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Well, not "conservative" as in "Republican", just as in "not 18-inch and flashy" -- I'm a little old for that

I am considering a set of Panther (PCW) 15" machined-finish 111's from tires.com (Discount Tire); I am tired of the 14' stock rims, and I really want to lose the Firestones -- I am thinking of a set of Yokohama Avid Touring 205/60-15's. I'm hoping this will improve the stability and quality of the ride -- we have such cruddy roads here in Dallas, and the "bump-steer" is driving me nuts.

Anyone have any experience with Panther wheels?

 
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Yes. They're junk. They should be fine if you take care of them though.

Why not some Enkeis? I would go at least 16s if you want to stay small...

I work at Discount Tire...

 
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Really? Are they unsafe? I don't want to buy anything that's going to fall apart on me.

I did consider 16" wheels, but I was afraid that the ride might be too firm for me, and the 16" tires are a lot more expensive. I just want some wheels that will look nice, but not cost an arm and a leg (I'd like to stay under a hundred each, if I can). And, I come from the "old school" of Cragar mags and big, fat tires, so the really huge rims and very thin tires look sort of odd to me (no offense to anyone; to each his own!)

 
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Panther's parent company is Indonesian, but they've worked hard to get their quality up to pass DOT/JWI/TUV standards in the last 5 years. BTW, I think the 111 is one of their older wheels (somebody help me confirm this!).

Your choice of 15 inch wheels is perfectly reasonable, but listen to this middle-aged Republican old fart...16 X 7 wheels with 205/50-16 tires will look great to you after you drive on them for a day or so. Driveability is just fine--you shouldn't have any problems if you stick with that size tire. I drove on 16's for 2 years and now I have a set of 17's. Bite the bullet and pay that little bit extra for some 16's.

Come on over to the dark side...


Mmmmm..... 15 X 10 Cragar SS with 15 inch N50's on the back of the Camaro

 
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i would say 17's like the motegi mr7, or konig tantrum, with 215/45/17

with a 1' drop would look almost stock, but would stand out a little

 
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Thanks guys... I have done a little more browsing, and I think I will hunt around for some 16" (mmmm...maybe 17") wheels, and shop around a bit for the tires. I wish Honda made larger wheels for the Civics (and didn't want a king's ransom for them!).

Thanks for all the input!

 
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Why don't you get your hubs redrilled to accept a 5X114.3 pattern and get a set of Integra Type R rims from the DC5? They are 17" and would look very nice, but the hard part would be crafting up a new lug pattern...

 
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They're not unsafe, just not high quality wheels. I would go for a 17 or 18, but if you want all season tires I would probably go with 16s.

 
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Thanks, slystad810; I am now thinking I'll go with a 16" rim -- The Enkei RS5 and the Rage Breaker are pretty nice, although I like the thicker spoke design of the MB Motoring Rev - is that an okay rim?

 
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MB Motoring is pretty good. It's Discount's name brand. Enkei is top quality and Rage is good too.

 
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go 16" s and buy my 16" icw racing 10- spoke tuner rims. 1000 miles on tires.i'll even include tuner lug nuts which you'll need. rims look brand new 300$ +shipping
riley
rijowysock@aol.com
p.s. im selling becuase i need room in my garage nothin wrong with rims or tires. btw if you need to see pics of rims go to superbuytires.com and search by brand for icw racing and then the top left one that pops up is them 16x7 with khumo 711 escta tires.

 
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Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it.

 
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I'd go with 17's, like the Motegi MR7, and 215/40/17 tires.

 
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Mmmm....17's are too big to suit me. I think I would look weird getting out my car with rims that large -- the kids would likely get a good laugh, though

 
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I agrgee with you on the "conservative" front. I have a 2001 EX coupe and have gone through several sets of wheels - both in 15 and 16. Whatever you do - stay away from the very inexpensive heavy aluminum wheels. The lighter you go the better the driveability and the steering feel is also improved. I recommend a 16" lightweight wheel like the SSR comp or the Velox 16 8R - they are a bit more expensive then what you are looking at above but they will do you much better in the long run. As for tires - I strongly recommend the Dunlop D60A2 or the Yok Avid. Both have good wear rates and are generally quiet over rougher roads. Good luck. Jazzy

 
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I am actually leaning towards the Yokohama Avid for my tires; do you think the MB Motoring wheels are overly heavy for their size? I really like the 272 on Discount Tires site...it's different from the styles I see on everyone else's cars.

 
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So you have to decide why you want to do the wheels in the first place I guess. Is it all about look and feel or is there some performance upgrade in your thoughts? Those 272's probably weigh a bunch - but they are a very cool looking wheel. Let's say you add 4-5 pounds per wheel whith the new size (in the 272 this is not an outrageous guess). You are adding 25% more unspring weight and the car will feel sluggish off the line and require incread braking distance over stock.

As for the Avids, I'd say the Touring is a good tire for quite ride and soft feel, but not for the performance side of things - which is fine if you want that going in. I still agree with you about the 17" deal - i think people find the larger wheels on our cars to be comical when the car is not completely custom. less is more in my opinion. Good luck

 
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That's a good point. I do want some performance increase, but I am basically just a daily commuter type of driver. I don't hot-rod around (although I did as a kid), and I like just a settled, balanced, smooth ride. My main objective is to eliminate some of the "bump steer", and give the car a better stance on the road.

I wouldn't mind having 16" wheels and wider tires with shorter sidewalls, but the tire selection seems much more limited in the 16-inch range; the tires that are available tend to be a lot more expensive, they don't have a good tire wear rating, and they don't seem to be of the all-season type that are available in the 15-inch range.

 
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I see nothing wrong with 15"...people go bigger size for show or performance, but you can go with whatever you want...it's your car...get what you want, not what others want!

 
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I certainly agree with the limited choice issues. As I said, I found the 16" well/tire combo to be smoother while providing better driveability and performance. The only real advice I'd give is take your time choosing and try to experience the tires before you buy them. I love my Dunlops but others have had bad things to say. Have fun.

 
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Thanks, jazzy...and everyone! I really appreciate all of the input -- it's very helpful!

 
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In terms of math, you're correct. However, I cannot imagine that he would notice the extra 16-20lbs. Also, if someone is that worried about weight, I'd expect them to be on the treadmill trying to burn a few extra pounds so their car would have less weight to push. There would be no sluggish starts or soft braking. That's a non-issue.

If you're not auto crossing, and you're not getting 19" chrome rims, don't worry about weight. Just get a quality rim.