Hi, i've recentley bought a scooby sport [would love turbo but insurance was a killer] and i was hopeing someone could tell me if a set of 19 inch team dynamics k'2s with 235-35-19s tyres would fit on without having to modify the archs or anything else. Please help!

 

How old is the Sport ?

Anything more than 215 in width will have a very high chance of rubbing the rear arches on a "classic" pre-bugeye model, and a 235 tyre would most certainly rub either the rear arches, the suspension or both, depending on the offset of the wheels.

Even if they did fit, I wouldn't recommend doing it, as the increased weight for one would probably overload/overwork the standard suspension, which is designed to cope with the much lighter and narrower 15 inch wheels which come as standard.

Chances are, over bumpy roads, the springs and dampers couldn't cope with the extra loads and shocks being transmitted through the wheels, and the ride quality would be absolutely terrible, and the handling potentially dangerous.

You've also got the problems over the gearing. The 235/35x19 is more than 5% taller in terms of gearing than the standard sized tyre. This means that your speedo and odometer would under-read by 5%, and your car could accelerate some 5% slower through the gears.

I would suggest something like a lightweight 17 inch alloy with a 215/40x17 tyre, or 205/45x17 tyre as being the most practical replacement option.

John

 

Its a 98 R reg,Do you think maybe 18"s what be a bit better?

Thanks for your reply

 

Shouldn't be a prob with 7 or 7.5 x 18's from what I've read John is right, 19's will deffo rub

Just ordered my 18's

 

cheers i think you've changed me mind. By the way what size tyres does the 7.5 x 18s have on them and will they fit straight on if i get eibach springs which lower the car by 20mm.

 

Tyres for a turbo are 215/35/18. not sure for the Sport

Use this to compare with your existing tyres

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

All Impreza suspension is interchangeable on the "classic" cars, so you might even be able to pick up a set of 2nd hand turbo suspension for less money than the Eibach springs. This will lower the car by about 20mm anyway, and give you uprated dampers more capable of handling the loads of the bigger wheels and tyres.

I'd check the Eibach springs are specifically for the Sport, as some are designed for a 20mm drop on the turbo model, which would give you something like a 40mm drop on the Sport, and with bigger wheels you may well the risk of overloading the standard Sport dampers.

Cheers

John