GC8E2DD

I went from 215/45/R17 Toyos on Mak Fioranos to 205/55/R16 Bridgestones on standard five spoke WRX wheels - arm-ometre tells me the 16s are lighter. There have been quite a few people selling those 16s on TradeMe with snow tyres on for between two and four hundred. Cheap wheels with either a free set of gravel/ grass fun tyres, or a nominal rebate from onselling them.

Indeed, from gemini's link: http://wac.addr.com/auto/obs/wheels.html ;] Oh man, a set of those BBS RGRs in 17" *looks for something to sell*

[table] [tr] [td]18" Wheels[/td] [td]Style[/td] [td]Size[/td] [td]Weight (lbs)[/td] [td]Approx Price ¹[/td] [td]Picture links[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan Model 6[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$779[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan Model 7[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 +50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$706[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan TC[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 +48[/td] [td]20[/td] [td]$718[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Fondmetal 6700[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]18x7 +50[/td] [td]26[/td] [td]$170[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Konig Imagine[/td] [td]20-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 +45[/td] [td]23[/td] [td]$225[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Konig Tantrum[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 +45[/td] [td]23[/td] [td]$225[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Konig Verdict[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 +45[/td] [td]23[/td] [td]$240[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Prodrive P1³[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]18x7.5 ET53[/td] [td]22[/td] [td]$299/$339[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/prodrive/prodrive.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Superleggerra³[/td] [td]12-spoke[/td] [td]18x7 ET45 ²[/td] [td]19[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/oz/oz.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Superleggerra³[/td] [td]12-spoke[/td] [td]18x8 ET51 ²[/td] [td]19[/td] [td]$350[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/oz/oz.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]SSR Competition[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]18x8 +51[/td] [td]15.2[/td] [td]$439[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/ssr/ssr.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [/table]

