What mags would suit my car? Options

[Liam_c]

What are they like with road noise?

Very quiet, excellent grip in the dry and wet.

I might get a set of those then. They seemed to be reasonably priced too! Thanks

[Liam_c]

These them? http://www.hyperdrive.co.nz/product/tyres/...iated=163737%2C

[JoshuaM]

If I were buying new rims I would buy 17" though. In reality, as long as you don't get particularly heavy rims then it would be fine handling and they look cool (we already know Box knows nothing about style ). It's not like this is a stripped out auto cross build. In the UK the standard size they are all buying is 18", and 17's are your small rims for handling - it is just what you are used to.

So my opinion is stick with what you have and get some nice tyres, or get some 17's with new tyres.

Since you are in NZ, it may also be worthwhile keeping your eyes out for some nice used Enkei / OZ / Advan etc rims as you had a lot more come in than we did, or the US. Then you get light, brand name rims and it would cost a lot less than new.

[Box]

I know everything about style. If you want to look like:

I suppose that's your prerogative. It's an economy car, big rims are daft on it. The engineers chose the sizes they did for a reason, and it's generally accepted you don't oversize by more than 2 inches. If you want to make your economy car slower and less economic then by all means throw on your bling.

[SwissFerdi]

In reality, as long as you don't get particularly heavy rims then it would be fine handling

You are correct, and wheels are lighter and stronger than they were back then. Thing is, the car was built in a time when 14 or 15 was standard and 16 was a performance option of sorts, and after going between the two sizes in concern myself I feel that the lower ranges fit the innate design of the car much better.

Another advantage of a slightly smaller diameter alloy, lower ride height. I gain 12-15mm of height going to the larger size.

Disclaimer, I say this being the owner of the lowest power 6th gen. What do I know... :dunno:

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Aug 1, 2013 - 7:48 AM

[JoshuaM]

I know everything about style. If you want to look like:

I suppose that's your prerogative. It's an economy car, big rims are daft on it. The engineers chose the sizes they did for a reason, and it's generally accepted you don't oversize by more than 2 inches. If you want to make your economy car slower and less economic then by all means throw on your bling.

Stock = 15" (For any half decent engine )..... +2 inches is..... 17"!!!!

Its only an economy car if you want it to be... the OP has a 3SFE, which is very similar to the 5SFE in output - which despite your arguments is a darn sight better than a 7a. I noticed no difference whatsoever going from stock 15 -> 7GC 16", apart from a slightly harsher ride over rough surfaces due to the lower sidewall.

Your argument is only valid when oversizing the rolling diameter, and getting 18,19 or 20 inch wheels (which I have seen all of on 6GC's). Going 19+ is purely for looks, and will definitely have an impact on performance, as you would be unable to maintain the correct tyre size.

If you don't like the look of wheels bigger than 14" than that is perfectly acceptable... but you are in the minority on that one, and the OP is not.

In reality, as long as you don't get particularly heavy rims then it would be fine handling

You are correct, and wheels are lighter and stronger than they were back then. Thing is, the car was built in a time when 14 or 15 was standard and 16 was a performance option of sorts, and after going between the two sizes in concern myself I feel that the lower ranges fit the innate design of the car much better.

Another advantage of a slightly smaller diameter alloy, lower ride height. I gain 12-15mm of height going to the larger size.

Disclaimer, I say this being the owner of the lowest power 6th gen. What do I know... :dunno:

I was following you until you said ride height... if you kept the correct rolling diameter there should be no difference in ride height, am I right? Because for every inch you add to the rim, you would subtract one inch from your sidewall when selecting the new tyre size. That said, if you changed your rolling diameter then you will be altering your gearing, which could perhaps be more suited to your driving style?

In any case, with my 5S I noticed no performance difference going 15 -> 16, keeping the correct rolling diameter (205/55/15 -> 205/50/16). There could be a much bigger difference with your cars, but I don't have any experience with those.

TBH, I really think it comes down to purpose... If you are tracking the car and want absolute best performance get 15's (14 was never an option here), as they will generally produce the lowest unsprung weight, if you want some looks with performance too go 16, more looks without sacrificing performance (but losing ride comfort) 17, just looks 18+.

[ILoveMySilly97]

We can all say our opinion and facts but in the end. The OP was asking us which wheel he should choose out of the two. Lol.

[Box]

The stock size is 14", the GT was 1"+ from the factory and the GT-Four was 2"+ from the factory. I said I like up to a 16" on our cars, somewhere anyhow. The 3S-FE and 5S-FE are economy engines, hence the "FE" designation. They will always be economy cars until you rip out the Corolla/Camry engine and throw in a Red Top or 3S-GTE. Also something most people don't consider is even though a larger rim may only be slightly heavier, that mass is moved outwards to the outside of the wheel which gives a higher moment of inertia. Given a significantly heavier rim there'll be a significant impact. It's all physics deary, and physics never lies. Here's a good article from C/D where they tested 15" to 19" for performance and economy. http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effec...nd-tires-tested

If it makes you feel any better I'm going through the same thing with my brother right now. He's insisting on throwing 18"s onto his 90's Japanese family sedan. Physics doesn't mean anything to him either, so if you think I'm bad here you really have no idea. I suppose it's only natural to put looks over function, just take a look at society and that's clearly shown. Anyhow, it's his/your car so do what the Hell you want to with it. Even if that means ignoring the laws of physics.

[SwissFerdi]

I was following you until you said ride height...

The camera was as straight as I could manage; 17" on driver side, 15" on passenger side. The 17" tire lends more grip due to having 40mm wider contact patch, but the alloy+tire together weigh close to 25kg. That's a lot of weight at each corner for 117ft-lb. Therefore, I can sacrifice some of the responsiveness for the lighter weight of the 15" combination. The loss of grip is significant, but this is also cheap chinese all-season vs BFGoodrich UHP all-season. I'm a believer in the "slow car fast" philosophy, and the Celica will oversteer on that slippery small rubber in a 90* corner at about 25. My only true concern is rain, braking is quite compromised.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Aug 1, 2013 - 7:03 PM

[Box]

Not sure if it's the angle, but the passenger side looks lower.

AHHH OK, reread earlier and I see what's going on. Even with having the same wheel diameter, the wheel with the smaller rim has more rubber. Rubber flexes, and metal doesn't. Well technically it can and does, but at this instance it doesn't. The rubber gets displaced by the weight of the car, therefore despite having the same wheel diameter the wheel with the smaller rim makes the car sit a little lower due to more of the wheel diameter being rubber. That's with both tires being at say, 30 psi. If you crank up the pressure on the smaller tire it takes some of the flex out and brings it closer to the actual wheel diameter. Aside from noticing a great improvement in ride quality, I noticed my car dropped a little too when I reduced my tire pressure by 20%.

This post has been edited by Box: Aug 1, 2013 - 7:05 PM

[SwissFerdi]

17" @ 35psi, 15" @ ~27.

I stupidly oversized the tire for the tC alloy, so it is even 4.5mm taller than factory 215/45. Anyway, this weight sucks for my car and particular purpose and that's all it'll ever be, my purpose. So carry on with normal discussion.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Aug 1, 2013 - 7:22 PM

[Reyne]

It will come down to slightly annoying ride quality and a nice look (17s) vs slightly annoying looks and a nice ride