Viper Shipping Soon - Modern Rims Needed Quickly Maybe?

[WickedSpeed]

Aloha all from Oahu, Hawaii.

I have only seen one viper for sale on the islands in roughly a decade of watching the classifieds and the timing/pricing was wrong for scooping that one up.

A couple of days ago I pulled the trigger on a Gen 2 GTS in San Diego. It's pretty much a done deal and gets inspected today to verify that it is what it is before payment is made and shipping gets paid for.

I am hung up on one thing though. It has 18X11 front and 18X13 rear CCW Classic Race wheels, and I'm concerned about being able to source suitable tires for this car in Hawaii in the future for daily driver duty in frequently wet conditions. Current tires are 315/30R18s and 335/30R18 Toyo R888r. I get the impression that there won't be a problem sourcing more R888r's in the future in these sizes.

However I live on the wet side of Oahu where it rains. Every damn day. Repeatedly. There's also often mud and dirt on the parts of my daily commute. I've never owned a car with Toyo R888r's and from what I've seen, heard, and read about them, they would be lousy tires for my commuting situation especially on a car like the Viper.

If my impressions are correct, then I should just order bigger wheels to give me access to more tire options right? Well, I'm a middle school teacher with a teaching salary in an expensive state. Odd sized tires and wheels are difficult, and cost prohibitive to ship to Hawaii. I'm thinking it would be wise to cast a wide net to see if there might be a deal on bigger wheels in the San Diego area that I can have mounted before it gets shipped over here. And thus this post.

Thoughts? Any deals?

In case nothing ideal turns up what might be some good tires to check out if I can't source bigger wheels? I didn't seem to find any good options in my research yesterday. Next window for dropping off the car to be shipped is April 2-8, then 16-22 and the seller would need about 4-5 days to order new tires and have them mounted if the wheels don't have suitable tires on them already.

-Wicked

P.S. Slight exaggeration of what the roads look like on part of my daily commute on the wet side. I have about 1' more of shoulder space. There's also often standing water in spots and occasionally water running across the road.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Steve-Indy]

Suggest you call JonB at Viper Parts Rack...he can usually get the job done with only one call. 360 837 3937

 

[WickedSpeed]

Thanks Steve! I had seen some posts referencing a JonB and to call him, but did not see a number posted or who he was with. I'll give him a call now.

-Wicked

 

[Lawrenzo]

I'd suggest you keep off the loud pedal while in wet weather or else be prepared to be bitten. You'll have plenty fun on the sunny days though!

 

[Narandara]

Hey Wicked,

I got a set of wheels (rims) in my garage brand new 22". I fyou are interested let me know and I will send some pics.
Thx
JC

 

[steve e]

The Viper GTS is the ideal car for wet muddy roads, perfect pick for your daily driver. If you have a family make sure your life insurance policy is payed up, if I were you I would put a block of wood under the gas pedal. Good luck and try to be safe.

 

[MoparMap]

A set of stock gen 3/4 rims would probably do you fine and be relatively cheap. The Michelin Pilot Supersport tires do great in the wet. I've driven mine through pouring rain on the highway more than once with a set on the car and it felt rock solid. They do start getting a little squirmy as they wear down, but that's true of any tire. And with all cases, just make sure to drive to the conditions.

 

[hermanisky]

Wet Red Dirt is hard to drive in......Also the highest speed limit is 55mph everywhere on island and every fathers son and uncle is a constable hiding in the bushes

 

[Old Motorhead]

Hey Wicked,

I got a set of wheels (rims) in my garage brand new 22". I fyou are interested let me know and I will send some pics.
Thx
JC

Hey Wicked,

I got a set of wheels (rims) in my garage brand new 22". I fyou are interested let me know and I will send some pics.
Thx
JC

I may be interested in your wheels. Could you send a couple pictures to my email: [email protected]
Thanks,
JB

 

[DJ'sviper]

I have driven in pouring rain and snow when I first bought my viper. Pilot Sports are really a good choice. I don't know if size will make the difference, especially if you punch it. have heard that the 18" wheel is the ideal size for the viper for the track. The operator is the main source to worry about. At 55 mph you can drive this car anywhere unless you taking a 90 degree angle turn. You don't need to speed or punch it on a rural highway. Have fun with it on an empty parking lot or track. Do you want to total your knew car? Learn to drive it first.

 

[TexasViper35]

A set of stock gen 3/4 rims would probably do you fine and be relatively cheap. The Michelin Pilot Supersport tires do great in the wet. I've driven mine through pouring rain on the highway more than once with a set on the car and it felt rock solid. They do start getting a little squirmy as they wear down, but that's true of any tire. And with all cases, just make sure to drive to the conditions.

^^^What he said.^^^

I have driven in pouring rain and snow when I first bought my viper. Pilot Sports are really a good choice. I don't know if size will make the difference, especially if you punch it. have heard that the 18" wheel is the ideal size for the viper for the track. The operator is the main source to worry about. At 55 mph you can drive this car anywhere unless you taking a 90 degree angle turn. You don't need to speed or punch it on a rural highway. Have fun with it on an empty parking lot or track. Do you want to total your knew car? Learn to drive it first.

^^^What he says too!^^^

 

[MoparMap]

To further clarify what I was talking about, the stock gen 3/4 rim sizes (18" front, 19" rear) give you at least some tire options over the older smaller rims (18" front and rear). I think you might have a problem with tire options on a larger diameter rim too, though I've never really looked to see what was out there. I know for my mom's 94 with 18" rims all around that you basically get Michelin PS2s and that's about it. There used to be more options like Kuhmos, but they either don't seem to be in production anymore or they only have a run of them every few years. The stock gen 3/4 rim sizes have several tire options that I know of. Nitto makes some, Michelin has a few options, Pirelli, and I think Toyo all come to mind. They aren't always readily available, but when you have multiple options at least you have a better shot.

I have loved my Michelin Pilot Supersports, but I've also pretty much never driven on anything else. My dad had some Nitto Invos on an 03 he had for a while that seemed to do fine as well, but I really didn't drive that car more than a few times to have a better idea of how they do in multiple conditions. The Pilot Supersports are the closest thing to "all season" I think you can get on the Viper. They handle rain very well, but they will struggle in a very heavy downpour (not that any tire wouldn't). I have driven them in single digit temperatures as well and they put up with it fine, but you aren't going to be winning any races and you have to be smart when you drive them. They aren't magic, but I think they are more robust than people give them credit for. With any situation though it comes down to the operator. Drive to the conditions and you'll be fine. The throttle isn't an on/off switch like so many people seem to think it has to be for a sports car. If you drive a Viper like a normal car, it drives like a normal car. It just has way more potential beyond that.