That would be a great table to sticky. Post limit is 20,000 characters unfortunately =\ [table] [tr] [td]Wheel diamter[/td] [td]Tire width[/td] [td]Tire Aspect Ratio[/td] [td]Revolutions/Mile[/td] [td]Deviation[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]15"[/td] [td]205[/td] [td]60[/td] [td]842[/td] [td]-0.6%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]15"[/td] [td]205[/td] [td]55[/td] [td]879[/td] [td]+3.5%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]15"[/td] [td]215[/td] [td]50[/td] [td]885[/td] [td]-5.7%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]15"[/td] [td]225[/td] [td]50[/td] [td]872[/td] [td]-4.2%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]16"[/td] [td]205[/td] [td]55[/td] [td]837[/td] [td]0%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]16"[/td] [td]225[/td] [td]50[/td] [td]843[/td] [td]+0.7%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]16"[/td] [td]245[/td] [td]45[/td] [td]843[/td] [td]+0.7%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]17"[/td] [td]205[/td] [td]50[/td] [td]830[/td] [td]+0.8%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]17"[/td] [td]215[/td] [td]45[/td] [td]847[/td] [td]-1.2%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]17"[/td] [td]225[/td] [td]45[/td] [td]833[/td] [td]+0.5%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]18"[/td] [td]225[/td] [td]40[/td] [td]829[/td] [td]+1.0%[/td] [/tr] [/table] The Deviation number assmues that the 205/55R16 is used as the ideal tire. Revolutions/Mile numbers are taken from actual manufacturer data from popular performance tires. [table] [tr] [td]15" Wheels[/td] [td]Style[/td] [td]Size[/td] [td]Weight (lbs)[/td] [td]Approx Price ¹[/td] [td]Picture links[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan RC[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]15x7 +47[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$438[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Enkei Etoria 15[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]15x6 +40[/td] [td]17[/td] [td]$60[/td] [td]<a href="http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/subaruimprezaoutbacksport?ge&.alabel=alb18&.pindex=1&start=1" target="_blank">Enkei Etoria</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Raceline RL-7³[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]15x7[/td] [td]15[/td] [td]$198[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.spdusa.com/prod03.htm" target="_blank">SPD Tuning Service</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Revolution RFX[/td] [td]5-spoke [/td] [td]15x6 ET48[/td] [td]no data [/td] [td]$99 [/td] [td]<a href="http://www.revolutionwheelsusa.com/subaru_wheel_specials.htm" target="_blank">TTRS</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru Legacy (Enkei OEM)[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]15x6 +55[/td] [td]16[/td] [td]$90[/td] [td]<a href="http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/subaruimprezaoutbacksport?ge&.alabel=alb20&.pindex=1&start=1" target="_blank">Impreza Outback Sport</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru Legacy Outback (Topy OEM)[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]15x6 +55[/td] [td]18?[/td] [td]$100[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.toad.net/%7Errubel/outbackfaq.html" target="_blank">Legacy Outback</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru Forester[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]15x6[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$135[/td] [td]<a href="https://ssl.autocenter.net/subaruparts/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Appearance__169.html" target="_blank">Bruce Titus Tacoma Subaru</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru Steel (Impreza, Legacy)[/td] [td]Stamped[/td] [td]15x6 +55[/td] [td]19.5 [/td] [td]$35 [/td] [td][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Volk TE37 Magnesium[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]15x7 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.volkracing.co.jp/lineup/volkracing/te37mag.htm" target="_blank">Volk Racing</a>[/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td]16" Wheels[/td] [td]Style[/td] [td]Size[/td] [td]Weight (lbs)[/td] [td]Approx Price ¹[/td] [td]Picture links[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan RC[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$487[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan RG[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +47[/td] [td]12.75[/td] [td]$487[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Compomotive TH[/td] [td]Disc[/td] [td]16x7[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$285[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.usacomp.com/th.htm" target="_blank">Motorsport Specialties</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Raceline RL-7³[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]16x7[/td] [td]16.5[/td] [td]$251[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.spdusa.com/prod03.htm" target="_blank">SPD Tuning Service</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Sparco Cromodora[/td] [td]15-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$290[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.rallispec.com/cromodora.html" target="_blank">Rallispec</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]SSR Integral[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +45[/td] [td]15[/td] [td]$239[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/ssr/ssr.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru Legacy GT 2.5[/td] [td]18-spoke[/td] [td]16x6.5 +53[/td] [td]18?[/td] [td]$100[/td] [td]<a href="http://members.tripod.com/karguyzine/mods.html" target="_blank">Impreza L Sedan</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru MY00/01 Impreza 2.5RS³[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +53[/td] [td]16.5[/td] [td]$150[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.impreza-across.thepond.com/mycar.html" target="_blank">2000 Impreza RS</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru MY99 Impreza 2.5RS Silver³[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +53[/td] [td]17[/td] [td]$150[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Flats/1484/partspag.htm" target="_blank">Impreza Outback Sport</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru MY98 Impreza 2.5RS Gold³[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +53[/td] [td]17[/td] [td]$150[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Flats/1484/partspag.htm" target="_blank">Impreza Outback Sport</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru MY02 Impreza WRX[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]16x6.5 +55[/td] [td]16.5[/td] [td]$100[/td] [td]<a href="http://gankish.net/rumblesoft/detroit.html">NESIC</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru Steel (Forester)[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]16x? +38?[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Team Dynamics Monza[/td] [td]15-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.subaruwheels.net/page2.htm">Subaruwheels.net</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Team Dynamics Motorsport[/td] [td]12-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.subaruwheels.net/page2.htm">Subaruwheels.net</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Team Dynamics (various)[/td] [td]various[/td] [td]16x7[/td] [td]20[/td] [td]$125[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.teamdynamicsusa.com/wheels/pages/wheels.htm">Team Dynamics</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Volk TE37[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]16x7 +46[/td] [td]11[/td] [td]$350[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.volkracing.co.jp/lineup_1999/volkracing/FINISH/j_indx_te37.htm" target="_blank">Volk Racing</a>[/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td]17" Wheels[/td] [td]Style[/td] [td]Size[/td] [td]Weight (lbs)[/td] [td]Approx Price ¹[/td] [td]Picture links[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]5Zigen 5ZR Copse[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 +48[/td] [td]22[/td] [td]$180[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.5zigen.co.jp/products/COPSE/" target="_blank">5Zigen COPSE</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]ADR (various)[/td] [td]various[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]22[/td] [td]$150[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.wheelmax.com/Wheels/ADR/ADR.htm" target="_blank">WheelMax</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan RG[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +48[/td] [td]15[/td] [td]$560[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan TC[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$596[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan Model 7[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$584[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan RC[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$584[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Advan Model 6[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$645[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cobbtuning.com/impreza/wheel-wheels.html" target="_blank">Cobb Tuning</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]ASA JS1[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +51[/td] [td]19.5[/td] [td]$159[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/asa/asa.