I Need the Truth About Rims!
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9
From: San Francisco, CA
I Need the Truth About Rims!
Put this in the wrong place first. Oops! Noob error!
My first car was a 2005 xA, and I slapped some 18" rims with low pros on there without knowing what the hell I was doing. It ended in disaster—the tires kept popping and the lips kept getting rashed. An independent mechanic (not the dealership who sold them to me) told me the rims were too big for the car. I wound up having to chuck them.
Now I've got an xD...and I'm getting the rim temptation again! I suppose there's no way to prevent curb rash except to park carefully. But what about the stupid tires? Are low pros just a nightmare in the city? Do they HAVE to be lows to fit rims? And are the 16" alloys you can get from Scion the right size for this car? I cannot make the same mistake twice! Thanks for any help!
My first car was a 2005 xA, and I slapped some 18" rims with low pros on there without knowing what the hell I was doing. It ended in disaster—the tires kept popping and the lips kept getting rashed. An independent mechanic (not the dealership who sold them to me) told me the rims were too big for the car. I wound up having to chuck them.
Now I've got an xD...and I'm getting the rim temptation again! I suppose there's no way to prevent curb rash except to park carefully. But what about the stupid tires? Are low pros just a nightmare in the city? Do they HAVE to be lows to fit rims? And are the 16" alloys you can get from Scion the right size for this car? I cannot make the same mistake twice! Thanks for any help!
Senior Member
SL Member
Team ScioNRG
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,920
From: Staten Island, NY
im on 18s in the city without problems. and im dropped.
you really just need to be more careful how you drive and pay attention to potholes. Ive been on 18s and low profile tires since the beginning of 2005 and ive never popped a tire or curbed a rim.
you really just need to be more careful how you drive and pay attention to potholes. Ive been on 18s and low profile tires since the beginning of 2005 and ive never popped a tire or curbed a rim.
Senior Member
SL Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,733
From: Rock in the Middle of the Lake
yup that's the truth. just be careful avoid potholes. always keep the air pressure high, lower pressure gives more flex on the tire if you do have to go thru a pothole. don't tail someone so you get more time to adjust if you do encounter a pothole. and most of all always remember the curbs around you.
Senior Member
SL Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,285
From: Delaware
yea, situational awareness is the first step to keeping the rash off and the rubber on. the xD can drop over 2 inches with 18" rims with no problems for the normal driver. i rub a little in extreme turning at high rates of speed, but a razor knife took care of that...
Junior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 13
The real truth ... most aftermarket aren't worth the trouble unless you are only looking for looks. Most aftermarket wheels are all show and no go.
Looking at the weight of the stock steelies (about 20#), you don't gain much with most aftermarket wheels. Some are lighter, and some are much lighter. But most range from only a pound lighter to more weight than the steel wheels. The bigger the wheel the heavier the weight, so a 17" will weigh more than a identical 16" or 15". If you follow the fashion trend you end up with a heavier wheel. If you are running the stock 16" steelies and you "upgrade to a 18" wheel you might even gain a pound or two per wheel.
Looking at the performance increase you don't gain much with a aftermarket wheel after you mount tires. Not only is it a challenge to gain a small weight advantage with a bigger wheel, it can be even more difficult to gain an advantage with the tires that fit. Compare the weights of tires that fit 17", 18", and 19" wheels and you find that tires that have similar diameters (or rolling radius, or revs per mile) weigh more.
Yea, sticky tires are available, but may of them wear fast. And to keep with a plan that allows the speedo and odometer to work properly you need to go more low profile. This comes with the mentioned potential wheel rash, and a harsher ride. The slip angle is better, but at the cost of real public street sidewall performance that you need. After all if you bend those fancy rims running your low pro tires you will see your investment go out the window.
If you want a real upgrade, stick with the stock 16 inch diameter and skip the look. Shoot for a wheel that is lightweight. Rota makes several durable light weight 16 inch wheels as an example. It will actually hold up with the stock bulge and sidewall stiffness. Then mount some reasonably sticky-er performance tires.
You may want to mount up some all season or winter specific tires on your old rims for the winter months. You will look even less cool, but you will save your fancy wheels and high performance tires for the times when you can actually use them.
Looking at the weight of the stock steelies (about 20#), you don't gain much with most aftermarket wheels. Some are lighter, and some are much lighter. But most range from only a pound lighter to more weight than the steel wheels. The bigger the wheel the heavier the weight, so a 17" will weigh more than a identical 16" or 15". If you follow the fashion trend you end up with a heavier wheel. If you are running the stock 16" steelies and you "upgrade to a 18" wheel you might even gain a pound or two per wheel.
Looking at the performance increase you don't gain much with a aftermarket wheel after you mount tires. Not only is it a challenge to gain a small weight advantage with a bigger wheel, it can be even more difficult to gain an advantage with the tires that fit. Compare the weights of tires that fit 17", 18", and 19" wheels and you find that tires that have similar diameters (or rolling radius, or revs per mile) weigh more.
Yea, sticky tires are available, but may of them wear fast. And to keep with a plan that allows the speedo and odometer to work properly you need to go more low profile. This comes with the mentioned potential wheel rash, and a harsher ride. The slip angle is better, but at the cost of real public street sidewall performance that you need. After all if you bend those fancy rims running your low pro tires you will see your investment go out the window.
If you want a real upgrade, stick with the stock 16 inch diameter and skip the look. Shoot for a wheel that is lightweight. Rota makes several durable light weight 16 inch wheels as an example. It will actually hold up with the stock bulge and sidewall stiffness. Then mount some reasonably sticky-er performance tires.
You may want to mount up some all season or winter specific tires on your old rims for the winter months. You will look even less cool, but you will save your fancy wheels and high performance tires for the times when you can actually use them.
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