Alrighty, so here the deal.
I was recently running my Cavalier with 17 inch wheels wrapped in some 215/45ZR17 "All Season" tires that were absolute crap especially when it rained causing me to have absolute no grip in first gear at all.
Since I got them with the car I just assumed having a lowered car was just a pain in the ass from all the "pain in the ass" I was feeling from how stiff these things were. I could honestly feel EVERY small indentation in the road, and I always swerved out of the way of manhole covers
NOW, just last week I slapped on some stock 95-99 z24 wheels with some 205/55R16 Goodyear tires that are an absolute dream! Honestly I cannot feel anything on the road and it's amazing, I feel like I am floating while I am driving. Manhole covers are no longer noticeable at all. Still corners like a beast with my sportlines and my AGXs. Plus the road noise is gone. All I hear while I'm driving is my tranny and fuel rail spitting gas. Also it seems easier to shift into gears without the transmission groaning away. Now I weighed both set before installing and the old ones were 41 lbs vs the stock ones at 36 lbs (both with rubber) meaning 5lbs a corner.
Now my question is, is there any advantage at all to running 17 inch wheels again? Besides the look. At this rate I don't ever want to put them on again. What have you guys who run 17s think? What tire is best with 17s on our cars?
I'm just curious if anyone has any input. Cheers
Clearance for bigger brakes, wider tire options, and the lower profile sidewall (while stiffer for normal driving) offers less flex in hard cornering. Too much sidewall can make the car wallow in the bends.
Agree with the wider tires and better cornering. However too small of a side wall has a serious affect on your ride performance. As you said you can feel every bump in the road. You have to find a happy medium in your sidewall size.
Also there is no point in upgrading to a larger wheel if your not going to run a lighter weight wheel. Just my 2 cents.
These guys hit the nail on the head, if your looking for comfort stay away from low pro tires, if your looking for an autox champ, get super sticky low pro tires. And like Austin said, if you don't loose weight, don't do it, more unsprung weight is what causes your tranny to groan.
Probably an issue with the tires you had. I was running 225/40/18 hancook ventus v4s and they handled amazing and the ride was smooth. You probably just had bad tires or too much tire pressure. Too much tire pressure would cause all the issues you had. I use to run 32 psi with my 18s.
On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.
Agreed with all the above... tons of advantages with running 17's.
Looks, handling, ride, bigger brake ability...
I run a 225/45/17 on mine and it rides smooth. Personally, I feel that running a 17" does give you the obvious more side wall, but in my opinion it just looks much better with a little tire to fill out the wheel well.
FYI, you had the wrong tire size anyway. The 215/45/17 is a popular size on our cars, but you should have 225/45/17 to have the proper overal tire diameter.
Also, as stated, the tire itself has a lot to do with it. I've had the same size tire in different brands/models and noticed a huge difference in road noise, and ride quality.
For the weight issue, there are plenty of light weight rims out there, but if you go cheap, you're gonna get heavy.
i run 215/45/17 continental extreme contact dws. they are imo the best tire for our cars. i also have lighter motegi rims
215/45/17 is the right size... I sell wheels and tires everyday... i love mine...
Ryan Goldsmith wrote:215/45/17 is the right size... I sell wheels and tires everyday... i love mine...
Not really. For the 14" tires found on the absolute bottom base model, the 215 is barely closer than the 225. However, for the 15's and 16's the 225 is closer. The 225/45/17 is actually dead on the same overall diameter as the 195/65/15, which is more common on these cars than the 195/70/14.
I`m with Mr.Quick on this one ,a real summer tire ( to hell with 4 season tires ) with 225/45/17 size would have given you performance and better handling albeit slightly worse on fuel economy!
BLACKMANTIS
225/45/17 all day. Fills the well better, more stability, just plain looks meaner.
I've ran that size in a Potenza RE070 as well as currently on Nitto Invo's. Got some Cooper RS3-S in the basement waiting to go on.
This size is obviously going to be a little more of a rough ride, however that's the sacrifice you make to have fun, and look good doing it.
Any suggestions on what to get on my stock GM wheels? (16" I believe?)
Are you looking for a size suggestion, or a tire model?
For size, 205/55/16 is factory, but a popular uprade is 225/50/16.
However, I would personally only do it on aftermarket rims that are 7" or wider, because a 225 is a little wide for a 6" rim (our factory width).
215/45/17 all day everyday. Looks the best.
FU Tuning
