Okay guys I need some help.

I've been a hubcap user since I've been driving. They are fugly. I've got some questions.

1. Do wheels really increase the theft threat level of your car?

2. If I have a stock 2006 xA, what size wheels am I looking for?

3. They need to be professionally installed right? And if no, what kind of tools am I looking at?

4. Will I need to replace my stock tires?

As you can tell, I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, please assist!

 

Do some research on this site:
http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp

You can see what wheels would look like on your car. I got my wheels at www.treadepot.com. I got them there because I wanted a certain wheel. I got my tires balanced and mounted by treadepot and got hubcentric rings with the shipment. All I had to do was jack up the car and mount them. If you just get the same size rims you can use your stock tires. Another option is to get trim rings..........

Look at this post: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...ght=trim+rings

 

Ok, here's what I can say.

1. Depends on your wheel choice and the look of the car. If you've got some hot rims on there that set the car apart fromt the others in the lot, then sometimes the added attention isn't welcome.

2. Stock xA... I'd suggest going for 17" rims, they leave you enough tire to still have a comfortable ride and fill up a good portion of that nasty wheel gap. 18" rims are kinda rough to ride on because of the smaller tire size.

3. Wheels need to be balanced, your local Discount Tire can do it pretty cheap, as well as get you some cheap tires and mount them to the wheels.

4. Stock tires will work if you buy 15" rims. I personally feel that the xA is more suited to 17" or 18"

 

So let me see if I understand right.

1. Don't go too flashy and you won't get jacked (probably)...

2. 17"'s look cooler than 15"'s

3. Take it to a tire shop to have it done (I might need diff tires if I get 17"s?)

4. 17"'s look cooler than 15"'s

My budget is pretty tight. I don't wanna spend more than $300 on this so I am assuming I'm pretty much stuck with 15"'s eh?

 

Wow I just saw some pricing... now we know why I've stuck with hubcaps! LOL... well maybe when I win the lottery I can get some!

 

You can find some pretty inexpensive 17" wheels, but moving up to a 17" tire will probably put you out of the $300.00 range. There are a couple of discount wheel and tire sites as well. Also, there is an xA wheel and tire forum and I'm moving your thread there.

 

If you don't want to spend a lot of money you can always go the trim ring route. Look at the "Bling Trim Ring with Hub Solution" thread.

You can get a set of chrome lug nuts, bright hub caps and polished stainless steel trim rings for well under $100. It actually gives the stock wheel a very nice look. With the money left over you can easily afford a set of lowering springs for the right stance and your choice of paint color to paint your wheels. Whether you color match them to your car or just rattle can them gloss black.

And with a standard socket set, some masking tape and a little know how you can do the entire thing in your driveway. You may need to find some help for you springs, or have those installed professionally, but they are pretty easy as well.

Good luck.

 

I prefer 16" rims, They look really good and ride much smoother than 17s. for some really cheap 15" and 16" rims go to www.discounttiresdirect.com and sort by price. There are some called X-wheels that should fit your budget. Also check ebay.

 

Hmm I think that site is down? Ebay is a good idea, I'll check that out.