Help! First wheels EVER!

[pertness]

Hi guys and girls!

I need help figuring out what wheels and tyre spec I should be looking into to accomplish a widened stance and I believe, in turn will help with handling (? correct me if I'm wrong)

I'm looking at either 15s or 16s by maybe 7inch? And ET38? I'm not sure which offset and width would be the best to achieve my goal.

And with tyres, what's the difference between the 185, 195, 205 and 50, 55, etc? excluding the obvious size difference.

Please help if you have time to

[gray09S-hatch]

This will help you answer all your questions about tire sizes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=46

[3cyltrbo]

Originally Posted by pertness

Hi guys and girls!

I need help figuring out what wheels and tyre spec I should be looking into to accomplish a widened stance and I believe, in turn will help with handling (? correct me if I'm wrong)

I'm looking at either 15s or 16s by maybe 7inch? And ET38? I'm not sure which offset and width would be the best to achieve my goal.

And with tyres, what's the difference between the 185, 195, 205 and 50, 55, etc? excluding the obvious size difference.

Please help if you have time to

This is just my personal opinion.............

Depending on which suspension you use and how it is setup, a 16x7 with 205/50 or 205/55 is very likely going to rub in the front (especially with a 38mm offset)

On my vehicle I'm using quite stiff coilovers with lots of drop(about 3") / a 16x7 wheel in +40mm offset with 195/50/16's and it rubs when its not even moving (not quite but almost)

Personally I'm more concerned with function and I'm switching to 15x6.5 +42 (ideally +45 if I could find it) and either a 195/50/ 15 or a 195/55/15. I figure that either of these should ensure basically zero contact with anything (fender liners, fenders etc....)

All of that to say, that even though a 16 looks better on our cars (I think), personally I'm going with 15's to guarantee zero rubbing no matter how I set the car up.

As far was wheels are concerned, my belief is that with as little power as we have its best to get the lightest possible wheels. ie: with 10lb wheels you'll instantly feel the difference from stock. A difference not only in acceleration but also in turning and stopping.

When suspension is concerned, again its my personal believe that alot can be gained by lowering the centre of gravity, especially if you don't compromise suspension travel at the same time. Not all coilovers can do this, so its something to consider when you shop around.

My Advice:

-Function over form = lightweight 15's (ideally 6.5" wide) with either a 195/50 (slightly smaller diameter than stock) or a 195/55 (almost identical diameter to stock)

This will be a great setup for aggressive street driving.

However if you want more grip / won't be lowering it alot / don't mind sacrificing the fender liners.......then go to a 15x7 (alot cheaper and easier to find) with a 205/50/15

Just remember that 205 is only 10mm wider than 195 (10mm isn't alot, and to me personally its not worth the rub)

Thats just my 2cents

Will

[pertness]

Thanks for the quick response guys!
Much appreciated!

I'll be sure to do much more research!

[33OH]

Will, my personal opinion. And no offense meant.


This is just my personal opinion.............

Depending on which suspension you use and how it is setup, a 16x7 with 205/50 or 205/55 is very likely going to rub in the front (especially with a 38mm offset)
205/45/16 will not rub with 16x7 +38 offset

On my vehicle I'm using quite stiff coilovers with lots of drop(about 3") / a 16x7 wheel in +40mm offset with 195/50/16's and it rubs when its not even moving (not quite but almost)
You're lowered 3", which is why it is rubbing. Your most likely only rubbing on fender liners as well, not on the fenders.

Personally I'm more concerned with function and I'm switching to 15x6.5 +42 (ideally +45 if I could find it) and either a 195/50/ 15 or a 195/55/15. I figure that either of these should ensure basically zero contact with anything (fender liners, fenders etc....)
Correct, these are super conservative sizes.)

All of that to say, that even though a 16 looks better on our cars (I think), personally I'm going with 15's to guarantee zero rubbing no matter how I set the car up.
The diameter of the rim plays no difference in overall size, your tire size is the only thing that determines this. That is why you use lower profile tires when moving up wheel sizes.

As far was wheels are concerned, my belief is that with as little power as we have its best to get the lightest possible wheels. ie: with 10lb wheels you'll instantly feel the difference from stock. A difference not only in acceleration but also in turning and stopping.
Correct.

When suspension is concerned, again its my personal believe that alot can be gained by lowering the centre of gravity, especially if you don't compromise suspension travel at the same time. Not all coilovers can do this, so its something to consider when you shop around.
Agree, but if you lower too much (such as your 3" drop), it will have negative side effects.

