Rota RB Rims Fitment Question

[galban]

Hi, I am new to the site. I have a 1971 240z and would like to put new wheels on it. I'm looking to get Rota RB's but I am not sure what will be the right size because I do not want to roll the fenders or need any type of spacers. I need something that will plug and play stock, preferably 16" rims and will the front center cap fit the rim when mounted. Aslo if you guys can tell me what size tires to run with the setup. Thanks !!

[Arne]

Two questions - is your car lowered? Do you have an air dam on the front, or the stock valance?

[galban]

The car is not lower stock with a front air dam . thank you for your help

[galban]

I have 14 inch wheels now

[Arne]

OK. It depends a bit on your particular air dam, and whether it drops straight down in front of the tire, or wraps under like the stock valance does. In either case I'd recommend Rota Rb 7x16 with +4 offset. If your air dam drops and has a lot of clearance for the tires in front while turning, you can use 225/50-16 on all four. If your air dam wraps and has tight clearance while turning, stick with 205/55-16, at least on the front.

The picture below is my former car in its new home in Norway. It has the Rotas mentioned here with 205/55-16 Pirellis.

[galban]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62527[/ATTACH

thank you for the information. I attached photo of the air dam. Does the center cap fits on the front hub?

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I have never seen that air dam before. Does it bolt onto the stock lower valance panels, or does it replace the stocklower valance panels.

On first glance it looks like you have plenty of room up there.

[galban]

It bolt under the front marker lights. so what you think 205-55 ,215-50 or 225-50. Does the front cap fit the car hub. On your picture it looks like you have the front caps on.

[Arne]

It's not my car anymore, and it had different wheels on it when I sold it. But Terje does run center caps, according to all the pictures he has posted.

I can't see the clearance from the picture angles you posted, but it looks encouraging. I also agree, that's an attractive but unusual air dam. I'd try 225/50 on that one, I think. 215/50 will look a little short and open up the fender gap.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

For reference, my car runs 205/55/15 on the panasports. I run 195/60/15 on my LeMans VTO's. Both fit without any issues on stock bodywork with tokiko springs on board.

[Jeff G 78]

I run 225/50R16 on 16x7 zero offset Panasports and mine rubbed on all four corners. You are likely OK in the front if you go with +4 as Arne suggested, but in my case, even +4 would not have helped the rear rub. I tried to roll and when that didn't do it, I trimmed the flange by about 10mm.

One option is to run the new Dunlop Direzza ZII in a 225/45R16. The diameter will be better for gearing, rubbing and overall looks IMHO. I think my 225/50R16 tires look a tad tall on the car.

The first pic shows my clearance test with the spring removed. After trimming, the tire just clears the lip. The second pic shows the trimmed lip.

[Zbliss]

Here is my 1972 16x7 front and 16x8 rears with offset of 10 & 4. Tires are 205/45 front and 225/50 on the back. I also have lowering springs - Eibach Pro kit. No rubbing yet, but I just got it done and haven't driven it very far yet.

[ksechler]

I run 225/50R16 on 16x7 zero offset. They rub on all four corners. You would probably be safe with 205's.

You may find your options limited in 16's. You might consider doing 15's because that's what the Miata crowd uses. So there are more tire/wheel combinations available.

[galban]

Guys you are the best thank you so much. Zbliss I really like your set up. Your rims are Rota RB hyper black in the front 16X7 +10 205/45 back 16X8 +4 225/50 .. Nice you didnt roll the body and no rubbing . Does center cap fit the front hub with no problems? Why +10 in the front?

[galban]

Ksechler nice set up too.. maybe 205/45 front and back 215/50 ?

[zKars]

Ksechler, are the wheels turned slightly right? Can't really tell. Looks like you could lose a little caster on the front there if they are straight. Might save a bit of rubbing on turns. Maybe the T/C bushings are shot?

