shopping for alloys Options

[xkillerx]

hello

i have stock 14" six-spokes with winter tyres and was hoping to purchase a new set for the summer. 15, 16, 17 inches, name your best picks, unfortunately i think i'll have to shop for second hand wheels because i'd rather buy new tyres and used rims than vice versa. what should i look out for and which rims from other cars can i fit? audi a3? subaru impreza? chrysler neon?


what about tyres? european members - looking for cheap but good (heh...). should i go with falken? or pay extra and go with yokohama? i'd gladly buy hankook's but nobody's importing them at the moment


heeelp!

[jdg371]

Good idea with the used wheels/new tires. I have upgraded many times from the stock steels [14s] Just remember our cars have a 5x100 lug pattern. Chevy Cavaliers have the same lug pattern..

Im pretty sure that its a whole different ball game with pricing there.. Most expensive set of wheels I have bought are my 16x7 ASA AR1 with a set of 224/45/16 Yokohoma ES100 [very very good tires..] I got the whole thing for $300.. used and all.. another set that I purchased was my tC wheels 17x7.. Lets just say I got new tires on it [Fuzion ZRi] for under 400 .... A set of 16x7 Rota Slips with Neo Gens.. for 200 ...

Just remember.. look around all over the place.. classifieds and such.. IMO for looks the best would be 17s with 215/45s

Good LUCK!

[94GT]

I'm a big fan of the 16" 7th Gen GTS rims. That's what I'm running these days. I think they look great on our cars and they can be found on e-bay for pretty cheap. Also, the bigger the rim, the more expensive the tire (usually) and 16s aren't too bad.

[xkillerx]

wow, i cant believe how cheap you get 'em over in the us. i'll probably have to dish out 300 euros for rims alone... fugly 17" used rims with semi-decent tires start at 400 euros (that's 500 us dollars)... damn!

[jdg371]

I have a set of GTS wheels on my 97 Right now. They look like they were meant to be there.

Some sizes are more common than others such as the usual.. 205/50/15s, 205/55/16s, 215/45/17s

[jc47]

I'd look at the wheels that come as a set with new tires already mounted and balanced. They usually aren't much more expensive than the wheels alone, and when you add the cost of new tires plus mounting and balancing (plus they'll charge you for other things like valve stems, old tire disposal, etc.) it usually ends up being better to buy them as a set. You can get into a lot of problems with used wheels, like bent wheels, scratches/defects, etc.

I'd go with 15 or maybe 16 inch wheels. The lower profile tires that you have to use for the larger wheels are much more expensive. They wear out faster and sometimes don't have any warranty. These tires usually give a very harsh ride, and it is very easy to bend rims. 15 or 16 wheels will perform fine and it will save you a lot of money.

As for best picks, it depends completely on your taste. Try tirerack.com, they have lots of wheels, and the website will show you pictures on your make/model car.

[xkillerx]

thanks guys i'm still searching and will share with you if i bought anything...

[95CelicaST]

words of wisdom here...

Look through every outlet of used wheels possible. If you find wheels you "like", but you don't "love" don't buy them. I searched for almost a year until I found my Rays with new tires for 650. Don't rush into buying wheels that aren't exactly what you want. Research. Find the wheel style you like best (5 spoke, 6 spoke etc.) and keep an eye out. Something will pop up one day.

off topic, but there is a guy over here in seattle selling 2 TE37's in bronze for 400 bucks.

[xkillerx]

the biggest problem here is that i'm from the anus of europe so there i can hardly buy anything from you us guys... other than that "looks" i'd worry about least, it's next to impossible finding anything that's 5x100mm, not to mention getting the CB or ET about right.

[malpaso]

...
...other cars can i fit? audi a3? subaru impreza? chrysler neon?
...

subaru impreza = pre 2000 models yes, after 2000 just some of them
audi A3 = only years 96-03
chrysler neon = all years

also for example:
volkswagen passat = years 91-96
seat toledo = years 98-04
seat leon = years 98-05
and many more...

edit: however (forgot to mention) you need to have luck with central bore (we have 54, anything less you will not fit, everything lot bigger will not be fine as well).

This post has been edited by malpaso: Mar 13, 2007 - 9:55 AM

[GTSOwner]

edit: however (forgot to mention) you need to have luck with central bore (we have 54, anything less you will not fit, everything lot bigger will not be fine as well).

If you have a bigger bore on the wheel you could always get a hub centric ring.