UPDATE: Rims are on... Pics Inside, What time of the year do you guys put on your rims... Options

[Cutrara]

I got some 17 inch 5 spokes for Christmas and I'm anxious to put them on.



Edit: Pics are posted down the page.

This post has been edited by Cutrara: Feb 22, 2006 - 5:13 PM

[dustin15brown]

March..... Right after basketball ends (high school) and usually before spring break.... last year i waited till after I got back from spring break

[lagos]

i keep mine on all year round. i think its a myth that the get ruined in the winter. ive had mine on for well over 2years with no problems at all.

This post has been edited by lagos: Feb 20, 2006 - 2:13 PM

[celicaST]

i keep mine on all year round. i think its a myth that the get ruined in the winter. ive had mine on for well over 2years with no problems at all.

i agree its a myth. of course they will get less wear if they are off half of the year, but the winter isnt going to ruin them, even the salt (as long as they are aluminum alloy). keep them clean and avoid curbs, and you will be fine. just put them on .

[Driveby]

Ill be taking my track wheels (16" Compomotive MO's) off last week in March - beginning of April and putting my 18" Summer rims on, cant wait
I do agrea that if you avoid curbs and wash the salt of regular they are ok all year round but I like to change my car about often so the winter is a good excuse to pimp the rally slag look other than track days and thrashes up the drag strip

[Cutrara]

Yeah, but I don't have all season tires... They're Max Summer Performance tires... Do you guys think it's alright to put them on anyway? It could still snow a bit.

This post has been edited by Cutrara: Feb 20, 2006 - 6:04 PM

[TheStreetzKing]

its a myth unless there chrome haha ive seen my friends chrome (winter rims hahaha) get destroyed from salt, but there his winter rims lol

[Cutrara]

Yeah, but is it going to be a problem with the tires I'm running? They're cheap but decent Kuhmo Ecsta 711's.

[boosted_K2]

i have 711s on my MR2 for my primary street tires, they'd be fine for a bit of winter duty. brake dust causes the same if not more break down in wheels as salt does... its just more prominant on cheaper wheels because they dont use the same finish and it tends to crack/peel/fade faster, which is in turn sped up by things like brake dust and salt.

[TrdKing]

If it is a myth then why do wheels corrode in the first place? what causes this?

Just one thing I have to say is that you can get away with it but remember to wash all the salt and crap off every so often.

I work at a toyota dealership and all the rims I have see corroding on old cars is when the clear coat is cracked open by something like wear and tear, curbs, and WHEEL WEIGHTS. Think about it a wheel weight probably costs pennies to make and once the clear is hammered of when putting them on they rust and rust spreads.

[Clipsetuner]

I rode 19"s all year, I just had a set of beater 19"s and showier 19"s haha.

DTE

[Celica_Kid95st]

Yeah, but I don't have all season tires... They're Max Summer Performance tires... Do you guys think it's alright to put them on anyway? It could still snow a bit.

Id give it a week or two. thats what im doin plus there not ready yet cause im re-paintin them. But in the begining of winter i didnt have mine off and i was sliddin everywhere. There like new tires too. -John

[beastman]

im just waiting until the weather turns to being warmer then the new 18's are going on!!

This post has been edited by beastman: Feb 21, 2006 - 11:09 AM

[TheRockman]

I put my 17" Enkei Evo5's on last spring and they've run well and looked great in the mud/snow/salt mixture that's on the roads out here in the boonies.-grin

My rims are aluminum alloy with some kind of polished finish and I can't tell of any breakdown or corrosion anywhere on the wheels. Just a little soap and water and they look like they did when they were new.

I remember I had magnesium(sp?) alloy wheels on my old 5th gen and the years of salt and road grime made them look like junk. So I'd say material and finish make the most difference when it comes to keeping wheels looking pretty.

[Dub]

Rims? Any time of the year... but the tyres.. usually around when average daily temperature reaches 7 grades of centigrade.

[Cutrara]

Well I put them on today. I got tired of waiting lol. It's too dark now, but I'll get some pics tomorrow. Aside from some nasty wheel gap (which will be fixed with spring when my cash flow allows), the car looks great. I took it on a test drive, and noticed a few things right off the bat:

It could be in my head, but I felt better accelleration due to less rotating mass (rims are 21 lbs). I spun the tires a few times in the early part of my test drive.

WAY BETTER handling, due to less less sidewall flex, and wider wheels and tires.

The offset pushes the rims just about flush with the body, and as a result, threw and lot more small road debris on the car.

Increased steering response, but that could be in my head.

[celicaST]

Well I put them on today. I got tired of waiting lol. It's too dark now, but I'll get some pics tomorrow. Aside from some nasty wheel gap (which will be fixed with spring when my cash flow allows), the car looks great. I took it on a test drive, and noticed a few things right off the bat:

It could be in my head, but I felt better accelleration due to less rotating mass (rims are 21 lbs). I spun the tires a few times in the early part of my test drive.

WAY BETTER handling, due to less less sidewall flex, and wider wheels and tires.

The offset pushes the rims just about flush with the body, and as a result, threw and lot more small road debris on the car.

Increased steering response, but that could be in my head.

i think the acceleration increase is in your head, but yes, i remeber when i first put mine on and how much better the handling and steering response were, so those are real. those 14" steelies were horrible lol. another thing youll notice shortly is your car likes to tramline a bit more . pics now damnit!

[Celica_Kid95st]

I feel small cracks in the road when mine r on. lol I duno if its me but when u have ur wheels on does ur car seem louder inside? Less rubber to absorb the sound of the road? I dunno kinda sounds retarded when i read that again. lol Thanks - John

This post has been edited by Celica_Kid95st: Feb 22, 2006 - 11:11 AM

[Cutrara]

Before:


After:


A few misc pics:








And my favorite pic:


Hi-Res Version

[JFrost9]

nice rims, they really compliment the car... Now you need drop that thing and tint the windows, and that will give it that nice complete look. What kinda springs are you gonna get/have?