I also believe the 16" tire options outnumber the 15"s in most categories. Just do a quick list of 225/50-15 and 225/50-16 on TireRack if you need proof. With every possible kind of tire checked, in 15" there are 12 results, but with 16", there are 65 results... At 205/50 15 vs 16, 23 at 15", 43 at 16"

And 225/50-16 Yoko S-drives on 16x8 +3 VTO's do NOT fit with a stock front valance rub-on-turns wise... But 215/40-16's do. Lots of choices in sizes around there to pick from to... Not a prayer in 15"

[Pop's Z]

In answer to your question about the center caps...They fit with no issues clearing the dust caps on the front hubs. I'm running RBs (15") with no clearance issues on a lowered car (Eibachs) and 205/60-15 Potenzas.

Cheers, Mike

[LeonV]

My 16X7 Panasports (not exactly sure on offset) with 225/50-16 fit without any rubbing. However, tires listed as the same size can differ quite a bit between manufacturers, so it helps to know what tire is being used. Jeff's Hankooks look pretty wide for 225s. I believe the S-Drives are wide for their size too.

Mine have 10-year-old rubber on them that will soon get replaced.

[Jeff G 78]

Leon, if I had to guess, I'd say you have some positive offset. Look at where your tires sit in the fenders compared to mine.

[galban]

I just went to order the Rota RB 16X7 +4 front and 16X8 +4 but they said the front cap wont fit on the hub. PoP's you had no problem with your RB?

[Jeff G 78]

I'm curious why people order staggered fitments. They don't improve handling. Z cars usually understeer at the limit and wider rears only make it worse.

[galban]

really i didnt know that . i guess it looks nice but i like to drive fast. maybe i should do 16X7 all around. more thinking for me . thank you

[LeonV]

Leon, if I had to guess, I'd say you have some positive offset. Look at where your tires sit in the fenders compared to mine.

I agree Jeff, I think it's a combo of a slight positive offset (maybe +6mm?) and slightly narrower tires (although both are spec'd 225mm). I'll have to take a wheel off and check the offset sometime.

[Jeff G 78]

Leon, did your wheels come from MSA? If so, they are likely +6 since MSA had custom offsets made to minimize rubbing. Mine came from a regular Panasport retailer just after MSA quit selling them, so they are zero offset. I agree that my Hankooks are possibly on the wide side with square shoulders to boot, but the whole stance looks wider on mine. It was lucky that both pictures are almost the same vantage point.

I'd really like to try the 225/45R16 tires next time to give me more front and rear clearance.

[LeonV]

Leon, did your wheels come from MSA? If so, they are likely +6 since MSA had custom offsets made to minimize rubbing. Mine came from a regular Panasport retailer just after MSA quit selling them, so they are zero offset. I agree that my Hankooks are possibly on the wide side with square shoulders to boot, but the whole stance looks wider on mine. It was lucky that both pictures are almost the same vantage point.

I'd really like to try the 225/45R16 tires next time to give me more front and rear clearance.

That's interesting to know about the custom offsets. I got the wheels second-hand. The PO removed them from his car which he got from a lady that had gotten the wheels 10 years prior, or so. I think the wheels date back to about 2001, or maybe 2003. I'm not quite sure.

To your issue, a shorter tire would put it further from the fender vertically, but I don't imagine there would be much of a horizontal change. I think if you rub now, you'll rub with the 45-series 225s. It'll just take a slightly bigger bump to do so.

I was planning on getting RS-3s for my next set of tires, but now I'm feeling a bit cautious. Gotta go measure clearances...

[galban]

Ok now Im changing mind 17X7 Toyo 225-45-17 center cap fits. lol

[Jeff G 78]

Ok now Im changing mind 17X7 Toyo 225-45-17 center cap fits. lol

No offense, but eewww. If you want to go with something different, how about these?

16 16x8 XXR 531 Black Wheels Rims 0 Deep Dish Lip 4x4 5 Datsun 240Z 260z 280z | eBay

[galban]

My problem is i wouldnt want to roll or use spacers. And I hate that the center caps cant be used.

[galban]

I guess I'm looking for a miracle.

[Topz]

I just went to order the Rota RB 16X7 +4 front and 16X8 +4 but they said the front cap wont fit on the hub. PoP's you had no problem with your RB?

