Wheels, offset variation and effects on driveability

[stankosab]

currently on my NSX NA1 I use the original wheels 15/16, with 205/225 tires.
The car has legal homologation also for 215/245 tires, and 16/17 wheels.

I want switch to the 215/245 tires and I have to buy new wheels, trying to maintain the original offset: front.55 rear.60 mm.

Buying the original Hondas rims 16/17 there are no problems, but I'd to buy Volks CE28N 10 spokes

On Volks CE28N catalog for rear Wheels, there is no problem to find the original offset, but problems come for the front wheels.
I contacted REYS and they reply me that for the 16’ Wheel, I can not have an offset bigger than 42 mm because otherwise the spokes touches the caliper.

Considering to use an offset of 42 mm instead of the 55 mm what are the consequences on the driveability and the dynamics of the car.
How will affect them?
How much heavier will be the steering ?

any advice?

thanks

[goldnsx]

I've just installed CE28Ns and came back from a test-drive. 7.5/17 ET50 and 9/18 ET50. Very much like OEM and yes, I've tried up to 5 set of wheels with different setups. I favor the OEM drivabiliy too. The steering is a tad stiffer than with the 02+ wheels with 215/40/17 but no way as stiff as 8/17 ET 43 with the same tire I once had.
My wheels clears the 97+ brake calipers by about 2-3 mm but it clears that's the main point.
Did I say they looks gorgous?

BTW try to avoid 16'' in the front because of the limited tire availabilty. Honda went with 17'' on the later cars too.

[Nick Graves]

You are most likely to notice a difference under heavy braking on uneven roads.

I'm unsure of the effects on the passive RWS on bumpy bends too - usually one of the car's strong points.

If you can suffer the looks, the Mugen GPs are +52mm and +59mm and have a heavily backset spoke to clear those fat calipers.

So they are almost a perfect fit and I have to say if I ever go completely bonkers, I'd have them on the NSX and Prelude too.

I'd have to be bonkers, because the sandcast finish is a bugger to clean. And the anodising is hard to colour match when you inevitable kerb tham on tricky backlanes.

[stankosab]

the matter is that I want use rims 16/17 and Mugen GPs have not that size in the catalog.
the use of bigger size make the car not road legal, unless I made a request for homologation to the Transport ministery , and with Italian bourocracy it will be almost impossible.
even, I don't like go for bigger size rims , to not affect the driveability.

[stankosab]

I've just installed CE28Ns and came back from a test-drive. 7.5/17 ET50 and 9/18 ET50. Very much like OEM and yes, I've tried up to 5 set of wheels with different setups. I favor the OEM drivabiliy too. The steering is a tad stiffer than with the 02+ wheels with 215/40/17 but no way as stiff as 8/17 ET 43 with the same tire I once had.
My wheels clears the 97+ brake calipers by about 2-3 mm but it clears that's the main point.
Did I say they looks gorgous?

BTW try to avoid 16'' in the front because of the limited tire availabilty. Honda went with 17'' on the later cars too.

yes, 16' have limited availability but Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 have that size on catalog.
I see you have '97 calipers so you need less clearance than my '91 and with C28N i'm forced to go for a ET42 , that make steering much stiffer, as you said.
to check out how the ET42 affect the steering i think i will try a 13mm spacer on the OEM front wheels , just to have an idea of how it could be this solution.
do you have any photo of your gorgeous car with CE28N installed?