Rims with No Drop? Staggered?

[Mossy]

I love my Solara's ride, but I would love the look of some aftermarket rims. I know bigger rims and smaller tires will mess with my ride a little bit. I have ridden in a few cars now that were stock then dropped and I the looks and performance is not worth the bumps for me. Boston roads suck as a general rule.

I want to get som 18s for the warmer seasons. Will I look foolish with some aftermarket rims at stock ride height?

Has anyone put a staggered setup on their Solara (Wider in the back than the rear)

Will my ride look like a 4X4?

Any advice thanks alot. You guys are always helpful.

Photos would be cool too.

Happy New Years.

[SolaraBlue]

staggered wheels are for rear wheel drive only. you can find "staggered style" wheels, axis makes them and a few other wheel companies. in my opinion you should drop your car when using aftermarket wheels. try finding a tire size with a taller side wall, it may help reduce the road feel. or you could go with 17's.

[WTF??]

look for the DWP vegas guy... i think he is on 18s and at stock height

[Mossy]

NO DROP.

I don't want it. No matter what rim size I get all people I have talked and about 10 Solara drives have said the ride suffers greatly.

I will look that guy up thank you.

Anyone else.

[2002greenhornet]

Mossy, my experience is the the ride doesn't suffer that much. It's stiffer, for sure, but the difference in handling more than makes up for it, in my opinion. Here are pics of mine with 18s before I lowered it, and before the body kit. My sig shows it lowered with kit.

['00vegas-solara]

look for the DWP vegas guy... i think he is on 18s and at stock height

I believe he’s referring to me.
Putting the 18”s on has definitely increased handling. I have not lowered my Solara but I go back and forth almost daily as to if I’m going to do it or not. When and if I do I’m going to go with the H-Tech springs though. As far as ride is concerned I have no regrets. The ride is not as soft, but I believe it’s from going from a 65 series tire to a 40. The look and feel of the wheels and tires more than makes up for the harder ride. Here’s a few pics.


Good Luck

[redkysolarase]

I know this is kinda off subject but at first I didn't like those wheels but now they look pretty nice.^^^^^

[cdeez]

yes it will look like a 4x4...i say drop it with 17's if your worried about ride comfort.....

im on 19's with a drop and my ride feels great..just as good as stock..

[Mossy]

I will probably get some Gen 2 rims.

I would never drop based on the fact that I had about 10 Solara owners tell me its a much diff ride.

I have no need for steering improvement and don't feel like swerving potholes all day.

If it was not my Daily Driver I would.

What are you running for suspension CDEEZ?

[nj99solara]

This is what mine looks like with 19's and no drop...I had planned to drop it until I heard some bad things about ride quality and tire wear so I left it alone. To me the back was fine to me but the front seemed to have a huge gap.
The ride was fine as long as I avoided potholes,which is annoying but you get used to it quick when you think about how much a new tire or rim will cost you.

[jdsun1]

yes it will look like a 4x4...i say drop it with 17's if your worried about ride comfort.....

im on 19's with a drop and my ride feels great..just as good as stock..

Ditto. I got 19's with 35rated tires. I cannot tell a difference at all between stock and what I have now. However why not get a tein/tokico or eibach/tein combo if you are worried about comfort.

[RichD978]

at least get the H techs. only a 1 inch drop Matt

[Dutch Master]

If you drop you run the risk of bad bearings, steering racks, abnormal treadwear, etc.


Of course it looks good but is it worth the headache


you can put staggered rims on a frontwheel drive car...

[rollaevo99]

here's mine on 18"s no drop.......yeah looks like 4x4 LOL



here's another pic on 19"s no drop......4x4x4x4x4 it's awful......LOL



but on my sig, my car drop an inch....big difference on looks & handling.

[2002greenhornet]

If you drop you run the risk of bad bearings, steering racks, abnormal treadwear, etc.

Dutch Master,

Where do you get this from? Please share specifics about how lowering a car can affect bearings or steering parts.

I have never heard of anyone that lowered using quality parts and proper installation having such issues, and abnormal treadwear only occurs if you don't do a proper alignment. I've been dropped on Teins S-Tech/Tokico for a while now, as have many others, and have experienced nothing but improved handling, better looks and perfect tire wear on my Michelin Pilot Sports.