Hey, I want to put some 18" black steel wheels on my '03 Cavalier. I was wondering if anyone knew as to how I would find some that would fit. I used the search feature but it didn't give me what I was looking for. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!
generally, there arent steel wheels made in that diameter that come in our bolt pattern and offset. vehicles that would have used that large of a diameter of steel rim would not have come 5x100 but at the smallest 5x114.3 or 5x115.
and not only that, but why would you want to do that? steel rims are god awfully heavy compared to alluminum rims of the same diameter. going to that large of a rim will push the weight of the rim farther away from the center hub, adding more weight to the rotational mass. this is even a problem with lighter weight 18" aluminum rims, never mind 18" steel rims.
1997 Cavalier Z24 - 16.3 in 1320 and falling...
I love the look of the plain black steel rim but want to put some nice slim tires on there and need to keep the same overall diameter. Does anyone know if there is aluminum rims made that are in the style of the OEM steel wheel on the cavs?
maybe going with a off road wheel that they make for truck dont know if can get our pattern or fwd but they are similar.
That is a good idea. I was looking at some classic muscle car wheels, they had that style but they were all fairly small diameters. None were close to 18". I am wondering if I am going to run into the same problem with the off road wheels also. They all seem to be fairly small diameters and bigger lug patterns.
Exactly what problems does having a larger steel wheel create? Whitegoose mentioned that the weight would be a problem, but what problem? Woudln't it still be balanced?
More effort needed to turn the wheels... dur. More strain on your power/drivetrain, slower car.
2001 Olds Alero (LD9)
650 whp / 543 ft-lb
@turboalero
Would it hurt my car? I am by no means trying to create a fast car, just trying to make it more towards my liking.
it wont "hurt your car" it just makes it work harder all the time, you will also get worse gas mileage because of the added weight and the rotation of the wheels. your brakes will be working much harder, and they wont last as long. you could always look for some billet wheels (aluminum) and flat black them, they would be "similar" but still any wheel large like that will make your car work a decent bit harder than it shouldhave to.
Yeah, I definitely like the flat black look. I was just trying to save a few bucks by getting an OEM steel wheel, but it looks like it will benefit me more in the long run to spend a little more and get aluminum wheels instead. Unless there is a different solution that I haven't even thought of?
classifieds. lol thats the cheapest option. usually oem parts are way overpriced anyway... look at some centerline wheels, they are plain, and some look like polished steelies, just black em out
