Wheel Help for a noobie

[Luna V 2.0]

So I actually want to buy some rims, but I know next to nothing about wheels or any of this stuff. Luckily most of the sites kinda pick out for you what fits your car which is nice, otherwise I'd have even more to worry about.

Now I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction from there. I'm mostly doing this for looks so I don't exactly want to spend too much money but I also want them to be light so as not to kill the gas efficiency, so I'll be sticking to 15" most likely.

Does brand really make so much of a difference? I looked around on tirerack and discounttiredirect and the cheapest wheels were brands I don't see around here very much, that's why I'm asking. Mostly I've seen MSW, Elbrus and MB Wheels at the top of the affordable wheels list. Yet around here I see alot of Enkei and Konig, is that just cause they're more popular or is it just much better quality?

Basically I'm trying to say that I'd love to be able to keep prices at under 100 per wheel, but if the less popular brands are less popular for a reason (aka the wheels aren't that great) then I'm willing to spend more.

So if anyone would drop some wheel buying wisdom on me I'd appreciate it.

[TinyGiant]

i got my set on craigslist.. 250 for 4 wheels with almost new rubber.

i would check you local craigslist..

just follow the tire and wheel guide on this forum and you should be good

[kimona]

Next, check out discounttiredirect.com for a pretty good selection and some very good everyday prices, as well as specials.

[thebarber]

edgeracing.com is in florida, so you may have to pay tax, but maybe pick them up

wheelfire.com has been the cheapest i have seen recently....id likely get from there if i were to buy rims/tires tomorrow

however, if you know what youre doing, you can often get a wicked deal on rims if you buy used locally...

good idea sticking w/ 15's, imo. youll get wider rims to fit fatter tires, but youll likely have less rotational mass as theyll be lighter than your 15" steelies....

15's is more than likely the way ill go

[Luna V 2.0]

Originally Posted by thebarber

edgeracing.com is in florida, so you may have to pay tax, but maybe pick them up

wheelfire.com has been the cheapest i have seen recently....id likely get from there if i were to buy rims/tires tomorrow

however, if you know what youre doing, you can often get a wicked deal on rims if you buy used locally...

good idea sticking w/ 15's, imo. youll get wider rims to fit fatter tires, but youll likely have less rotational mass as theyll be lighter than your 15" steelies....

15's is more than likely the way ill go

Turns out theres a Edge Racing 16 miles away, which is like 30 minutes or so if traffic is nice. I might check them out.

Otherwise I'll stick to tire rack, I guess brand doesn't really matter when it comes to rims?

[thebarber]

doesnt matter...theyre often all very close to similar

i bought flik ftd's for my matrix from edgeracing.com.....loved 'em and had no problems w/ payment, shipping or the product...

[Malaya1221]

it does matter!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrxXCXdcqVs

[thatboyjer]

I got my rims for 120 from craigslist, to be fair it was a friend i knew haha.

[floydisrock]

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=227783

[kimona]

Here you go from yesterday's Miami craigslist: http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/pts/890687663.html

Some very nice OEM Toyota MR2 15" alloys that look outstanding on the YarisLB, and for just $200 OBO, including the lug nuts! Remove and sell the tyres on craigslist and you'll have a real bargain there. Install some new 205/55/15's.

[thatboyjer]

Originally Posted by kimona

Here you go from yesterday's Miami craigslist: http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/pts/890687663.html

Some very nice OEM Toyota MR2 15" alloys that look outstanding on the YarisLB, and for just $200 OBO, including the lug nuts! Remove and sell the tyres on craigslist and you'll have a real bargain there. Install some new 205/55/15's.

those look almost exactly like the ones i have. So yes, they do look amazing on a yaris ;D

[natethegreat38]

Luna- When it comes to wheels, you pretty much get what you pay for. Like they say in the tire industry: Great tires aren't cheap and cheap tires aren't great. There are plenty of inexpensive wheels out there that will give you the look that you want, but may be a bit heavy or may be made of cheap materials. For our car, brands such as Konig, Drag Wheels, and Rota are par for the course; they are inexpensive, they look good but not the greatest quality... If you have an Acura NSX or a Nissan GT-R for example, you may want to consider something like BBS, SSR, Dymag, ADVAN () etc... I have Konig and they are decent quality, fairly lightweight, and quite affordable (about $350 for the set of 4). They can be found at www.jlbmotorsports.com along with other wheel brands. Enkei is a good brand. They have some affordable 15" wheels on tirerack.com which are very lightweight. You asked specifically about Enkei: they have products that range from middle of the road to high-end products but they are good quality wheels overall.

Use the 'search' function and check out wheel widths and offsets to learn more. It's fun to learn what other people are doing and you will know more about your car!!

I hope this helps- if not ask more questions...that's what we're all here for!!!

[natethegreat38]

Oh, and BTW...Craigslist is not a bad option for wheels (often used), but you never really know how hard the wheels were driven and if there are any problems with the wheels. I would stick to new wheels/tires if I were you. :)

[DanQ]

You didn't ask for wheel size info but here is someplace to start.
15x7, Offset 38 or more, 54.1mm hubcenter, 4x100 bolt pattern, lighter is good for better fuel mileage. I wouldn't go wider than 7" unless your offset is perfect.

[kimona]

Originally Posted by DanQ

You didn't ask for wheel size info but here is someplace to start.
15x7, Offset 38 or more, 54.1mm hubcenter, 4x100 bolt pattern, lighter is good for better fuel mileage. I wouldn't go wider than 7" unless your offset is perfect.

If you plan to run 205 rubber, choose ET42 or higher.

[ddongbap]

Originally Posted by kimona

If you plan to run 205 rubber, choose ET42 or higher.

ET40s will do fine.

[kimona]

Originally Posted by ddongbap

ET40s will do fine.

If not lowering, then ET40 will work fine; however, 205mm tyre sidewalls will generally protrude up front just a tad with ET40. Of course, it depends on tyre brand and accuracy of wheel offset. If lowering, there is a far greater chance of rubbing with ET40. Hard to believe, but a couple of mm's make the difference.

[ddongbap]

Originally Posted by kimona

If not lowering, then ET40 will work fine; however, 205mm tyre sidewalls will generally protrude up front just a tad with ET40. Of course, it depends on tyre brand and accuracy of wheel offset. If lowering, there is a far greater chance of rubbing with ET40. Hard to believe, but a couple of mm's make the difference.

I'm on ET38s, lowered, and I only rub when I turn HARD. Even then, I'm only rubbing on the fender lining, so now, the rubbing isn't so bad.