My Advice:

-Function over form = lightweight 15's (ideally 6.5" wide) with either a 195/50 (slightly smaller diameter than stock) or a 195/55 (almost identical diameter to stock)
Lightweight 15's or 16's, 205/50/15 or 205/45/16, and at least 7" wide for spirited driving. Offset 35 and up will not rub.

This will be a great setup for aggressive street driving.

However if you want more grip / won't be lowering it alot / don't mind sacrificing the fender liners.......then go to a 15x7 (alot cheaper and easier to find) with a 205/50/15
15x7 with a decent offset (35+) will not rub with 205/50/15

Just remember that 205 is only 10mm wider than 195 (10mm isn't alot, and to me personally its not worth the rub)
It's 10mm wider, but it's only 5mm wider towards the fender. You can run 205mm tires without rubbing if your wheels are proper offset.

[33OH]

Originally Posted by pertness

Hi guys and girls!

I need help figuring out what wheels and tyre spec I should be looking into to accomplish a widened stance and I believe, in turn will help with handling (? correct me if I'm wrong)

I'm looking at either 15s or 16s by maybe 7inch? And ET38? I'm not sure which offset and width would be the best to achieve my goal.

And with tyres, what's the difference between the 185, 195, 205 and 50, 55, etc? excluding the obvious size difference.

Please help if you have time to

And, my answer to your questions.

15x7 +38 to +45 will work fine. Use 205/50/15 or 195/55/15.

16x7 +38 to +45 will work fine. Use 205/45/16 or 195/50/16.

[thebarber]

15x7 +41 enlei rpf1's with 205-50-15 Toyota poxes4's on eibach sportlines and no rub except on hard right turns at race speeds...

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

Originally Posted by 33OH

Will, my personal opinion. And no offense meant.


This is just my personal opinion.............

Depending on which suspension you use and how it is setup, a 16x7 with 205/50 or 205/55 is very likely going to rub in the front (especially with a 38mm offset)
205/45/16 will not rub with 16x7 +38 offset

On my vehicle I'm using quite stiff coilovers with lots of drop(about 3") / a 16x7 wheel in +40mm offset with 195/50/16's and it rubs when its not even moving (not quite but almost)
You're lowered 3", which is why it is rubbing. Your most likely only rubbing on fender liners as well, not on the fenders.

Personally I'm more concerned with function and I'm switching to 15x6.5 +42 (ideally +45 if I could find it) and either a 195/50/ 15 or a 195/55/15. I figure that either of these should ensure basically zero contact with anything (fender liners, fenders etc....)
Correct, these are super conservative sizes.)

All of that to say, that even though a 16 looks better on our cars (I think), personally I'm going with 15's to guarantee zero rubbing no matter how I set the car up.
The diameter of the rim plays no difference in overall size, your tire size is the only thing that determines this. That is why you use lower profile tires when moving up wheel sizes.

As far was wheels are concerned, my belief is that with as little power as we have its best to get the lightest possible wheels. ie: with 10lb wheels you'll instantly feel the difference from stock. A difference not only in acceleration but also in turning and stopping.
Correct.

When suspension is concerned, again its my personal believe that alot can be gained by lowering the centre of gravity, especially if you don't compromise suspension travel at the same time. Not all coilovers can do this, so its something to consider when you shop around.
Agree, but if you lower too much (such as your 3" drop), it will have negative side effects.

My Advice:

-Function over form = lightweight 15's (ideally 6.5" wide) with either a 195/50 (slightly smaller diameter than stock) or a 195/55 (almost identical diameter to stock)
Lightweight 15's or 16's, 205/50/15 or 205/45/16, and at least 7" wide for spirited driving. Offset 35 and up will not rub.

This will be a great setup for aggressive street driving.

However if you want more grip / won't be lowering it alot / don't mind sacrificing the fender liners.......then go to a 15x7 (alot cheaper and easier to find) with a 205/50/15
15x7 with a decent offset (35+) will not rub with 205/50/15

Just remember that 205 is only 10mm wider than 195 (10mm isn't alot, and to me personally its not worth the rub)
It's 10mm wider, but it's only 5mm wider towards the fender. You can run 205mm tires without rubbing if your wheels are proper offset.

THANKS for the info....

[3cyltrbo]

my 195/50/16 Falkens on Konig Heliums 16x7 +40mm, have not only completely demolished my fender liners, they have also worn through paint on the fender.

If I drove the car more, they would have rubbed all the way through the paint and would be compromising the metal fender to the point of wearing through it.

