Got my new wheels installed. Kind of disappointed.

[98RedGTS]

Got my Forgestar F14's in and installed. Went with the 18's up front and 19's in the back so that I could run factory Gen V sized tires. Seen several cars with this combination in pics and I loved it. Gotta say that I love the wheels but am just not feeling it right now which is a major bummer after spending $3.5K on the set-up. Guess it was always there but I never noticed how much fender gap their was in the car (especially the front wheels) and these wheels seem to make it look like a 4x4. I was against lowering the car as I already scrape getting in and out of my driveway but that looks like the only option unless I sell the wheels and go with something bigger.

What are your thoughts? How hard is it to drive a lowered Viper? My corvette, Cobra and Mustang GT's are all lowered but even lowered the front of those cars are still higher up than the Vipers factory bumper.

If I do lower the car do you think caps would be enough to close the gap or would I need to go with springs? I don't want a slammed stance but would like the gap to not be as noticeable.

P.S. - Did your F14's come with center caps? Mine didn't and when I asked about it they said they aren't included. I ordered a set (only $60) but I thought that was odd.


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[SARaptor]

driving a lowered G2 viper, you will scrape more no doubt. caps work for some, others like caps with springs, i opted for coilovers. better ride, better handling and you can adjust the height to what you like or are comfortable with for aesthetics. i do agree with you, your car would look much better lowered.

[Ricketts]

Honestly, with the size gap you have. I'd opt for springs, I'd bet if you bought caps only you'd feel like it "Doesn't look that much better".

[Vprbite]

I wanted to say "my stock gen II didn't sit that high" but looking at photos I think it kinda did. I ram Gen III wheels on it too.

Gen III I have now has springs and caps and it is plenty low. And yes, it scrapes at times. I just square with it. Even if you get down on the ground you can't really see it. If you eased out of your driveway only onto your driver's side wheels, then go forward and come off the curb going forward, driver side coming down as you go forward, can you avoid scraping that way? I have friends that do that in their really low cars.

I bet you will be happy with the look of springs/caps or just springs. And I think the ride is fine. Of course KWs are better but do you really need them?

[river rat]

3500 and no center caps? That's BS. I'd drive for awhile before lowering it.

[Double0fox]

Who did you order your F14's through? Mine set came with center caps. I just got them in Feb.

[Geronimo]

P.S. - Did your F14's come with center caps? Mine didn't and when I asked about it they said they aren't included. I ordered a set (only $60) but I thought that was odd.


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They are taped to the box top. Maybe you missed them? Do you still have the shipping boxes?

[St.Char]

If you took this picture right after installing the wheels, not unusual to have some gap after lifting the car, drive the car a little and give it a few days to settle. A few times around the block should do it.

[Vprbite]

That's true. Anytime that suspension extends it always needs to resettle. Even a quarter to a half an inch will make a big difference to your eye.

[braunstein82]

Keep in mind by going up 2" in rear and 1" in front you raised the car about 1" in rear and .5" in front. So lowering the car a little won't necessarily cause you to scrap. Caps all the way around would make a good difference.

[ZZ SRT]

My forgestars came with caps as well.

[98RedGTS]

Who did you order your F14's through? Mine set came with center caps. I just got them in Feb.

I bought through discount tire. They price matched the DV8motoring price package and also price matched the Pirelli forum price (exact price match on the front and only $50 more on the rear). I wanted to order the wheels from DV8motoring but they didn't offer a wheel and tire package. I've had it happen more than once with buying wheels from one vendor and tires from another then having balancing issues and I spent months with finger pointing. One time it was a bad wheel and another time it was a bad tire. Because of that experience I only buy wheels and tires from the same vendor now even if it cost a little more.

They are taped to the box top. Maybe you missed them? Do you still have the shipping boxes?

Discount ordered the wheels and tires and mounted them before I took delivery. All I had to do was drive up and having the wheels put on the car. I asked them about it and they said they were surprised to so they called their rep whom they ordered the wheels from. They were told they don't come with them. I ordered a set from online that had them for $15 a piece shipped. I'll need to talk them about this more I guess.

