Impact to Upgrading wheels
05-29-2001, 05:24 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hi..first time posting to this great site.
I have a 96 SE 5 spd, 110k miles on her, have upgraded handling by installing Stillen f&r strut bars, rear sway bar, and eibach springs and tokico shocks. I drive 60 minutes of windy country roads thru CT and Westchester every day. Still have my original 15" wheels and worn tires. time to replace.
Considering a 17" wheel and Kumho rubber from Tirerac to improve handling..but will cause me to have to buy snows for my current 15" rims.
considering 3 options...keep 15" wheels and get good quality tires that can also deal with winter... or go up to 16" wheels and still go with a good year round tire... or go with 17" and kumho's. this last option will obviously cost the most.
How much improvement will i see in handling by upgrading to 16 or 17"? Is it worth the extra $700-800?
Plan to keep the car for 2 more years max.
Any comments or suggestions would be welcomed.
thanks
charlie
I have a 96 SE 5 spd, 110k miles on her, have upgraded handling by installing Stillen f&r strut bars, rear sway bar, and eibach springs and tokico shocks. I drive 60 minutes of windy country roads thru CT and Westchester every day. Still have my original 15" wheels and worn tires. time to replace.
Considering a 17" wheel and Kumho rubber from Tirerac to improve handling..but will cause me to have to buy snows for my current 15" rims.
considering 3 options...keep 15" wheels and get good quality tires that can also deal with winter... or go up to 16" wheels and still go with a good year round tire... or go with 17" and kumho's. this last option will obviously cost the most.
How much improvement will i see in handling by upgrading to 16 or 17"? Is it worth the extra $700-800?
Plan to keep the car for 2 more years max.
Any comments or suggestions would be welcomed.
thanks
charlie
05-29-2001, 05:32 PM
#2
going wider....
like 16 x 7 and 17 x7 which mean you can go wider in tire size like 225,235,245,which mean wider more contact patch on the road will increase your handling or just do like me and keep your stock 15 x 6.5 size and get some high performance gripping tires for them...
05-29-2001, 05:38 PM
#3
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Posts: n/a
Re: going wider....
Originally posted by metallic97gxe
like 16 x 7 and 17 x7 which mean you can go wider in tire size like 225,235,245,which mean wider more contact patch on the road will increase your handling or just do like me and keep your stock 15 x 6.5 size and get some high performance gripping tires for them...
like 16 x 7 and 17 x7 which mean you can go wider in tire size like 225,235,245,which mean wider more contact patch on the road will increase your handling or just do like me and keep your stock 15 x 6.5 size and get some high performance gripping tires for them...
Please let me know tires you selected..and I bet you dont have to worry about winter conditions at all..
thanks
charlie
05-29-2001, 05:38 PM
#4
In my honest opinion, if you are driving in the twisties everyday, by all means step up to the 17's. 17x8 is about the best size. It will allow you to run 235-45-17 sized Kumhos. When the time comes, go ahead and buy some good winter only tires for the 15's. The Kuhmos are not good in the snow. I should know, the kumhos almost stranded me last winter. hehe. The feeling that the 235-45-17 sized tires is worth it. Running the 225-50-16s might not get you the handling you require.
If you get a chance to ride in someone's max w/ 16" tires, you should do it for reference.
If you get a chance to ride in someone's max w/ 16" tires, you should do it for reference.
05-29-2001, 05:51 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 792
don't forget 'bout the trade in ride quality though... typically the less sidewall it has, the stiffer it is with less sidewall for impact absorbtion.
when i went from 14" to 15" on my miata, handling got better, but ride only suffered slightly. when i went from 15" to 16" handling was only slighly better, but now I could feel every grain/pebble/expansion joint on the road. when whent from 16" to 17", ride was only slightly rougher than the 16" wheels, but performance didn't really improve much (looks good though
.
there is a rate of diminishing returns for performance as the rim size goes up. on the Miata, i had to go from 16x7 with 215/40r16 tires to 17x7 205/40r16 wheels to try to maintain my overall wheel/tire combination diameter.
the tires you choose will effect your ride was well. personally, I've found that I like the Kumho 712 tires. high performance tires on your existing rims will probably give you 85% of the gain of what you can get in performance with a larger tire/rim combo (unless you get like BFG R1 or some crazy tire like that).
BUT, since you live in a snowy area, I'd recommend getting dedicated snow tires for the 15" stocks and getting either a 16 or a 17 combo depending on what looks good to you. a larger rim/tire combo can hurt acceleration/braking as well since you're moving the mass away from the center of the wheel and closer to the edge, giving that rotating mass more leverage against your brakes/engine. 16 and 17 wheels should be fine, but any bigger and you'll probably start noticing the difference on the max (i can feel the difference on my miata much more pronounced since it's only 1.6l and the brakes no look like the size of a CD with the bit 17"'s).
-V
when i went from 14" to 15" on my miata, handling got better, but ride only suffered slightly. when i went from 15" to 16" handling was only slighly better, but now I could feel every grain/pebble/expansion joint on the road. when whent from 16" to 17", ride was only slightly rougher than the 16" wheels, but performance didn't really improve much (looks good though
.there is a rate of diminishing returns for performance as the rim size goes up. on the Miata, i had to go from 16x7 with 215/40r16 tires to 17x7 205/40r16 wheels to try to maintain my overall wheel/tire combination diameter.
the tires you choose will effect your ride was well. personally, I've found that I like the Kumho 712 tires. high performance tires on your existing rims will probably give you 85% of the gain of what you can get in performance with a larger tire/rim combo (unless you get like BFG R1 or some crazy tire like that).
BUT, since you live in a snowy area, I'd recommend getting dedicated snow tires for the 15" stocks and getting either a 16 or a 17 combo depending on what looks good to you. a larger rim/tire combo can hurt acceleration/braking as well since you're moving the mass away from the center of the wheel and closer to the edge, giving that rotating mass more leverage against your brakes/engine. 16 and 17 wheels should be fine, but any bigger and you'll probably start noticing the difference on the max (i can feel the difference on my miata much more pronounced since it's only 1.6l and the brakes no look like the size of a CD with the bit 17"'s).
-V
05-29-2001, 08:19 PM
#6
IMO if you're only keeping it 2 years then just replace the 15" tires with some grippy all season M&S. Unless you've got the cash to go 15" snow AND 17" performance for say $1300+? That's the best solution but maybe not for short term. (Wouldn't suggest 16" all around either)
I run 235/45/17's in good weather. 205/65/15's in Chicago winters. 225/55/16's for weekend racing. Best for me but definately a longer term investment.
I run 235/45/17's in good weather. 205/65/15's in Chicago winters. 225/55/16's for weekend racing. Best for me but definately a longer term investment.
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