There is no proplem with the front cap, as Arne posted, i have 16x7 +4 on my car, no fit problems at all.
I would go for the 205/55 on the front wheels to avoid any rub issues:-)

[galban]

When i went to order them yesterday . They said the front cap won't fit.

[ksechler]

Ksechler, are the wheels turned slightly right? Can't really tell. Looks like you could lose a little caster on the front there if they are straight. Might save a bit of rubbing on turns. Maybe the T/C bushings are shot?

I also believe the 16" tire options outnumber the 15"s in most categories. Just do a quick list of 225/50-15 and 225/50-16 on TireRack if you need proof. With every possible kind of tire checked, in 15" there are 12 results, but with 16", there are 65 results... At 205/50 15 vs 16, 23 at 15", 43 at 16"

And 225/50-16 Yoko S-drives on 16x8 +3 VTO's do NOT fit with a stock front valance rub-on-turns wise... But 215/40-16's do. Lots of choices in sizes around there to pick from to... Not a prayer in 15"

I don't know how you could see a castor issue in that picture. The wheels are not turned and all of the bushings are brand new.

With the 15" vs. 16" issue it wasn't the tires it was the wheels that I had trouble finding. There aren't that many 16X7 or 16X8 options out there with 4 lugs. I'm not saying they can't be found, but I spent a long time looking before I found what I wanted.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

I love the way 15's look on my car. 16" panasports would look the business as well.

But I run 15x7 and I think that 205/55/15's look spot on. I plan to pick up another set of these tires for my VTO Lemans and sell my 195/60/15's Bridgestone 960A's. Which are truthfully a great set All season tires I just do not need all seasons here in Texas.

Currently you can get dunlop Direzza's and Yokohama S'drives in 205/55/15

[madkaw]

I'm running 17X8.5 +4 offset rota rb's and my caps work fine!

I wouldn't like running without caps either, but I have seen that a lot with the bigger Rotas

[Zbliss]

...a shot of the front.

[galban]

I ordered the Rota RBR 16x8 + 10 all around should get them in a few days. Now looking for tires . lets see what i get when i put the rims on the car.

[galban]

Jeff G. I like this tire Direzza ZII in a 225/45R16. i may go with it.

[galban]

Got the rims center cap didn't fit .:-(

[galban]

Got the rims center cap didn't fit .:-(

Also tried with a 6MM spacer. Didnt fit.

[galban]

For the guys that the center cap fits . Do you have the original hub or after market?

[Topz]

I have the original hub, no problems with the Rota hubcaps at all.

[madkaw]

I have always wondered why I have seen so many RB's running without the caps. I have all of mine on, but don't remember if or what I did to make them work. It might have something to do with my Wildwood rotors? I think I did wind up smashing the bearing cap slightly to give the cap room. My wheels are +4 offset

[galban]

Im all original don't fit. Need about 1/2to 5/8 on the cap. i have 16x8 +10. I even put a 6mm spacer.Didn't help. question. with 6mm do i need to change the studs? I called Rota to see if they sell different size caps .

[galban]

For the guys that the caps fit. How deep are your caps? My is about 20mm and to the tads 30mm

[galban]

To all here is the TRUTH about Rota RB rims.

I’m surprised the all that have stagger rims on their Z can’t see the different on the rims for them self and share this information with others.
Rota RB 16X7 +4 or +10 will fit the Z front hub with no problem.. But if you go to 16X8 +4 or +10 they are a totally DIFFERENT rim they are call Rota RBR which this rim will NOT fit the Z front hub.
I wish I knew this information before I bought these rims. I hope this will help other Z cars owners

[Arne]

Interesting. But to be honest, I can't recall ever hearing of anyone having staggered sizes in this rim before. Generally a Z is fairly well balanced (unlike my Porsche) and benefits from having all four the same size.

[alternativez]

18Racing.com shows rb and rbr, the wider "royal lip," and they sell stagger (7.5 rb & 8.5 rbr x 17 and 6 rb & 8 rb x 16) sets, and site shows inventory. Galban, are all four of your rims same? What measure? Site may be helpful, as you can zoom on photos and see rim depth difference, rb vs rbr. Is there a difference in thickness of the wheel mounting face, perhaps? Will the rim fit the front with bearing dust cap removed or flattened? Interesting problem. Like to know how this works out for you. I had settled on a 17" stagger set of these, but haven't ordered yet. Thanks for posting.

