Rims?

CrBoy

I'm looking to buy new 17" rims for my car but I'm concern about the extra weight and how it will affect the performance... what do you guys think about this?

What's the most covenient rim size for a daily-driver sedan? 15", 16", 17"...?
I like the looks of the 17s but I might go in other direction... I dunno!

MacLeod

44" rims are all the rage these days it seems but I think its stupid. Which would you rather ride around on, soft compliant rubber tires or hard unforgiving steel?

For a sedan, 15's would be my choice as there are much more tires out there thatll fit a 15" wheel and theyll be cheaper. Trust me I know. Im having to pay out the **** for my 17" tires.

beardog03

depends on what kind of car..

remember...less side wall means you feel the bumps more

audiobliss

...but it also means you'll handle better in the corners.

It all depends on what it is you're looking for. I'd personally be much more interested in handling than in a plush ride.

neomagus00

put it this way - i used to have 15" wheels with absolutely top-of-the-line summer tires (BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KD), and they handled excellently... i switched to 17" ASA EM9 wheels wrapped in Avon Tech M550 A/S tires (about 6-7 pounds heavier per corner) recently, and then put 80 pounds or more of audio gear in the trunk, and it handles soooooo much better with the 17s... turn-in is just as crisp, the transition between steering left and steering right is much smoother, there's more warning at the limit (probably more a function of the tires, though), tracking at high speeds didn't change, large-bump absorption was worsened (probably because of the increased mass), and acceleration off the line felt a bit slower (again, increased mass, but i have no numbers to show it one way or the other)...

overall, a very good experience, just be aware of three things:
1) buy the lightest tire/wheel package you can afford, it's worth it
2) watch the width - you don't want to get a wheel that's too wide for the type of tires you're buying (2 reasons - wider = heavier, and you want the tire to extend a bit beyond the wheel for scuff protection)
3) aesthetics - you don't want too short a sidewall, it looks crappy if the sidewall is shorter than the tire-wheelwell gap, and a huge wheel makes your brake discs look ridiculous

also keep in mind upgrades - you need a wheel of a certain inside diameter for uprated brake systems...

also also keep in mind that the lighter the wheel, the more susceptible it is to being dented in a bump (generally), and so you want a bit higher of a sidewall for truly light-weight wheels... you can get a larger overall diameter to achieve this (up to 3% over stock with no ill effects, more than that and you'll need a recalibration... always remember bigger = heavier!!!)

CrBoy

beardog03 wrote:

depends on what kind of car

Jetta 96... (no pics yet SORRY )

****************

I like the looks and stability of the 17" wheels, but I might have some problems finding a light set of wheels... damn! If I end up turbo-ing the car the extra weight shouldn't be such a big concern, right?

PolkThug

What is your lug pattern and offset?

CrBoy

PolkThug wrote:

What is your lug pattern and offset?

I'll check as soon as I can... I know it has 4 lugs but I don't know about the offset

Toxis

the extra weight in a rim will always slow down your quickness just a tad. Depending on how much weight they add, it can be a little or a lot. I actually lost weight by going with new rims (15lbs to 12lbs each) but they're forged aluminum which is rare. So when I put them on in the summer, my car actually gets a little quicker. It's surprising how much the unsprung weight can add. My last car was severely hurt by going to 17's but it was a slow as dirt Civic hatch. Just do some research and find out how much your OEM rims weigh and how much the new ones weigh.

HiPerf360

I ran Enkei wheels on a GA Cup car ant they were great, Cheap and light.

17x8= 15.? lbs. Around 180 ea. or so.

HiPerf360

Sorry...

Go for the 17's you will save a lot of rotating and unsprung weight; the two most important things for making a car handle and go fast.

beardog03

yep...17`s

Toxis

depends on the rim. My old 17's on my civic were about 24lbs each. Quantum Tek S13's.

Serendipity

audiobliss wrote: »

...but it also means you'll handle better in the corners.

It all depends on what it is you're looking for. I'd personally be much more interested in handling than in a plush ride.

I'm interested in upgraded wheels...

When you say it will handle better in the corners, why's that?

Face

Since the wheel is taller and the tire's sidewall is shorter, there's less deflection.

audiobliss

The sidewall of a tire helps give a softer ride by absorbing the impact of bumps and pot holes. How? By flexing. This same property, when used in the middle of a turn, decreases handling performance because now your tire is flexing laterally, changing your path slightly and allowing the car to push slightly. A shorter sidewall will be stiffer, won't flex as much, and so won't be so 'sloppy' in the corners. However, since it's stiffer, it also won't be able to absorb as much upon impact and so you'll also get a harsher ride.

Generally when you're going with tires with a shorter sidewall, you'll also upgrade to a larger wheel, because the stock wheel with half as tall tires on it is going to look stupid if you haven't adjusted the ride height. Also, if you just decrease the tire size without also increasing the wheel's diameter proportionately, you're changing the diameter of the wheel/tire, meaning you'll have to recalibrate for your speedometer and tripmeter. If you increase your wheel size and decrease your tire's sidewall thickness the same amount, you'll still have the same diameter wheel/tire package, and so you won't have to change anything else.

But mainly what I'd look for in your case is just lighter wheels. Lighter wheels. If you can afford light AND bigger wheels, the tires for them, and you car can fit them, it may really improve the looks of your car. But I would emphasize weight over diameter.

audiobliss

Face wrote: »

Since the wheel is taller and the tire's sidewall is shorter, there's less deflection.

Dang, that was a LOT easier way to say it!!

Serendipity

audiobliss wrote: »

The sidewall of a tire helps give a softer ride by absorbing the impact of bumps and pot holes. How? By flexing. This same property, when used in the middle of a turn, decreases handling performance because now your tire is flexing laterally, changing your path slightly and allowing the car to push slightly. A shorter sidewall will be stiffer, won't flex as much, and so won't be so 'sloppy' in the corners. However, since it's stiffer, it also won't be able to absorb as much upon impact and so you'll also get a harsher ride.

Generally when you're going with tires with a shorter sidewall, you'll also upgrade to a larger wheel, because the stock wheel with half as tall tires on it is going to look stupid if you haven't adjusted the ride height. Also, if you just decrease the tire size without also increasing the wheel's diameter proportionately, you're changing the diameter of the wheel/tire, meaning you'll have to recalibrate for your speedometer and tripmeter. If you increase your wheel size and decrease your tire's sidewall thickness the same amount, you'll still have the same diameter wheel/tire package, and so you won't have to change anything else.

But mainly what I'd look for in your case is just lighter wheels. Lighter wheels. If you can afford light AND bigger wheels, the tires for them, and you car can fit them, it may really improve the looks of your car. But I would emphasize weight over diameter.

AB - thanks again.

Will look into lighter wheels as soon as this overheating problem is fixed.

Serendipity

So - since the problem is fixed now, which brands of wheels do you guys recommend?

Serendipity

Also, are these wheels any good?

http://www.pepboys.com/tires_wheels/zna_wheels/index.html

I don't know much about these things, but they were like $360 or so. Is that a rip-off?