im looking to switch back to an oem rim, but having trouble deciding. i have a 2002 EX that uses stock 18lbs steelies (15x6). I want to use stock 11lbs alloys from the 2000 honda insight (14x5.5). I know 14s would work fine on my EX, but im concerned about the weight of the rim being so low. are there going to be problems putting lighter rims that where meant to be used on a lighter car onto a heavier car? if i hit one pothole will they be toast? also, the oem tire recommended for the insight is different than that recommended for the 14s on a 2001 civic DX. the insight tires are smaller and MUCH lighter at 13 lbs, compared to the larger tires on the civic that weigh around 19 lbs. throwing an insight wheel and tire combo on my civic would be huge weight savings (52 lbs of rotating weight), but i do not want to run into safety issues. i thought about using the insight rims with civic DX tire size. it would still be lighter but have the same beefy tires as the DX. as i understand it, honda makes the tire size recommendations based on vehicle specs. but i am not sure about the rim weight. I have heard that insight rims are very fragile and easy to break (and thats on the insight to start with). All the really lightweight honda rims ive seen are on small/lightweight cars like the VX, insight, and HX. There are no middle weight rims to speak of either. After the light 9-12 lbs rims, it goes up to 16-20lbs. im also concerned that using a 14 instead of 15 rim will reduce handling/cornering ability. So now im leaning more towards a heavier oem 15 inch rim instead. the 2000 SI alloys are starting to look good at 16 lbs, even tho i dont care as much for the design. my main reason for switching is im tired of the aftermarket rims i have now not ever balancing and causing vibration on the highway. also its easy to see the ugly rusted brake rotors. i would rather have some oem rim that covers most of the stuff up. and they have such a smooth ride. i actually like the way the stock hubcaps looked on the 2002 ex, but the steelies are just so heavy.

Does are legite safety concerns. What are the stock insights wheels max weight rating? I guess if its some where on the ball park a bigger side wall tire would help to protect the rim for shock of a pot hole.

Just thought of the 7th gen hybrid rims. They are 14in and will cover all of that stuff.

Insights were 1900 lbs (+/- 50lb for A/C or CVT). EXs are 2600lbs or so. That's 175lbs more per corner. The main issue you should be concerned about is matching or exceeding the EX's tire load rating. Whatever that is. It should be in the owner's manual. 85 to 87 sounds about right . Don't quote me. Thin spoke cast wheels would cause a worry, the insight's wheel design spreads the load sufficiently across the face and barrel surface.

yeah im trying to find numbers. pretty much its between the insight rims with stock size dx tires, or the ex steelies and tires. would prefer the insight but not if they will fall apart with normal driving. i forgot about the tire load rating, i may not be able to carry anything in the car lol. the hybrid rims were looked into a while back and not worth it. the 14s on the 2003-2005 hybrids are around 15 lbs and not worth the weight savings for ugly and smaller rims.

Have you considered GSR blades, Steve?

The face isn't closed like the insight rims, so that harms the aerodynamics and fuel efficiency which I know is a priority. They are light, oem and a very nice looking wheel though.

ur gonna be fine gearbox. i think carnoobie is rubbing off on you too much..

haha i tease.

lol im not a big fan of the blades. and the 13 lbs insight tires are out because they only have an S speed rating and on tirerack they have some of the worst reviews ive ever seen. if i switch down to a 14 inch rim, the tires have to be good enough to make up for the lost tire width. i would like to have something figured out by october tho when i have enough saved up to switch rims. steelies and hubs will be much cheaper ofcourse. they are only $50 each from majestic brand new, and $20 for the hubcap. plus lugnuts i guess. i found the insight weight limit and its only 365 lbs, thats like two normal weight guys riding in the car (makes sense since the car is a 2 seater). about 1/2 of what the civic's load limit is.

i think gearbox should go hella hellaflush.

I'm not a fan of steelies and hubcaps, it would take your clean civic and make it look like a stock base model. They aren't oem, but diamond racing steelies are cosmetically actually quite nice without hubcaps and if you got 14''s they'd be very light. They should be hella strong too.

Hahaha!

Gearbox - What size tires are you looking to get? Minus One @ 175/75-14 or DX Stock @ 185/70-14

prolly dx stock, but im having a hard time finding a good tire. checked tirerack reviews and they have a small selection with terrible reviews. much better tires for the 15 inch rims tho. im thinking it may be better to go with the stock 15s and tires. my handling is crap now with junk tires but if i go to 14s and the handling still blows, i will hate my car lol. its not worth the weight savings if you cant even drive the car thru corners. idk, i would rather have an alloy than a steelie, but nothing really looks good to me in 15s. the si rims are way too small compared to the hubs.

I've always liked the looks of the EX hubcaps. Clean, simple design. Just happened to have 7 spokes too. I'd rock 'em, if they would fit.

I agree with you on the better selection of tires for 15s. Everything from 80k mile economy to track day performance.

Good luck with your decision.

Have you looked at the new generation of Insight rims? I believe they are 15 x 6.5. On an insight forum a set of 4 with tires went for $400 which IMO isn't bad at all Plus they look SO much better than old Insight rims.

Those steelies are beautiful Are the the price of steelies or are they expensive..?

there ok looking they kind of remind me of trailer wheels
http://www.diamondracingwheels.com/challenger.html
some on car pics
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2501223

eh yeah not too bad, i think im set on the oem steelies and hubs tho. still deciding on tire but narrowed down to a few. will post back to get some input later. the ex hubs just have a very clean look.

what on earth is wrong with ur current rims gearbox?

i like the look, but they never balance properly so i always get shakes on the highway. had them balanced by 4 different shops and same thing. they are universal and not meant for civics only, that could be part of it. and they are just looking old with scrapes and bruises and faded black in some parts. and they are too open so brake dust gets all over the car even after one drive.

okay changed mind. i think i want to go with a better quality forged aftermarket rim in 15 inch and something more stockish looking. like these silver racingharts. they look **** and only weigh 8.6 lbs! what do you guys think...

http://viprims.com/WheelDetail2.asp?Link=758

15'' are around $75 shipped to Canada, $125 if you want a polished lip.

Are you sure it's not the wheel bearings causing the shaking, Gear?

nah it happened the first ride i took after switching from oem to the aftermarket rims. sears ended up balancing them the best but there was still noticable vibration. it was good enough to tolerate tho...oems were smooth all the way to 100mph with no shake. it would be very unlikely that something happened to the wheel bearing at the same time the rims were swapped. and each place i went to for a rebalance, the vibration would change to different speeds or get worse/better.

Steve,
Get latest grm magazine, they tested heavy wheels and light ones. NO difference in the clock. Feel only. That's 2nd time that result.
When I swapped from me 16 to stock steelies 15 mileage went up (more weight, more momentum in hwy, maybe less if city only)

yeah i guess with the car weighing so much already, 20 lbs here and there doesnt do much.

I haven't seen these RacingHarts in forever. I'd get 'em.

is that a legit site? i thought those rims went for $400 each when i was looking around before.

sorry, finally got around to login in the computer...
here you go, guys:

now, note the red box - this is the 2nd time they get SAME results!!!

I didn't read it all, but the results. I can't say I'm surprised. I've always wondered why people would say lightweight is better, because those are the parts that are holding the car. They aren't weighing it down at all. So really, only things inside the car should slow it down.

Only thing I would think it would effect is launch time (not even by anything noticeable), but once it starts moving i couldn't see how it would make a difference at all.