Wheels: Ace Alloy - Convex / Hyper Silver finish / 20x9 all around / 35mm offset / 72.6mm CB (centering ring required) / ~$350-$400 a wheel (online vs shop)
Tires: Michelin Pilot Super sport 255/40/20 / 28.0" diameter vs 27.7" factory tires / $369 a tire currently from Tirerack
Wheel Size
I had the factory 19x8" wheels and have coil suspension.
Searched for 19x9s and 20x9s, but couldn't find a style I liked in 19x9, so decided to go with with 20s.
While I really wanted a staggered setup -10s in the rear would look phenomenal- I decided to go non-staggered...
Front wheel fitment: no issues. With a 9" wheel in front, a 30mm to 35mm offset will work. If running wider tires (265): go closer to 30mm; regular tires (245-255): 35mm works fine; I would not run higher than a 35mm offset.
Rear wheel fitment: no issues. There is plenty of space in the rear. People are running 10" and 10.5" rear wheels.
Wheel Type
This is a cast wheel. I thought long and hard about getting a forged wheel...
CCW wheels would be a light, relatively inexpensive option, but none of John's designs really fit the car.
Tsportlines: Visited Elli at Al&Eds in Hollywood, great guy, super knowledgeable. The wheels on his car are gorgeous. But at the end of the day I just couldn't get my head around spending ~$9000 out the door for these wheels+tires.
Other forged options I looked at are even more $$$.
Ultimately I am happy with the trade-offs I made going with a cast wheel.
Tire Size
I'm a big believer in a taller sidewall: More sidewall = more compliance = more absolute grip. And I prefer the more predictable feel of a taller sidewall... as opposed to the 'on/off' feel of a very short sidewall. So I didn't even consider a 21" or 22" wheel. And as I was +1 sizing to a 20" wheels, I decided to run a slightly taller sidewall than the 19" 245/45 sidewall.
Weight
Factory 19" Wheel+Tire+TPMS+Center cap: 58.6 lbs
New 20" Wheel+Tire+TPMS+Center cap: 57.5 lbs
So I lost 1.1 lbs. I can live with that given that I went +1" in both height and width. But there definitely are lighter wheels out there.
Shop
Bought them from a hole in the wall shop, not in the best part of Los Angeles. I picked it because it's close to my work. And this turned out to be a good decision as the owner Kiko is a perfectionest... a methodical, straight-shooting, perfectionist... double/triple checking wheel availability, offsets, TPMS, etc. OUTSTANDING customer service. Victoria Tire and Wheel, Huntington Park, CA.
Driving
Road noise: 90% of roads/pavement: Slightly more road noise (less of an increase than i expected); 10% of roads/pavement: Crazy loud groaning!
Ride: Moderately stiffer ride (about what i expected from a +1 max performance summer tire)
Initial driving impressions: LOVE the new setup, especially the Pilot Super Sports. Much higher overall grip, balanced, predictable handling, improved steering response, significantly better braking, overall a more confidence-inspiring, better connected to the road feeling. Can't say how much of this is the wider wheels, but the Super Sports really are as good as the reviews say they are.
Will provide more details once I get more miles on the new setup.
New wheel+tire vs factory 19" wheel+tire:
Factory 19" wheel+tire weight:
New wheel+tire weight:
UPDATE1:
With 255/40/20 tires (28.0" diameter vs 27.7" factory tires), I have discovered I have slight rub in front - only in reverse, when the steering wheel is at a specific angle. Slightly turned and full lock, no rubbing. But at one specific steering angle in the middle, the tires rub. It's very slight and I hardly notice it, but if you don't want to deal with this, run 245/40/20 tires (factory diameter).
Update2:
Ended up changing my rear wheels from 9" to 10" with 285/35/20 PSS.
New 20 Tires - Page 3
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. That could be an option. Here's a pic:
