Wheel Guys UNITE!

[GR3GR1LLA]

Okay guys for starters I've been a long time supporter of steel wheels look. I had my whole 1.4T design mapped out on a set of 16x8 steelies. From the coils to the spacers to the tires, with all the specs in between. As of lately I've been noticing the steel wheels idea pop up a lot on here. But to my surprise our poor little cars just cant support those beautiful SOB's. They are heavy, and most manufacturers wont drill to our bolt pattern. (Now I could be wrong I'm just going off of my own research.) So now I'm rethinking my whole car and I'd like to go in a more "Euro-esk" direction. I've spent the better half of my day looking up my favorite Euro style wheel manufacturers, no 5x105 bolt patterns that I could find. So I ask you, my fellow wheel warriors. Can you help me in my quest to find a clean euro style wheel that fits our beloved Sonic's?

 

[TheGreenDragon]

I'm making the assumption you want to stick with 16" rims. If not, several of the styles mentioned below also have 17" versions. Keep in mind that some of these wheels might be hard to get in the States. Depends on how dedicated you are to your build.

CMS C10 16x6.5

CMS C12 16x6.5

GMP Italia Giove 16x7.5

Lenso BSX 16x7.5

MOMO Raptor 16x7

Borbet BS5 16x7

Fondmetal 7900 16x7

NOTE: If you were thinking about getting spacers anyway, you might just want to consider getting adapters. That way your wheel choices open up a bit, and you can run something like this:

Ronal Aero R50:
16x7.5 or 18x8.0

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

Man I can't thank you enough!! I was thinking the about running adapters. Know any good reliable manufacturers?

 

[TheGreenDragon]

Motorsport Tech is considered rather highly around here. I have never used them myself, but others have recommended them.
Wheel Adapters, Wheel Spacers, Hub Centric Rings | Motorsport Tech

The main thing is that their adapters are hub-centric, which is essential to keeping your wheels from vibrating. You just have to know the centerbore and PCD of the wheel you want.

Here are the specs for the Sonic-end of the adapter:
Bolt Pattern: 5x105mm
Hub Bore: 56.59mm
Lug thread: 12x1.5

NOTE: You might just want to go with a solid 56.60mm centerbore so the adapter doesn't 'stick' to the hub, like some guys have complained about with their hub-centric rings.

ALSO NOTE: An offset of 30 to 35 will make a 7.5/8 inch wide wheel sit relatively flush with the fender. Make sure your adapter doesn't push your desired wheels out too far, since it will add to the offset.

Additionally, check to see if the rim you want to run an adapter on has 'pits' on the backing plate, where the stock lugs will fit. Otherwise you will have a bad time.

All of my info was pulled from this thread. Give it a read.
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/wheel-tire-discussion/6951-redrill-adapter-thread.html

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

Motorsport Tech is considered rather highly around here. I have never used them myself, but others have recommended them.
Wheel Adapters, Wheel Spacers, Hub Centric Rings | Motorsport Tech

The main thing is that their adapters are hub-centric, which is essential to keeping your wheels from vibrating. You just have to know the centerbore and PCD of the wheel you want.

Here are the specs for the Sonic-end of the adapter:
Bolt Pattern: 5x105mm
Hub Bore: 56.59mm
Lug thread: 12x1.5

NOTE: You might just want to go with a solid 56.60mm centerbore so the adapter doesn't 'stick' to the hub, like some guys have complained about with their hub-centric rings.

ALSO NOTE: An offset of 30 to 35 will make a 7.5/8 inch wide wheel sit relatively flush with the fender. Make sure your adapter doesn't push your desired wheels out too far, since it will add to the offset.

Additionally, check to see if the rim you want to run an adapter on has 'pits' on the backing plate, where the stock lugs will fit. Otherwise you will have a bad time.

All of my info was pulled from this thread. Give it a read.
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/wheel-tire-discussion/6951-redrill-adapter-thread.html

Green Dragon youre the man my friend, thank you very much youve been a great help! I read over that thread last night it was super informative, told me damn near everything I needed to know. As far as wheels sticking do you know if anyone has tryed anitsease/no locks on the backs of their spacers?

 

[sonic_braaappp]

You can also contact some wheel manufacturers directly and they can redrill the wheels to your bolt pattern for a little extra.

