I have searched these forums and did get some info but I'm still confused. I have a 03 sunfire coupe with the stock 14" rims. I would like to go with 17". I see alot of rim/tire packages on ebay etc but they all say to make sure it fits your car. Can anyone tell me what info I would need for buying these and what tire size would fit. I do not want to do any mods to the car. Any help would be appreciated.
if going with the 17" rims, 225/45R17 or 215/45R17 would be the best options, with the 225/45 being the absolute best.
1997 Cavalier Z24 - 16.3 in 1320 and falling...
Thanks for the info on the tires. Can you elaborate on way the 225/45 would be the best??
the 225/45 is going to give you more sidewall, and a better ride.
Evan Bare wrote:the 225/45 is going to give you more sidewall, and a better ride.
lol thats not why its the best
the 215/45 is actually the closes to the stock overall diameter and is whats needed in order to keep the speedo and everything accurate. 225/45 also is very close and works with 17s also. the first number (215) is the width of the tire in mm, the second number (45) is the height of the sidewall. which in this case would be 45% of 215mm. like mentioned above 225 gives you more sidewall obvious because its 45% of 225. the last number (17) is just the diameter of the wheel/inner diameter of tire.
Thanks for clearing that up gentlemen. Any advice on the rims. ie) rim width, offset etc..
i suggested the 225/45 over the 215/45 for a few reasons.
1. it is a very common size for people to up size to. the 215/45 is fairly common, but i dont think it is as popular.
2. it does give a bit more sidewall, so the ride should be a little bit better. this will also protect your rims a bit more from pothole damage, etc.
3. it will require less pressure to maintain the weight of your vehicle as it is a larger tire. larger tires require less pressure, smaller require more.
4. it is a little bit wider. most 17" rims are a 7" wide to 8" wide, so the 225 should fit on that range better than the 215/45.
anyways, there is more reasons but im not going to sit here and type them all out for you.
1997 Cavalier Z24 - 16.3 in 1320 and falling...
discounttiredirect.com
free shipping and they already have the car set for rim widths.
17x7 rims are normal most people run 215/45r17 = inexspecive
17x7.5 rims most run 225/45r17 = best ride looks better imo
17x8 rims 235/40r17= harsher ride more performance orented.
215 and 225 can go on any of these rims but 235 is sugested for the 17x8
their are other reasons for these but these are the ones i stick to .
also do your self a faver look up your wheels weight before you buy it. the lighter the better forged even better.
I dont know if they give you the bolt pattern I think js are 5/100 if wrong sorry
[IMG]http://www.jbody.org/members/image/whyte01cavy/[IMG]
yes 5x100 with a 57.1mm bore size and 12 x 1.5 lugs
whitegoose( RedR-ZedR) wrote:i suggested the 225/45 over the 215/45 for a few reasons.
1. it is a very common size for people to up size to. the 215/45 is fairly common, but i dont think it is as popular.
when choosing your tire it shouldn't be about how popular the size is, it should be about ride quality and speedo accuracy. The idea is that while making these changes, you keep the overall tire diameter within 3% of the original equipment. If you exceed 3% you open the door to lots of other problems.
I appreciate all your help and advice. I think I have enough info to go shopping.
NightmaresCavy wrote:discounttiredirect.com
free shipping and they already have the car set for rim widths.
17x7 rims are normal most people run 215/45r17 = inexspecive
17x7.5 rims most run 225/45r17 = best ride looks better imo
17x8 rims 235/40r17= harsher ride more performance orented.
215 and 225 can go on any of these rims but 235 is sugested for the 17x8
their are other reasons for these but these are the ones i stick to .
also do your self a faver look up your wheels weight before you buy it. the lighter the better forged even better.
Do you know what range of weight's would be acceptable??
Acceptable weight is going to be different for everyone depending what you want your car to do. The stock Z 16s are around 40 lbs, my old 18s(the ones in my sig) were close to 50 lbs and the car handled worse and acceleration was different and braking was worse. Now my new 17s are just under 40 lbs and everything is very good again. I would say for performance try and keep it around what the stock is and under if you can afford it. Generally the lighter the more expensive it is.
LilRedZ24 wrote:whitegoose( RedR-ZedR) wrote:i suggested the 225/45 over the 215/45 for a few reasons.
1. it is a very common size for people to up size to. the 215/45 is fairly common, but i dont think it is as popular.
when choosing your tire it shouldn't be about how popular the size is, it should be about ride quality and speedo accuracy. The idea is that while making these changes, you keep the overall tire diameter within 3% of the original equipment. If you exceed 3% you open the door to lots of other problems.
you are correct in that. the reason why i said i based also on popularity, is it would be easier to source a replacement tire in a popular size if anything should happen. if you get a non-repairable flat on an uncommon size, it may take a lot longer to get a replacement, which would be an inconvienant.
1997 Cavalier Z24 - 16.3 in 1320 and falling...
i just ordered a set of 225/45/17's and id just like to know about how much off my speedo will be....
Silver Z wrote:Acceptable weight is going to be different for everyone depending what you want your car to do. The stock Z 16s are around 40 lbs, my old 18s(the ones in my sig) were close to 50 lbs and the car handled worse and acceleration was different and braking was worse. Now my new 17s are just under 40 lbs and everything is very good again. I would say for performance try and keep it around what the stock is and under if you can afford it. Generally the lighter the more expensive it is.
thats gotta be with the tire, right man? i weighed a stock 95-99 z24 rim the other day at fed ex, it came up 17.3 lbs.
z yaaaa wrote:i just ordered a set of 225/45/17's and id just like to know about how much off my speedo will be....
there's a calculator around here somewhere, but IIRC, at 60 mph, it's approximately .5mph off.
Desert Tuners
“When you come across a big kettle of crazy, it’s best not to stir it.”
hahahha .5?! thats not even enough to give a second worry about, but just for the hell of it, is that slow or fast?
thanks.