Both front wheels rub, even if the car is completely empty. Last summer I drove around with nothing in the car but me and the drivers seat (no passenger seat / no carpet / no interior trim panels / no dash etc...) and it still rubbed always (slow speed parking lot & turning the wheel / highway speed dips in the road / highway speed bumps+potholes in the road etc....

I'm just calling it like it is, I wouldn't make up stories about rubbing just for fun.

On my last 1nzfe "vitz" , my 15x6.5 + 40mm heliums with 195/50/15 never once touched. That last car was only on Tanabe's, but even with 5 people in the car and rough roads it still never rubbed.

330Oh = I'm aware that 15 - 16 inch doesn't dictate rub, however most people have a tendency to mount smaller sizes (alot more commonly available) on 15's than they do on 16's ................hence less rubbing (generally speaking).


Others will have different experiences, no doubt

my experiences are this:

195/50/16 Falkens on Konig Heliums 16x7 +40mm, rubs more than a fat kid at a rave

195/50/15 Yoko S-drives on Konig Heliums 15x6.5 +40mm never rubbed once in 4 years of driving

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

^^ your experiences LEFT OUT your drop height.....

[33OH]

Were you lowered 3" when rubbing on your 16x7 heliums? My Yaris has been lowered 2" it's entire life and I've had 28 sets of wheels/tires on it. I found rubbing starting to occur on anything 7" wide with +35 offset or lower.

When running 16x7.5 +30, 195/50/16, I only rubbed with more than 2 people in the car.

When running 15x7 +19, 205/50/15, I rubbed all of the time.

Unless you're counting hitting your front fender liners as rubbing. I hit my front fender liners with my stock steelies at full turn.

[1.5]

Originally Posted by 33OH

Unless you're counting hitting your front fender liners as rubbing. I hit my front fender liners with my stock steelies at full turn.

Really? Im lowered about 2in as well and I dont rub at all on stock at full turn.
I do rub if I try and go over some extreme bumps too fast, the tire will tap against the wheel well liner. Nothing much though and I think that has happened maybe 3 times.

I do bang my frame on speedbumps at least 1-2 times per week though.

stock steelies 15x5.5 +45 185/60/15

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

Originally Posted by 1.5

I do bang my frame on speedbumps at least 1-2 times per week though.

stock steelies 15x5.5 +45 185/60/15

WHY would you abuse your car like that?.

also a stock yaris(07-11) with a 205/55/15 upgrade on toyota S alloys rubbed at full turn which is how i acquired them.

[kimona]

On stock suspension, 16 x 7, ET42-45, 205/50/16 makes an excellent fitment.

[ttr125fan09]

even if you want to go big with some 17s yous can put a 205/40 17 and it will actually be up to a few inches shorter than the stock tire, and im comparing what i have (195/85 14), it may rub at full lock turns but thats about it. to see if a tire will fit do this

take the width such as 205, divide it by 25.4 to convert it to inches = 8.07
multipy that by the aspect ratio (40) with a decimal infront (.40) = 3.22
multipy by two = 6.44
add the rim height = 23.44

sooo 23.44 is with 17x7 with 205/40r17
and 27.03 is with 14x5.5 with 195/85r14

[ttr125fan09]

and if you have175/65 14 22.95 inch is your height so its not that much bigger

[why?]

The only thing I would add to the advice above is think seriously about what type of driving you want to be doing and what you consider is fun. You shouldn't be able to hit the limits of modern tires today on the street, and whether or not that matters to you and what you consider to be fun is something to be taken into consideration.

I drive on 185/65/ 14 Yokohama AS430 tires. They stick well enough and break away gently, and the lower limit to me is more entertaining. With everything removed from the rear of my car and ultra lightweight wheels, the rear end steps out slightly on sharper exit ramps, easily controllable by throttle input. I can't wait to see how they react to a real suspension.

But that is me, I don't have an autocross event near me and I don't give two cents about what others think, drag racing at lights, or much of anything else.

If you don't want to deal with oversteer in a front wheel drive car, get bigger tires than I did.

And as has been debated above, decide now what type of suspension you want to run, how low you want to be, because that will change what is best for your wheel and tire setup.

Oh, as for wheel widths, here's a good calculator. and a great place to check wheel weights.

[pertness]

Thanks everyone for the contribution!

I want to lower it on NF210's..
My current wheel + tire selection is 15x6.5 ET38 + 205/50R15
How does that sound?

Thanks again for the knowledge!