If you took this picture right after installing the wheels, not unusual to have some gap after lifting the car, drive the car a little and give it a few days to settle. A few times around the block should do it.

I actually took this picture after about 50 miles of driving. My wife and I got a sitter for our kids and we took it out for our 11th anniversary.

Keep in mind by going up 2" in rear and 1" in front you raised the car about 1" in rear and .5" in front. So lowering the car a little won't necessarily cause you to scrap. Caps all the way around would make a good difference.

I thought the overall diameter was closer to stock. I'll have to check this more and if the difference is that much then you're right that springs wont matter that much.


All - I appreciate the advice. I'll probably look into some springs. I'd love to go coil overs but for the purpose of the car (for me) I think that's not real cost effective.

[Geronimo]

Yeah they didn't take the time to check the box for the center caps taped inside. I have never seen a set of wheels not include the caps but anything is possible. My wheels were ordered through a vendor on here(Nineball) which is the way to go for a problem free purchase imo.

[Nine Ball]

The wheels should have came with centercaps. They are always packed (all four) in one plastic bag, taped to the inside of one of the wheel boxes. I'm not sure who you bought them from, and why they would tell you otherwise.

Fender gap is increased with the Gen 5 front tire, since it is a shorter tire than most other Gen Vipers ran (25" vs 26" tall). Lower the car, and it will look amazing. Wheels and stance are THE most important aspect of any vehicle's appearance, and you only have the wheels right now.

Tony

[99RT10]

If you want a set of lowering caps, PM me. Need springs, PM me. I like the wheels, but always buy Forgestars from Tony.

[f80m3driver]

I have a red 98 GTS as well.

Just upgraded from the factory 17" wheels to Forgeline VR3Ps, 18" and 19" front and rear, and the same tire sizes as the Gen V OEM as well.

I resisted the temptation to go for 19/20s, mainly because I wanted the car to still look kinda stock. I definitely could've gone larger, but I'm glad I didn't.

Looks tonnes better than stock, and I'm very happy.

Might still go for either lower springs or caps, probably not both though. But I actually don't mind the wheel gap too much now that I've got decent sized wheels and tires.

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[Viper98912]

Definitely would look great with a small drop!

PS - Spring caps for me were a waste of time; I really didn't see much difference with them. Go ahead and get some springs or a coilover setup.

[mad prof]

Consider the BC coilover kit for Gen 2 Vipers. Extremely competitive in price and very good performance. The BC coilovers are hight adjustable as well as rebound settings adjustable.

[Atari_Prime]

Got my Forgestar F14's in and installed. Went with the 18's up front and 19's in the back so that I could run factory Gen V sized tires. Seen several cars with this combination in pics and I loved it. Gotta say that I love the wheels but am just not feeling it right now which is a major bummer after spending $3.5K on the set-up. Guess it was always there but I never noticed how much fender gap their was in the car (especially the front wheels) and these wheels seem to make it look like a 4x4. I was against lowering the car as I already scrape getting in and out of my driveway but that looks like the only option unless I sell the wheels and go with something bigger.

What are your thoughts? How hard is it to drive a lowered Viper? My corvette, Cobra and Mustang GT's are all lowered but even lowered the front of those cars are still higher up than the Vipers factory bumper.

If I do lower the car do you think caps would be enough to close the gap or would I need to go with springs? I don't want a slammed stance but would like the gap to not be as noticeable.

P.S. - Did your F14's come with center caps? Mine didn't and when I asked about it they said they aren't included. I ordered a set (only $60) but I thought that was odd.


car.jpg

What size tires are you running? If the profile doesn't work out to be the same as the factory height, that would create a disparity in appearance. Also, the black coloring skews how they would normally appear as well.

[Atari_Prime]

Looks tonnes better than stock, and I'm very happy.

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Hmm...not sure I agree with that. The 96' to 98' GTS wheel is my favorite viper wheel and part of the reason I bought the year model that I did.

[f80m3driver]

You don't have to agree Buddy. My favourite and record and pizza flavor is quite possibly different to yours as well.

