I want to get rims for my 05 xA. Also I wanna save as much as possible. I got 2 options right now. Which one would be better and if you got other options feel free to let me know.

1. Get 15in rims and use the tires I already have and lower my car with springs. How much drop would I need to make it look good and which brand is most suitable?

2. Get 17in rims with tires and not having to lower my car with springs.

 

Well, it needs lowered either way :D IMHO, even more so with 17" wheels, the short tire and big gap looks worse than a fat tire on 15s with a gap. It really should come down to what you like the look of. I prefer the look and ride of 15" wheels, as do many others on here (see the End all 15" thread).

As for drop, the TRD and Tein H-Tech that both give you around 1" of drop, and the Tein S-Tech and Tanabe DF210 that give you around 2" - the DF210 are a bit lower. There are others, but I think these are the most commonly used. Again, it comes down to what you like the looks of, and how low you want to deal with. How bad are the roads you drive on, do you have a lot of steep driveways to deal with, etc. I currently have 15" wheels with 195/50-15 tires, Echo front struts, DF210 springs and I have to be careful where I pull in be cause I drag.

Edit: I have an xB, but I think it still applies to the xA for the most part. They look slightly better with 17s than the xB, though.

 

what size rims / tires would i need to get , so i wouldn't have to lower my car and without the tire rubbing against the car etc.

 

I'm open to this as well. I want to run 17s, but what is the best offset/wheel width to make them more flush with the fenders.

 

anyways i got 15x6.5 rota grids cuz it was the only thing available to me running on some fat bf goodrich tires. lowering it soon .... =\

 

I picked up a set of 17x7 +40mm offset wheels today for 100 bucks. Gonna strip them down and paint them exact match of my paint.

 

what kind of wheels?

 

you can start with:

17x8, +20 for the front
17x8, +15 for the rear

These are modest specs. You will need to roll fenders. Good luck.