Offsets and Driving Experience

[coldradio1]

Was planning on ordering wheels in the next few weeks and made the mistake of going down a rabbit hole about wheel offsets and driving feel.

To start, I really love the way the FL5 drives. The steering feel is glorious and the car feels so tossible and lively. I also love that torque steer is extremely minimal. That’s where the rabbit hole came in.

After reading some things, I’m wondering doing a lower offset wheel (+45) is the way to go. I’ve read that torque steer is increased quite a bit, and the steering feel is meh. Looking for feedback on those who have that offset. Did you regret it? Should I do a higher offset (+50 - +55)?

Ultimately, I’m looking to retain the driving experience that I love, shed a few points of unsprung weight, and improve the look as well. I wish the OEM forged option was more attractive. Something about it doesn’t do it for me.

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[CTR]

I regretted going with lighter 18x9.5 +45 wheels. I took them off after 100 miles, sold them, and went back to stock.

I still don't know what direction I plan on going but it's been frustrating trying to find something that can retain the feel of the stock setup with a slightly more aggressive offset. I think the people that claim they can't feel a difference are delusional or aren't driving the car hard enough.

 

[MooMoo]

I went down to 18s +45. Personally did not feel any major difference than stock (except its a lot more comfortable). Also hard to compare because its 200tw tires vs the ps4s so obviously the grip levels are world apart. As far as steering goes I really do not notice a difference, same with torque steer ( I am not launching car crazy though). I mainly track the car and its great on the +45 setup

 

[Rhorn]

I regretted going with lighter 18x9.5 +45 wheels. I took them off after 100 miles, sold them, and went back to stock.

I still don't know what direction I plan on going but it's been frustrating trying to find something that can retain the feel of the stock setup with a slightly more aggressive offset. I think the people that claim they can't feel a difference are delusional or aren't driving the car hard enough.

What did you notice that was different?

I drove the stock wheels on track and then wheels with that same spec and it felt fine to me. I wasn't on the same tires, so the biggest difference for me was the grip I had and that was mostly the tires.

I really haven't really pushed that car on the streets but the biggest noticed is the louder tire noise but again thats probably because of the tires I have.

Apex Wheels makes a wheel thats 18x9.5 +58. The stock offset is +60 if I remember correctly. That wheel is really close to the OEM spec. Wheel specs can get really complicated and confusing so I am like you in that I wanted to retain a setup that most resembled the stock setup.

 

[MooMoo]

Either some people are way more sensitive to this stuff or its placebo at its best

 

[TW00Si]

I guess we are a bunch of delusional people that don’t drive the car hard enough.

 

[CTR]

I’m just saying that when people spend thousands of dollars on wheels and tires they probably don’t want to admit that the car feels worse. So they just live with it and adjust to the numb steering feel and more torque steer.

Maybe it was the tires I went with (Continental Extreme Contact Sport 02) but I was much happier on the stock setup.

 

[Club Version]

I’m just saying that when people spend thousands of dollars on wheels and tires they probably don’t want to admit that the car feels worse. So they just live with it and adjust to the numb steering feel and more torque steer.

Maybe it was the tires I went with (Continental Extreme Contact Sport 02) but I was much happier on the stock setup.

What was the tire spec placed on the 9.5" wheel?

 

[CTR]

265/35R18

 

[Club Version]

Maybe your sensitive to the taller sidewall causing a slight delay in steering response.

I can tell you from experience if you would have had a proper 200TW tire the steering response would have been totally different due to the stiffer sidewall. The OE tires run narrow and have a stretched sidewall on them so that contributes a lot to feel.

 

[Tougefl5]

You should start a build thread. That way guys can be notified of the upcoming parts that will be for sale

 

[CTR]

Maybe your sensitive to the taller sidewall causing a slight delay in steering response.

I can tell you from experience if you would have had a proper 200TW tire the steering response would have been totally different due to the stiffer sidewall. The OE tires run narrow and have a stretched sidewall on them so that contributes a lot to feel.

This is what I'm starting to think. I regret not going with the RE-71RS that I was considering at the time. I think they may have felt more like the stock setup. I just think it's crazy that people say they don't notice a difference when they are running less aggressive tires.

 

[Club Version]

This is what I'm starting to think. I regret not going with the RE-71RS that I was considering at the time. I think they may have felt more like the stock setup. I just think it's crazy that people say they don't notice a difference when they are running less aggressive tires.

Yea, tires go a long way when it comes to steering feel and driver engagement. I'm actually running 255 35 19R RE71RS's on the OE wheels right now and I love them!!!

 

[optronix]

I think a lot comes down to tires. That said, I swapped my OEM PS4S onto a set of 19x9.5 +45 VS-5RS and immediately noticed a slight difference. Not quite enough to be distracting unless you're looking for it- but it is a difference. Mostly in torque steer, only slightly in steering feel. And I think it's fair to say that it's truly just different... once I adjusted to it, I noticed it less.

I'll also throw out there that there have been times where I felt like I noticed the torque steer more than usual. It might be my imagination, it might be an effect of the tires wearing down, it might be related the springs I installed. But, when I swapped back to the OEM wheels with Continental DWS06+ all-seasons on them, the change was once again apparent but I felt that I preferred the feel of the aftermarket wheels... again, I think tires influence road feel far more than wheel spec. I imagine going down to 18 would be more of a difference than the shift in offset, in a vacuum...

In any case, I do not regret the wheels. The aesthetics alone offset any difference in road feel . I still wonder if I should have gone with 18s due to tire choices but I vastly prefer the look of 19s and like the dynamics of the car the way it is so I still feel that I made the right choice. I'm now very curious to see what type of impact switching to a 200TW tire will make, but that's a future state conversation for now...

 

[AZCWTypeR]

The engineers go to great lengths optimizing suspension geometry (CTR has strut plus knuckle, like Focus RS). Anything other than the stock offset will affect steering feel and torque steer. If that matters to you, like it does me, I'd stick with stock offset.

Years ago I bought cheap Pep Boys alloys for snow tires on my wife's car. The offset was off and the steering feel suffered quite a bit, but my wife didn't care as long as she had snow traction.

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