[alternativez]

Would be nice to see xsection specs of each wheel size...

[galban]

My rims are RBR 16X8 + 10 this rim WILL NOT fit the front hub they are made for the rear of the car you could use them without the center cap.. Dont make the same mistake I did.
But The RB 16X7 will fit the hub....

[alternativez]

I'm going to guess that the 16x8 wheel and perhaps the 17x8.5 may have a thinner mounting face than the 7 and 7.5. I've tried to get information from rota and from 18 racing to confirm that, but no responses. Maybe someone here can tell me. I suppose that makes sense. Just wondering if the 7.5 and 8.5 look reasonable as a set. Galban, as long as you can keep the bearings from drying out, you should be ok with only the wheel center caps. Did you try "smashing" the bearing caps a little; would that help?

[galban]

On 16X8 smashing will not help the cap needs about 20MM longer to fit. I dont know about the 17 inch.

[alternativez]

So, one thing I might have missed: without the inner spindle cap, ie. dust cover, which covers the spindle nut and bearing, will your rota center cap fit? If so, the wheel center cap should suffice to keep the spindle nut and the outer bearing clean. We always kept some grease in the dust cap, so it might still be a good idea, even though you probably don't want grease in it. Any chance you could post a photo of the front wheel mounted, showing the spindle bolt sticking out? Sorry to bother; it's an interesting problem. It sounds like the mounting plate of the wheel is thinner on the 8" wheel than on the 7", if that makes sense. In that case, a wheel spacer should make up the difference, but that essentially changes the offset of the front wheels. Yet, you said you had tried a spacer. It sounds like they've made one wheel for the front and a different wheel for the back, the mounting surfaces being of different thicknesses. If that's true, I wonder why rota doesn't describe this difference. Specs of each wheel would be nice. Good luck!

[galban]

So this is what I got now. RBR 16X8 +10 with Hankook V12 225/50 rear. RB 16X7 +4 with 205/55 front ... No spacers and the center cap fits with no problems. To all
RBR 16X8 center cap will not fit ... Hope the picture will help.

[alternativez]

Glad you got it worked out, and thanks for the update. Your z looks nice! Now maybe you can get back to enjoying the ride! I like your stagger sizes. Come back with your impressions of the tires, the ride, etc. thanks.

[ksechler]

Galban:

That's a nice looking setup. Is your motor out? The front looks a little high. What did you do with the flairs? The front certainly isn't stock with the integrated mud flap. I really like it.

[rtodaro01]

Rota RB wheels 17x8 Front and 17x8.5 rear
Toyo proxes 4 front tires
Nitto NT-01 Rear tires

Tires look great one the car and don't stick out from the fenders

[hr369]

On 16X8 smashing will not help the cap needs about 20MM longer to fit. I dont know about the 17 inch.

Rota RBR 17×8.5″ and has wheel cap

1971 Datsun 240Z Restoration Project: Rota RBR Wheels, Interior Prep, Gas Cap + Vent Hoses | Whitehead Performance

[galban]

The stock motor is in the car. Need to change my spring. Hope that helps with the height. when i got the car it had the flairs .
Guys with 17x8.5 how do they fit .. cause my 8 just makes it i have about 4mm to hit the s prings on the rear. post pictures.

[hotroder]

Did you have to get special lug nuts?

Thanks
Mike

[galban]

Got the lugs at autozone.

[alternativez]

The +10 offset placed the wheel slightly closer to the spring.

[madkaw]

+10 will clear stock spring Perch on a 240
I'm running 17X8.5 245's tires
They will touch the perch on the front.

[galban]

I have no rubbing with the +10 .. I have about 5mm before touching the spring.

[GeoJoe]

Reviving this thread as I have run into the center cap issue on the front of my Rota wheels not clearing the hub. Rear fits fine. Check out the pics and let me know if anyone has found a true solution. Tap it flat?