts AE86 Supra Datsun rims (item 280062537367 end time Jan-18-07 18:54:15 PST)

The vendor is SG Motoring.

Opinions?

Stefan

[StefanLee]

Oh, this is getting more and more interesting.

I have found out that the SportMax 501 rims with ET15 are also available in 16" size and ET15, a very unusual size!

The vendor is Next Level Motoring, at Aftermarket Car Parts Accessories for Sport Compacts.

In fact, they are the first classic looking 16" rims I have found with a good ET.

Please, anyone, I have made the calculations in my head and ET 15 should be A-OK with 8" rims all around, but if anyone of you gurus disagree then please wave the red flag!

If not, I think I´ll go for either the 15 or 16 inch 501´s, depending on if I can find a vendor that ships to europe or not.

Stefan

[JJ 70 GT]

Bruce
here's a pic of the GT ,,

to the IM i received ,, ok i wont start nothing here , see ya on the hide

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...g?t=1168040160

[StefanLee]

That´s a VERY nice car you´ve got there JJ 70 GT. I love the colour and the stripes.

The wheeels really pop out on your car.

I am having no luck in finding the Sportmax 501´s. First an Ebay power seller tried to scam me to high heaven (NOT next level motoring) and I can´t find another vendor willing to ship to europe...

The quest for Sportmax´s goes on!

StefanL

[BQS4]

Originally Posted by StefanLee That´s a VERY nice car you´ve got there JJ 70 GT. I love the colour and the stripes. The wheeels really pop out on your car. I am having no luck in finding the Sportmax 501´s. First an Ebay power seller tried to scam me to high heaven (NOT next level motoring) and I can´t find another vendor willing to ship to europe... The quest for Sportmax´s goes on! StefanL

Stefan;
If you're dead set on the Sportmax Wheels, and are willing to pay for the shipping, find a deal on them, have them shipped here to me and I'll get them shipped out to you, that's no problem. This is a straight up, no joke offer. Ask "rionart" if I have not done this before.