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]BBS RGR Subaru Impreza WRX³[/td] [td]16-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 ET55[/td] [td]16[/td] [td]$750[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/roadtests/0103scc_2002wrx/">SportCompactCar</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]BBS RK[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 ET48[/td] [td]16.5 [/td] [td]$269 [/td] [td]<a href="http://www.subarureview.com/showreview.php?id=1047">SubaruReview</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]BBS 2004 Subaru Impreza STi[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 ET53[/td] [td]16 [/td] [td]$600? [/td] [td]<a href="http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk2/04sti.htm">Canadian Driver</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Compomotive MO[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$320[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.usacomp.com/mo.htm" target="_blank">Motorsport Specialties</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Enkei RC5[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +48[/td] [td]15.62 [/td] [td]$450[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Konig Appeal[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +45[/td] [td]21[/td] [td]$180/$205[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Konig Blatant[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +45[/td] [td]21[/td] [td]$170/$205[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Opera 1[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 ET50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.ozwheels.com/r14.html" target="_blank">O.Z. Wheels</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Supertourismo Evolution³[/td] [td]16-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 ET48[/td] [td]18[/td] [td]$325[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.rallispec.com/handling.html" target="_blank">Rallispec</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Prodrive P1³[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 ET52[/td] [td]19.5[/td] [td]$300[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/prodrive/prodrive.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]O.Z. Superleggerra³[/td] [td]12-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 ET48[/td] [td]15[/td] [td]$280[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/oz/oz.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Raceline RL-7[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]18[/td] [td]$272[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.spdusa.com/prod03.htm" target="_blank">SPD Tuning Service</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Rage Breaker[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +47[/td] [td]21[/td] [td]$130[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.discounttiredirect.com/dtd/right_wheel.jsp" target="_blank">Discount Tire Direct</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Revolution RZX[/td] [td]7-spoke [/td] [td]17x7 ET55[/td] [td]no data [/td] [td]$250 [/td] [td]<a href="http://www.revolutionwheelsusa.com/revolutionnew.htm" target="_blank">TTRS</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Rota Attack[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 ET48[/td] [td]15[/td] [td]$137.50[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.revolutionsmotorsports.com" target="_blank">Revolutions Motorsports</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Rota Sub-Zero[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]17x7?[/td] [td]17[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.revolutionsmotorsports.com" target="_blank">Revolutions Motorsports</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Rota Tarmac[/td] [td]10-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 ET48[/td] [td]19[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.revolutionsmotorsports.com" target="_blank">Revolutions Motorsports</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Speedline Prodrive 7[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +52[/td] [td]20.5[/td] [td]$259[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/prodrive/prodrive.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Speedline Pero-R[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$245[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.spdusa.com/prod03.htm" target="_blank">SPD Tuning Service</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Speedline Super Tourismo[/td] [td]12-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +55[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$265[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.autocaresubaru.com/bodymain.html" target="_blank">iSR Subaru Performance & Off Road</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru 17"[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +53[/td] [td]19[/td] [td]$270[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.subaruparts.com/acatalog/17inch1.jpg" target="_blank">Bruce Titus Tacoma Subaru</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Subaru "Euro" WRX [/td] [td]5-spoke [/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]no data [/td] [td]$235 [/td] [td]<a href="http://www.vividwireless.com/vr/WRXOEMwheelsslvr" target="_blank">Vivid Racing/Vivid Wireless</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]SSR Competition w/o center ring[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 +50[/td] [td]12.5[/td] [td]$375[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/ssr/ssr.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]SSR Competition[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 +50[/td] [td]12.9[/td] [td]$375[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/ssr/ssr.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]SYMS SRW-01[/td] [td]18-spoke[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$508[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.spomotorsports.com/CategorizedTableDisplayTemplateOffset.cfm?CategoryID=12&CustomerID=10673" target="_blank">SPO Motorsports</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Team Dynamics (various)[/td] [td]various[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]22[/td] [td]$150[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.teamdynamicsusa.com/wheels/pages/wheels.htm">Team Dynamics</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Team Loco 142[/td] [td]7-spoke[/td] [td]17x7[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$139[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/teamloco/teamloco.htm" target="_blank">Tire Rack</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Volk Daytona Speed[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7 +50[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$500?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.cs.unlv.edu/%7Esimon/2.5RS/LIT/SCC6.html" target="_blank">Sport Compact Car Impreza RX</a>, <a href="http://www.mackinindustries.com/daytona.html">Mackin Industries</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Volk STi RS-ZERO[/td] [td]5-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 +48[/td] [td]no data[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.volkracing.co.jp/lineup_1999/sti/finish/j_indx_rszero.htm" target="_blank">Volk Racing</a>[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Volk TE37[/td] [td]6-spoke[/td] [td]17x7.5 +48[/td] [td]15[/td] [td]$?[/td] [td]<a href="http://www.volkracing.co.jp/lineup/volkracing/te37.htm" target="_blank">Volk Racing</a>[/td] [/tr] [/table]

