I'm looking to buy some 16" wheels for my 2011 xb. I would like to go bigger but I don't have the money to buy bigger tires. Unless you think 17" wheels would fit on the stock scion tires? Anyways, I have a few questions.....

The stock steels are 16 x 6.5 with + 45 offset. what does the +45 offset mean? and if that number increases or decreases how does it change the look of the rim?
And if I go any higher than 16 x 6.5 ( such as, 16 x 7 or 16 x 7.5) will that still fit on the stock tires?
Does anyone know how much the stock steel weighs?
Thank you!!!
-Scion Newb

 

I think the tire and wheel calculator we all use will help you understand how the changes from stock may or may not work, and what the resultant changes will be:

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

Keep in mind that the stock wheels are 16"x6.5" with +45 offset, and the tires are 205/55x16".

Stock weight is approximately 21# for tire and 21# for steelie = about 42# total at each corner.

Have fun playing with the calculator/comparer!



Oh, and NO, you can't put 16" tires on 17" wheels.

 

Haha sorry, I saw something in the threads about stretching tires over certain rims. Im pretty green when it comes to modifying cars.............any recommendations for a style of rim that will look better as a 16"? I've noticed wheels with less spokes seem to look bigger than they actually are lol

 

Wheels are a serious choice for your car because they're generally expensive. And since you don't have the extra money to buy tires for larger wheels, then you shouldn't buy them right now.

Save up your money so you can get something nice in the long run. You can use this time to pick a good wheel and tire combo and research the pros and cons of larger wheels.

The key here is that you want light weight wheels for better fuel economy, but for lighter wheels, the price goes up. Having more sidewall (or how tall the tire is from the wheel to the perimeter of the tire) means more comfort on the road. There are lots of benefits, and since you say you are green when it comes to this, it would be a great opportunity to do some researching.

Ask yourself these questions to help narrow down a wheel choice:
1. Do I want big wheels?
2. If so, do I care about fuel economy, or do I want that lowprofile tire look?
3. Is ride comfort important to me?


Also, when it comes to wheels fitting on your xB, CIONIDE is your man. He helped me out when I was green, too.

And I'm also available if you need tips, too. You can PM me for more questions or advice

 

Keep an eye on the Classifieds here and at stanceworks.com. You'd be surprised how many people switch wheels and sell their old sets including tires at discounted prices. For instance, I recently bought a set of 19" TRD wheels + tires from a forum member here for $450 + $150 shipping; allowed me to roll off the lot in my new 2012 toaster without the OEM "mommie"-look. Note that many sets are staggered sizing, meaning that you can't front-to-back rotate for extended tire life.

If you go to a larger tire diameter, you'll have to get correspondingly sized tires. Stretching (the sidewalls) has to do with putting narrower-tread tires on wider rims, often to affect fender fit if you lower your ride.