Rims and tires question

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Mar 30 2007, 06:39 PM) [snapback]415129[/snapback]</div>

Go to www.tirerack.com, specify your car model and find zillion wheels and tire packages, spend weeks reading tire reviews Prius has same rim type as Scion.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Apr 1 2007, 06:34 PM) [snapback]416116[/snapback]</div>

Yes 17" fits but tire will be very low profile, so prepare for stiff ride. Make sure that overall wheel diameter (rim + tire) is the same as factory wheel or MPG meter will be off.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Apr 1 2007, 06:45 PM) [snapback]416126[/snapback]</div>

Why do you think 195/60 is better? Based on what? You don't want RFT unless your car has tire pressure monitor. Read reviews and comparison tables at tirerack.com, you'll learn a lot. They also have stire dimensions calculator. Or visit your local Discount Tire outlet and don't forget to tell them you MUST have wheel of the same diameter. Briefly

185/60R15: 185mm width, height = 60% of 185mm, 15" rim. You do the math.
Wider tire = worse perfomance in snow
Snow tire = narrow tire
Summer tire = bad performance in cold weather (20 and below)

 

If you are going to buy wheels anyway you should consider going to 16 or even 17 inches. The correct alternate tire sizes are: 195/55-16 and 215/45-17. For the 15 inch wheels the correct alternate size is 205/60-15, the 195/60-15 will work but may be a little smaller in circumference, from some manufacturers it my be about right. Look at the revolutions per mile they should be within 1% or 2% of the original 855 revs/mile.

I use 205/60-15 because I was to cheap to buy new wheels. They work nicely, improve tracking and don't hurt the mileage by very much. They are 847 revs/mile and actually partially corrected my speedometer error. It was originally about 2 MPH at 70; with the slightly larger tires it is now about 1 MPH at 70.

 

An add-on question: Does anyone know of any good looking LIGHT WEIGHT rims? Or knows of a database that has the weight of a rim?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Apr 2 2007, 07:04 PM) [snapback]416772[/snapback]</div>

I don't know about run flats, I've never owned a set. I did look at a C6 Corvette recently that had them and I discovered that they are not very available. A lot of tire manufacturers don't make run flats except in a few types of high performance tires and then only in certain sizes. Check the Tire Rack web site and you will see what I mean. I think they are quite heavy compared to standard tires.
http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp

The alternate sizes, being larger, will also weight more, you can check the "specs" at Tire Rack and you will see the weight, revs/mile and some other good data. The stock 185/65-15 Goodyears, for comparison are 17 lbs each. In general heavier tires will require more energy to get rolling and will therefore cut your mileage a bit, of course you get some of that energy back when you slow down, unless you use the brakes. Being wider they have more rolling resistance and that cuts mileage a little also. On the plus side having more tire on the road gives you more traction for cornering and braking on most surfaces. Wide tires are usually not as good in snow, snow tires need to be narrower so they sink in.

 

As a general rule of thumb, an improvent in traction will also decrease mileage a bit. Traction usually means friction, and that will loose energy. It will usually not amount to much of a loss, perhaps one or two MPG, as long as you stick to LRR tires.

The Touring model uses 16" wheels, and because Toyota uses them, it can give confidence for your replacement. They can be had in light weight, but it's hard to find listings of weights. Keep looking, you'll find some sites that list the weight. Perhaps some work using google is required.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Apr 5 2007, 04:00 PM) [snapback]418458[/snapback]</div>

If you are still looking you might go to the Centerline wheels web sit ( google it ) They have a very good deal right now on a 17 in wheel that will fit your car. To the wheel just add a 205/45-17 or 215/40-17 TIRE.
The lightest weight I have found so far is a GENERAL 215 at 18lbs and a Falcon205 at 91.1 lbs. I would guess the milage to be about the same with both tires as the lighter weight General has more contact with the pavement and more resistance, while the Falcon has an extra lb.
I myself am leaning towards the Falcon as it was a great tire on my VW JETTA.....