15" lightweight or plus size it?
 

OK, so I am kicking around the idea of getting a set of summer and winter rims for my car, so I can have a set of dedicated snow tires. Anyway, I noticed that there is a buy going on at the GBC for either Konig Heliums or GreenLights for $385 shipped and I think to myself, "self...you could buy these rims, put your stock rubber on them, and then buy some snow tires for your factory steelies." Seems like a rather low cost upgrade, to me. Then I started wondering if I would eventually kick myself for not getting 16"s instead, if I was gonna be dropping the cash anyway. Of course, I really like the GreenLights and they are not MADE in 16"s. Then again, if I get 16"s, I wouldn't be able to swap my stock rubber and I would have to buy 2 sets of tires, thus enhancing my cost a great deal. Then I start wondering if I am gonna get another set of 15"s, maybe I should just try and find a set of Si rims instead. Finally, I wonder if swapping my stock rubber to a different set of rims is even a good idea in the first place. Anyhow, I am looking for some advice. Is getting a set of GreenLights and putting my stock rubber on them a bad idea (trying to keep costs down, mind you) so I can get a set of snow tires on my stock rims, or am I better off holding on to my cash for a while and popping for some 16"s later? Or should I just say hell with it and keep my cash? I guess it would be important to note that I have no intention of dropping my car (not that I don't think it looks great, it's just that we have really crappy roads around here and alot of speed bumps). Oh...and I have a 2k2 silver ex coupe.

Here's a pic of the GreenLights
http://www.konigwheels.com/images/140_s.jpg

and of the Heliums
http://www.konigwheels.com/images/137_s.jpg

I bought new 15 inch rims...
http://members.aol.com/form3hide//rim.jpg
I love them an all, but there is just too much rubber.... So this summer I'm planning to get the same rims but 17 inch. I was going to try and sell the 15s, but if I can't, I'll just use them as winter rims, and use the 17s as summers...

I regret buying 15s :/

Just my opinion but 15" look like crap. Way too much rubber. Go for the 17" they are still light and look good too. Your decision but check out the other rides here before you decide. Mine has 17" Motegi's with Kumho Rubber.

Peace,
Ozzy

17's look the best, but 16's are the most practical. I've been running on really heavy 17" wheels (almost 25 lbs) and thin tires (205/40/17) for about 6 months now, and I'm going to switch to 16's and more rubber. 17's are just way too heavy and are too much a pain in the butt for me. I was balancing my tires yesterday and found out one of my rims was bent. Now how in the world do you make a 25 lb. rim bend?? The roads in Houston are filled with way too many potholes and crap... so that's why I'm switching to more rubber and less wheel [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

I also had a problem with scraping the outer sidewall of my rims on curbs [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/IMG]. The new tires I'm getting (BF Goodrich g-Force KDW 215/50/16) are super sticky, have a greater contact area than my old tires, and have a rim protector as part of the sidewall. So I'm looking forward to more peace of mind (not having to worry about bending a rim or scraping it on a curb), better ride comfort, and better handling performance.

I went with 16's for the same reason htowncivicEX listed. The roads here in East Texas $uck big time and I've wasted many a wheel rolling on short sidewalled tires. I went with 205/55-16 and don't regret a thing. The tire has enough sidewall that it handles these crappy roads without me having to worry about my wheels getting damaged from potholes and cracks in the road. 17's & 18's look great, but 16's are a heck of a lot more practical if you do alot of traveling. My Konigs with tires only weigh about 1-1/2 lb more than the factory wheel/tire setup, so there is no noticeable acceleration loss, and with the larger diameter wheel, and performance tires, the car handles 10x better than it used to.

Can you use your stock A/S tires and wheels for winter? I don't know how much snow you get, but I that's what I do. We don't get snow like Buffalo hehe. Even if you need snows, you might as well wait until next winter now.( OOPS! just saw Illinois on the weather channel!)
Go with the 16 or 17 inch combo. You'll be glad you waited.

15s if you want speed over looks. The helium is the perfect wheel if you are about performance. 17s for looks and great handling but loss of acceleration. 16s are in the middle and you lose both ways. I am going with the heliums most likely which only come in 15in. They want look as good as the bigger wheels but they will weigh like 10lbs less per wheel.

if/when i get rims, ill be getting lightweight 15's and keeping the stock tire size, that way the speedo and odo will be exactly right and it will still look good

The 15" and 16" rims from Mugen, Volk, Spoon, and Regamaster are all super lightweight (anywhere from 8 to 12 lbs.) Problem is - you can buy a whole set of lesser brand name rims for the price of one Volk TE37 or Regamaster EVO.

i rock the stock wheel .


its light, and paid for.

i would have gotten a 16" rim already but i'm saving for addtional mods like pullies and fuel rails.

all motor no rice [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

I don't like the idea of heavy wheels. Yes, the 17s definately look awesome and add a lot the the car's appearance. The 15s look good but there is a lot of sidewall there. I say 15s if you are more into acceleration than anything. The handling is not going to be great but it will help keep you out of trouble. I had a set of 16s on one of my cars before with a 50 series tire. I hit a pothole on the passenger side and it dented both that side's wheels. Here in Charlotte, NC, the roads are terrible at best.


Plus, our cars need all the help they can get. I have read here on the forum that the stock whee/tire combo weighs 40-41lbs. I think the firestones weigh around 17. So, a 11-13lb rim would offer a spung-weight savings of 10-15lbs per wheel/tire over stock. That has got to be a big enough difference in weight to improve acceleration. Although, the 16s wouldn't be bad in something like the slipstream because they only weight slightly more than there smaller 15in sibling.

IMO just go big..no matter what our civics arent gonna be running 13's...shi*t even 14's for a while..least without a turbo..and its really NOT that big of a deal between 15 16 or 17...not gonna make a second difference on your 1/4 time, maybe .2 at the most. I went with 18's havent rcv'd them yet but will fill you guys in on how much that slowed me down. But I really dont care cause my other cars a camaro..and well my civics never gonna beat that!

Hmmmmmmm....thanks for all the info, everyone. I'm starting to get the impression that spending money on 15s might just be spending money for the sake of spending money. A new set of rims on my car sure would be a nice improvement, but I think I am gonna hold out until I can afford getting a larger size rim that will actually improve the handling of my car. I know the 15s are nice and light and good for racing, but hell...I'm not racing anyone, anyway.

Thanks again, everyone! I really appreciate the advice!