A Porsche is also a compromise. Like a Fiat 850 Sport, a VW Beetle (original ) or even a Bambina, Porsches have been plagued from the outset with the 'backwards through a fence' syndrome. This is essentially an exagerrated tank slapper. Having your engine right at the back (behind the rear axle) gives a large lump of weight a huge turning moment along the vehicle's longitudinal axis, ie; chassis front to back. It works like a pendulum greatly amplifying weight shifts laterally across the chassis. Because in this chassis layout you have virtually no weight over the front wheels, there is very little force in a neutral stance (carrying a constant speed on the flat) applied to the steering wheels. In an Bambina for instance, the difference between a full tank of gas and an empty one was reasonable steering, and flighty uncommunicative steering (the gas tank is over the front wheels, and a full tank of gas weighs a significant proportion of the car). The thing about tyre grip, is that it steadily increases as load is applied, to a point where it is overloaded, and grip swiftly decreases. Under hard acceleration followed by hard braking, this style chassis will go from hardly any front grip, to lots of front grip. You would find your steering come and go, and worst case scenario it goes when you need to turn, returns when you suddenly realise you aren't turning and hit the brakes, then lets that huge pendulum of an engine swing you backwards off the road as the inertia overcomes your rear tyre grip. Porsche have the benefit (like Peugeot do with the 105/ 205 etc) of having developed effectively the same car for a very long time. This means they have slowly but surely engineered their way around the inherent compromises of this chassis design. Altering suspension and steering geometry as well as attempting to redress the weight imbalance by moving ancilliaries (and even the engine) further forward all help in this regard. It is no mistake that Porsches have inordinately large rear tyres! In later years they have also added (like most manufacturers of sports cars) sensor based technologies that measure things like pitch and yaw, steering and slip angles, as well as acceleration on these axis so as to be able to intervene when a driver gets it wrong. It is not so much that they have solved the inherent problems in the chassis, just that they have commendably worked their way around them. Why not can it all together? As well as having inherent problems, a layout like this conversely has advantages, like all good compromises =] For a start, having that weight over the rear wheels is excellent for traction (Assuming as mentioned you don't overload the rear tyres!). It is also good for braking in a straight line because you have a less violent (and chassis tunable) weight transfer from rear to front. This means the rear brakes on a Porsche are potentially much more useful than those on a front wheel drive front engined car where the lion's share of the weight is already over the front wheels (potentially overloading them), and further weight transfer from rear to front actually reduces rear traction. Sharing braking duties more evenly is also good for tyre life. So really, a Porsche works very well because the engineers have invested 40 odd years in getting it to work. They were never going to give up on it, because there are advantages, and it is part of the vehicle's DNA. If they had stopped making them, and then resurrected the 911 20 years later as a front wheel drive front engined throwback like they did with the Beetle, it just wouldn't be a 911 - even if it was a great handling front wheel drive car.

