Sparco Assetto Gara

[AustinK]

i want to get them in blue to match my mudflaps! Sparco Assetto Gara Blue Painted

opinions?

 

[Ridethesky84]

I got them on! Very happy, they clear well all around. One question I still had was what torque spec should I use? And what PSI should the tires be at?

I torqued them to 100ft-lbs which was stock recommended... Each tire is between 32-33 PSI at the moment.

Tire Specs: 205/50/17 BFGoodrich Gforce Comp2 (probably the first ones on a sonic )

Wheels: 17x7.5 ET40 Sparco Asetto Gara in Matte Grey

RearQuarter by v3n7o, on Flickr

FrontQuarter by v3n7o, on Flickr


Well by v3n7o, on Flickr

They look really good!!

 

[HeathensSonic]

Those look awesome.. I'm wanting the Lime Green Sparco rims.. I'm a huge Monster enthusiast and my previous vehicle (Dodge Nitro) was all black and Lime Green.. its only right I do it again.. lol

 

[gdideric]

We have several knowledgable automotive enthusiasts on this forum. I want to apologize ahead of time for insulting anyone's intelligence because I haven't searched the forum/read all the threads. I have a tendency to blurt out what I have learned and experienced modifying several cars' audio systems, powertrains, and suspension systems. I've read, engineered, constructed, and raced extensively on a small FWD chassis, the SAAB Sonett III, on the East Coast vintage/historic racing circuit. I've raced with and finished ahead of active Pro SCCA drivers and retired SCCA racers even though their cars are professional developed and maintained, and are valued $$$ignificantly higher than mine. And I've never had the money to race on a set of new tires; I've only ever bought used tires. With that said, I hope I have some credibility when I talk about high performance FWD chassis development.

whoa! another sonett III owner!

 

[laborsmith]

Can't help it, gotta chime in as my all time favorite car is the 1974 Baja Red SAAB Sonett III. Incidentally, the destination charge back then was $135.

Laborsmith

 

[gdideric]

i've got a '74 blue. it's in pieces.

 

[jpierro79]

I also got the sparco assetto gara's in black but in 16's I went with the smaller rim size for a few reasons one of the biggest reasons is wheel weight. Rotational mass is huge on a car when it comes down to performance. I went with a much more aggressive tire to compensate for the difference. I still stuck with the factory size of 205/55/16 but being I work for a service center that supplies tires I had a lot of options of tires to chose from and I already knew their characteristics. I wish I still had the side by side pics of the difference of the two tires width but at the same overall size. The contact patch of the tires I chose have approximately 1 inch wider contact patch than the other standard tires in the same size. As far as road noise there is a large increase which is to be expected. Escpecially with the change to a much more aggressive tire. There is barely any weight gain from the stock 15's. Acceleration has not changed significantly to be notice. The handling though is outrageous in comparison. One other this is that the 16's use a 35 mm offset which adds a little over an inch of width to the contact points on the car from the stock 41mm offset. I have noticed significant change in body roll due to the change in offset also. Wet weather is a significant increase in traction and also a huge difference in wheel hop. I am not certain if it is due to tire choice or change in rims size or maybe both. I posted a pic of the stock 15's on my girlfriends sonic vs my 16's to help show the offset difference and how it changes the position of the tires in the fender well. I do know there is a point where lower profile tire doesnt necessarily mean better handling. Each car it is different. Each set up it is different. I went for a cross of a few characteristics. Also more tire doesnt always mean better handling. Too big can cause significant negative handling changes such as understeer and car predictablility. Loss of traction being so sudden giving no time for an individual to recover. Anyway I can write all day LOL. Ill stop writing any questions feel free to PM any ideas I love to hear all opinions. My way isnt necessarily the best but just my way.

 

[wingman]

Looks good bro.

 

[TIEfighter]

I just recently bought the 18" Sparco Matte grey ones. Still looking at tires though. TireRack recommending the 215/40/18 for them. Can't wait until I get some tires so I can get them installed.

 

[wingman]

Those will look so bitchin with some eibach springs or other lowering springs. Same tire/wheel size, but unsure what offset these wheels are but you should have the same wheel gap.

 

[TIEfighter]

Got my Sparcos installed today. Matte Gunmetal but I got the 18"s instead of 17"s like most people have shown.

 

[sonicR]

Vento,
Send pics when wheels and tires come in that should be a nice setup

 

[TIEfighter]

Here is a video of them if anybody was curious what they look like on a camcorder.

 

[laborsmith]

Good video. Thanks for posting.

Laborsmith

 

[Ubryaj]

Just ordered the silver painted Sparco 17s from TireRack. They'e on close out for $99 right now and I couldn't pass them up! I figured I can have them powder coated a different color if I want or just Plastidip them. Now I'm just going to have to decide on tires. Pretty sure I'll be going with Star Specs.

 

[007CobaltLS]

The wheels are cheap enough on clearance that I would just PC them.

 

[Ubryaj]

Yeah I might Powdercoat them a funky color. What tire size is everyone running? I'm thinking about 225/45-17 Dunlop Direzza ZII's.

 

[dvn]

Yeah I might Powdercoat them a funky color. What tire size is everyone running? I'm thinking about 225/45-17 Dunlop Direzza ZII's.

I'm about to order some 17 x 7.5's and that's what size I'm gonna run.

 

[CyberGreyTURBOZ]

Whats the widest tire that somebody has put on the sonic? When I changed out my springs I noticed there is not much room inward for tire clearance with factory rims at least. The stabilitrac connector makes a huge bulge in the plastic wheel well shield. I also plan to put very sticky tires on for summer fun. Another reason why I bought steelies and winter tires.

 

[007CobaltLS]

I don't know for sure, but I would guess 225/235 is the widest you'll want to go depending on wheel width/offset/drop.