ReggaeMonsters

It was quite the momentous occasion when I mounted on the RegaMasters. I was confident in their fitment offset and width wise, because I have that down to a science with this car. The whole stepping down to 17″ thing, however, garnered some anticipation.

I’d reckon that the majority of RX-7s with wheels go for 18″. For the cars that did have 17″ wheels, I could hardly find any proper or good looking example. It’s important to note that wheels must work holistically with the car. All of the other variables must be thoroughly accounted for to pull off a successful setup: ride height, offset, width, tire choice (all-seasons or budget brands need not apply), etc.

There was no choice but to take the initiative on this one. Once I put the wheels on the car, any trace of apprehension or doubt went out the door – I took a step back and knew I was looking at my grail setup. I invested heavily to procure, piece together, and refinish this specific set of RegaMasters, so I’m delighted that it paid off. This has affirmed and solidified my thinking that 17″ wheels are more ideal for a stock body RX-7.

I did have to spend a weekend correcting the ride height, I ended up dropping all four corners slightly to a height of 24-3/4″ from floor to fender. This closed up the wheel gap and is what I think is optimal, it strikes a balance between form and function. The front end of the car was suspiciously higher than before after the single turbo conversion… especially the passenger (turbo) side.

Here’s one of the rear wheels. I love the period-correct and understated look of RegaMasters. I’m using a set of Project Kics R40 REVO lugnuts in Neo-Chro. I think this is the fourth time I’ve bought these particular lugnuts, they’ve become a staple of mine, more or less. I even tried looking for an alternative set, but wasn’t able to find anything as intriguing.

On one of the front wheels, the paint started to crack around the lugnut holes when tightened down. I had to bring this wheel back to Wheel Techniques to fix, for fear of the paint cracking further. They were able to sand and bevel the lugnut seat areas.

Finally, here’s a full picture of the RX-7 with the wheels mounted. I realize that I don’t have many shots of the car as a whole, most of what I have are up-close of parts. This will have to change once I can get the car detailed and finalized. If any competent photographer is reading this and wants to assist, let me know! I’ve become extremely lazy with pictures. As you can see in the below, I simply pulled the car out in front of my house and snapped away. Regarding the glare, I wasn’t patient enough to wait for the sun to go down more.