[Atari_Prime]

You don't have to agree Buddy. My favourite and record and pizza flavor is quite possibly different to yours as well.

Favourite? Are you joining us from across the pond? If so, that would make two in this thread alone. I'm always surprised by the number of Viper enthusiasts that seem to be in England. With how Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell seem to dislike Vipers sometimes it seems like the whole of the country dislikes them as well. Also, with the high cost of fuel and pseudo constant wet roads, it seems like Vipers and England would be a match made in hell. I guess the flip side is true as well, one of my favorite cars is the TVR Sagaris, which is not an option here.

[venum4u]

I have a red 98 GTS as well.

Just upgraded from the factory 17" wheels to Forgeline VR3Ps, 18" and 19" front and rear, and the same tire sizes as the Gen V OEM as well.

I resisted the temptation to go for 19/20s, mainly because I wanted the car to still look kinda stock. I definitely could've gone larger, but I'm glad I didn't.

Looks tonnes better than stock, and I'm very happy.

Might still go for either lower springs or caps, probably not both though. But I actually don't mind the wheel gap too much now that I've got decent sized wheels and tires.

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IMG_2256.jpg

Yes, I agree look much better than stock. I too went with a different setup SWII and GEN V tires. I just need to get the BC coil overs.

[Vprbite]

OP, just a possible thought here. What if you put a quality dressing on the tires? Reason is, right now the wheels are black, the wheel well space is black, tire is grey-ish. That is going to make it stand out more. Sort of make an optical illusion. I had 19/18s on my Gen II and was quite happy with how it looked. I think the "raw" wheels are making it stand out. It may not fix all your problems, but it will help, IMO. Look at f80m3driver's car. Think the tires are helping that optical illusion.

I still think springs and caps will give you a better stance, and then if driveway is a real problem, install one of those removable ramps for about 399.00 dollars. Or use the 2 wheel method I told you about. PM me if you are unclear on it. But start with cleaning those tires with blech white and then a good quality silicone based dressing. (Not armor all) and see how that looks and if it helps. Or just start with caps. That will even out anything that that may be offset by the taller wheel and tire combo.

Good luck. I hope we can be/have been of help.

[98RedGTS]

What size tires are you running? If the profile doesn't work out to be the same as the factory height, that would create a disparity in appearance. Also, the black coloring skews how they would normally appear as well.

295x30x18 up front and 355x30x19 in the rear.

OP, just a possible thought here. What if you put a quality dressing on the tires? Reason is, right now the wheels are black, the wheel well space is black, tire is grey-ish. That is going to make it stand out more. Sort of make an optical illusion. I had 19/18s on my Gen II and was quite happy with how it looked. I think the "raw" wheels are making it stand out. It may not fix all your problems, but it will help, IMO. Look at f80m3driver's car. Think the tires are helping that optical illusion.

I still think springs and caps will give you a better stance, and then if driveway is a real problem, install one of those removable ramps for about 399.00 dollars. Or use the 2 wheel method I told you about. PM me if you are unclear on it. But start with cleaning those tires with blech white and then a good quality silicone based dressing. (Not armor all) and see how that looks and if it helps. Or just start with caps. That will even out anything that that may be offset by the taller wheel and tire combo.

Good luck. I hope we can be/have been of help.

Yes, this thread was very helpful. I think I'll be fine with the driveway doing the method you described. I'm going to bite the bullet and get some springs in the fall. Going to just enjoy the car for a couple months then rip it apart to do the springs and all the maintenance I want to do to it (just bought the car a couple months ago) at that point. I did go out and measured the lowest points on the car vs my lowered C4 (my lowest car). The front air dam will be a bit lower but the center section will be about the same or higher than my C4. If that happens then I'll be OK and happy. Just will have to be extra careful on the driveway. Just didn't want to put myself in a place where I bottomed out everywhere I went as that's an issue with my C4. Just takes the fun out of driving when you have to stress about leaving a parking lot and scraping the bottom of your car (my exhaust on the C4) on the road as they seem to make a hill at the entrance/exit of parking lots (makes a mini "V").