 

[Natesriv]

17's.... always 17's IMHO

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

Thanks Sonic Brap, love the car btw. Very clean similar to what I'm going for.

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

Question, if the wheel I select has a offset of 30-35mm, will that sit flush with the 15-25mm adapter added to it. Meaning the wheel with a 30-35mm offset plus the 15-25mm of the adapter equals a flush figment. Or do I have to add the mm of the adapter to the offset of the wheel to gain that 30-35mm offset. I'm sorry if this confused you. I wrote it as clear as I could.

 

[TheGreenDragon]

Question, if the wheel I select has a offset of 30-35mm, will that sit flush with the 15-25mm adapter added to it. Meaning the wheel with a 30-35mm offset plus the 15-25mm of the adapter equals a flush figment. Or do I have to add the mm of the adapter to the offset of the wheel to gain that 30-35mm offset. I'm sorry if this confused you. I wrote it as clear as I could.

It's ok. Offsets are confusing.

An offset of 0 means the hub is directly in the center of the rim. Negative offsets move the hub toward the inside of the rim, and thus move the tire further out from the car (concave). Positive offsets move the hub toward the outside of the rim, and thus the tire closer to the car (convex).

If you are using a 15-25mm adapter, you will effectively be moving the hub further back into the rim, and thus pushing the tire outward. So you have to subtract the offset of the adapter from the offset of the rim.

If you have a rim that is 8 inches wide with a 35mm offset, that will already sit fairly flush. If you add a 25mm adapter into the mix, suddenly your rim has an offset of 10mm. That will more than likely cause your tires to poke out from the fenders.

What you need is a rim with a higher offset, that way the addition of an adapter doesn't fall below 30mm-ish. You'll probably want a rim in the +40mm offset range so you can run flush with an adapter.

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

Thanks so much Green Dragon, youve been super helpful!

 

[Natesriv]

bring back the old school look

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

bring back the old school look

Dude. You get the right set of adapters and you'll be set. That would be different lol.

 

[The Champ]

Dude. You get the right set of adapters and you'll be set. That would be different lol.

If you want to go with steelies, at least go with a Chevy design...

 

[TheGreenDragon]

Don't know if Gr3gr1lla will stop by again, but I figured I'd leave this here.

While the availability of Race Steels are absolute 0 for our PCD, and re-drilling isn't an option due to the micro-fractures that can occur in the steel, there is another option.

Meet the American Racing Ansen Sprint (VNA69). They are patterned after the immortal slot mags of the 70s, which were very common on muscle cars.

Fittment-wise, they only come in 15x7-8 or 17x8-9. The 15s have an offset of 0, while the 9" wide 17s have an offset of -12. Each of the 4 available dimensions comes in a 'blank' pcd, so you can get them drilled to your 5x105 bolt pattern at a proper machine shop. Keep in mind that the centerbore is quite wide and would need a decent hub-centric ring to make them seat properly.

Also, due to their offsets, these rims will most likely cause a bit of poke. As such, it might be wise to only consider the 7" wide 15 or 8" wide 17 with slightly stretched tyres, unless you plan to run overfenders.

They are cast aluminum, with only the polished finish available (though you could always get them powder coated).

So yeah, given Chevy's muscle heritage, I could see these fitting right in on the Sonic. Just don't expect them to improve your gas mileage...

EDIT:

American Racing is also going to come out with an SUV version of the Ansen Sprint, which will include a beadlock ring, and a wider range of diameters and bolt patterns. While not listed yet, a satin black 5-lug is featured in a youtube video on their website. Unfortunately, the closest PCD to a car that these come in is 5x114.3 with no 'blank' PCDs listed. Yet.

But hey, if you want to run truck rims on your car for that Mad-Max look, and don't mind getting adapters for the 5x114.3 bolt pattern, save up your money for when these finally hit the market.

If you don't like the 'cone' centercap on the original Ansen Sprint wheels, the flat centercap from the SUV version might fit the 15s.*

 

[GR3GR1LLA]

I am back lol, sorry for the vacation. But I'm about to start making some decisions for my sonic and referred to my old thread. I'm still unsure on what wheels I'm getting but I want to thank Green Dragon again for all his help.