Exactly. And even though you can make a front wheel drive car with its engine in the back, this is not how manufacturers do it. Besides the fact that you are still asking the front wheels to manage both turning and driving. Historically, and probably to this day, front wheel drives are made that way because it is cheaper, and you can gain internal space over rear wheel drive and four wheel drive packaging. Not because it is the ideal platform for handling. A massive amount of effort is put into fiddling the suspension geometry of a front wheel drive car to offset the basic compromise that puts the majority of the vehicle's weight at the front. You can have a great handling front wheel drive car, but his statement that brushes aside the importance of driving wheels for handling misses the point - weight distribution.

Rubbish

I can agree that you can have good handling regardless of driven wheels, but I can't agree with his reasoning which is tenuous at best. He shouldn't have shown his working ...

Whether a car is FWD, RWD, or AWD has a huge effect on the packaging of that car, and subsequently weight distribution. Apart from weight itself, I would have thought there are very few aspects that have more of an effect on chassis dynamics than weight distribution.

Wow, that would take some impressive forearm strength. That thief would be a real wanker.

I'd like a detachable steering wheel - that would stop your average thief. The ones that don't have a flatbed anyway. Unfotunately I think there are prohibitive rules about removing factory airbagged steering wheels.

2005 NZ new BP GTB manual has 206kw. 343Nm torque from memory. Oh, and it is a 2 litre.

Thanks DRFVDR. I forgot to ask, is it on a single turbo Legacy? Would it bolt to a vf24 on an Impreza?

I'll take it if you don't want it willz52 =P

In terms of driving enjoyment, the Volkswagon just didn't have much bang for buck. You pay a lot for a Volkswagon, but I didn't feel like we got that much more for our money. My 1998 Type R is faster and more fun to drive than the 2005 Mk V Golf GTi I sold to buy it - for a quarter of the price. Oddly, two of my Brothers in Law have late model Passats, and I personally think our BP GTB is better in every respect than either of them. I reckon they agree too.

That silver sedan looks nice. You would immediately be up for a cambelt though. FWIW, last year we had a VW and a Subaru, this year we have two Subarus. I am much happier.

If you can stretch to 2003 with the Legacy, get a BL/ BP model GT rather than the B4.

We had a similar experience to Koom bringing a car in from Japan. It is highly dependant on exchange rates, and they can change quite a lot in the time it takes to get here which effects GST and duty calculations. The best thing is that you can find pretty much exactly what you want instead of settling for what the dealer's happen to have. If you are going to do it, Kiwi Car Carriers are good, and they have a MAF guy onboard which saves time. Rates are here http://www.kiwicar.com/rates.html. Really helps if you know someone in Japan who can go to the auctions for you and actually look at the cars.

I guess it is semantics then. MRT call it a transfer case.

My old Leone must've changed high and low ratios by magic. Come to think of it, I've been in a few magic Brumbys then too. I had an old Quattro that seized in place after sitting out in the rain without moving for months. Get some people to jump up and down on the boot and bonnet while you push it in fourth/ fifth. That worked for me with a loud graunch. Otherwise go with boostcut's advice and try launching it.

Yeah, Turtle is dead right. The 22B meets pretty much every single criteria as a collectible import. You would have no trouble whatsoever bringing one in and getting compliance. Just fill in the forms - Special Interest Vehicles. * the vehicle (or its make, model and submodel) is identified as being a collector's item in one of the following magazines or their respective websites – Australian classic car, Car and driver (US), Automobile (US), Motor (Australia), Motor trend (US), New Zealand autocar, New Zealand classic car, Road and track (US), Top gear (UK), Top gear NZ, Unique cars (Australia) or Wheels (Australia) * the vehicle's make and model has been (or was) manufactured in annual volumes of 20,000 units or less * the vehicle is, and was manufactured as, a two-door coupe or a convertible * the vehicle is, and was manufactured as, a high-performance vehicle.

Yeah, you are welcome to borrow them, just PM me. I did have some other templates that were supposed to be printable but they only just (or perhaps didn't) fit on an A3 page and I had a bugger of a time trying to print them. I reckon the best thing to make templates out of would be something you can use to actually cut around - like plywood or something harder. Unless you had a grunty guillotine in which case you are home and hosed.

If two cars have the same torque outputs and one car produces more power, then chances are the car that produced more power was simply reving higher. Either that or the car that produced more power had it's torque curve higher up the rev range. Power is effectively a function of torque, and as far as I understand it torque is primarily a function of engine capacity (or virtual engine capacity via forced induction) which is further modified by bore and stroke measurements. POWER (kW) = TORQUE (Nm) x SPEED (rpm) / 9550

Y o u w a n t t o m a k e a W R C r e p l i c a