RedMosesSC
Senior Member
The Saleen came with 7 spokes:
20" x 9"w Front / 10"w Rear (+50 offset), Pirelli Rosso 275-35 F / 275-40 R
I wanted to swap wheels eventually because i felt the chrome was too loud against the Yellow, one fine evening i was cruising down the Belt Parkway and there was a BigASS pipe in the middle of the road, BAM! bent the front wheel enough for the tire not to hold air.
Now I HAD to get wheels, I felt the car needed wheels that were different but i dint want to drop $4k for wheels not to mention the Belt would destroy them in due time. After a few days of back and forth i decided to go with XXR 521 wheels (about $1k), they are made for Import Tuners so they have an aggressive offset, i have seen pics of them fit on a Mustangand it looked great, i decided to reuse my tires since they still had some life in them.
XXR 521
20" x 8.5"w Front / 10.5"w Rear (+30 offset), Pirelli Rosso 275-35 F / 275-40 R
The wheels are WAY lighter than stock Saleen, i dint weigh them but you notice it right away. The front wheels tucked under the fenders nice, the 275-35 was WAY to wide for the wheel, alot of buldge, you can feel the sidee walls folding when turning hard while Autocross racing. but it wasnt much of an issue on the street.
The rear wheels do stick out, i like the way a New Edge offset looks like on an S197... 275-40 gets a bit of a stretch on the 10.5"w wheel, it looks great and it tucks the tread under the fender well. I do make fender contact in ther rear after Autox, you get rubber under the fener but it doesnt chew up the tire. The hub could use a shave to raise the offset in the rear a bit but... i can live with it.
245-40-20 on an 8.5" wide wheel
I needed to do something about the buldge in the front as i had a track day coming up Pocono Raceway, the front were due for fresh rubber, the rears were already swapped. I wanted to find a tire that was close in width to the 275, a 255 seemed like the best choice on an 8.5 wheel but the problem i found was its height, a 255-35 was too short, NYC roads are harsh and i want some cushion, a 255-40 was to tall. 245-40 is what i went with, the handling is greatly improved over the 275, the fit is good and sidewall height is closer to the 275.
Some argue they like the stock Saleen wheels better and although i DO like the design but the chrome finish and wimpy offset in the rear always irked me. I think the XXR's look good with the overall Saleen race inspired theme and the matter black tones down the Yellow a bit too.
20" x 9"w Front / 10"w Rear (+50 offset), Pirelli Rosso 275-35 F / 275-40 R
I wanted to swap wheels eventually because i felt the chrome was too loud against the Yellow, one fine evening i was cruising down the Belt Parkway and there was a BigASS pipe in the middle of the road, BAM! bent the front wheel enough for the tire not to hold air.
Now I HAD to get wheels, I felt the car needed wheels that were different but i dint want to drop $4k for wheels not to mention the Belt would destroy them in due time. After a few days of back and forth i decided to go with XXR 521 wheels (about $1k), they are made for Import Tuners so they have an aggressive offset, i have seen pics of them fit on a Mustangand it looked great, i decided to reuse my tires since they still had some life in them.
XXR 521
20" x 8.5"w Front / 10.5"w Rear (+30 offset), Pirelli Rosso 275-35 F / 275-40 R
The wheels are WAY lighter than stock Saleen, i dint weigh them but you notice it right away. The front wheels tucked under the fenders nice, the 275-35 was WAY to wide for the wheel, alot of buldge, you can feel the sidee walls folding when turning hard while Autocross racing. but it wasnt much of an issue on the street.
The rear wheels do stick out, i like the way a New Edge offset looks like on an S197... 275-40 gets a bit of a stretch on the 10.5"w wheel, it looks great and it tucks the tread under the fender well. I do make fender contact in ther rear after Autox, you get rubber under the fener but it doesnt chew up the tire. The hub could use a shave to raise the offset in the rear a bit but... i can live with it.
245-40-20 on an 8.5" wide wheel
I needed to do something about the buldge in the front as i had a track day coming up Pocono Raceway, the front were due for fresh rubber, the rears were already swapped. I wanted to find a tire that was close in width to the 275, a 255 seemed like the best choice on an 8.5 wheel but the problem i found was its height, a 255-35 was too short, NYC roads are harsh and i want some cushion, a 255-40 was to tall. 245-40 is what i went with, the handling is greatly improved over the 275, the fit is good and sidewall height is closer to the 275.
Some argue they like the stock Saleen wheels better and although i DO like the design but the chrome finish and wimpy offset in the rear always irked me. I think the XXR's look good with the overall Saleen race inspired theme and the matter black tones down the Yellow a bit too.
