Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior What size should I get?

I am thinking of buying new rims, but i am new at this so I need your help guys.
I want the Exel DL46 rims and they are 17x7. What exactly means the (x7)?

Also, i don't know what tire size to get. Is 215/45/17 okay or 215/50/17?
What models will fit perfect?


After i get the rims, i want the Eibach prokit or Tein s-tech.

What do you guys recommend?

17" diameter, 7" wide

yeah, I wouldn't get 18's.. they slow your car down a bit and your breaking wont be as good (too bad they look a lot better).. as for tire size, try and end up with the same as stock, if you go bigger, you loose acceleration...

first number in tire size is milimeters wide second number is ratio of height of tire to width of tire and third number is diameter of tire it fits on. so on a bigger tire you usually want a smaller ratio so it fits stock total diameter(tire and wheel) or close to it. stock I think is 205/50/16 meaning overal diameter will be 16 inches plus 205(102.5 on bottom and top) millimeters. total 24 inches.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Tire size calculator. try this out. it will help you understand

I am going with 17 inch rims, so i need a tire that can fit that.
I called today a couple of tire shops and they recommended to use a 215/45/17 tire. But they also said that if i was going to lower the car with springs, i should install them first then get an alignment and the get the rims and tires.

What goes first?

What you guys recommend? I am still deciding between the Eibach Pro kit and the Tein s-tech, i can't visualize the difference it will have with that tire, how much gap will it have.

Help me here guys, thanks

18's are worth it, they look so sick!

They do, that's why i spent the extra $600 on my Volk GT-U's, 18's are so neccessary! -UNLESSS: you want to race your celi, then go for the 17's for the faster wheel speed and better handling.

That is what i am saying from the beginning, i am going for the 17x rims, and from where i can see, the best tire to compensate the stock tire is the 215/45/17.


The thing know is, how it will look with a tein suspension or a eibach, that is my dilemma right now. I don't know what suspension to buy.

I tried having costco put on my 215/45/17 tires and balance them (since they do it for free since I bought other tires from them) and they said that for liability issues they wouldnt put the tires on but if they were 215/40/17 they would have. So I am not too sure about where you got that the best tire to compensate for the stock tires is the 45's. Anyhow, the 45 fills up the wheel-well better but then again im not lowered. Just make sure you get hubcentric rings or your steering wheel will most likely shake.

One thing people always overlook when buying new tires/wheels is the offset. I think our stock offset is +38mm. You'll want to stick to between +30 to +40mm range. Anything higher and your new rims will look like its totally sunk into the car's wheel well.

Go 215/45/17.

Okay, can you explain me better what is the offset?

If i get the 17x7 rims and the 215/45/17 tire, would that affect the offset.

Miketrd, I copy/pasted from a tire shop:

Offset

The offset of a wheel is the distance from the mounting surface of the wheel to the true centerline of the rim. A positive offset means the mounting surface of the wheel is positioned in front of the true centerline of the rim / tire assembly. This in effect brings the tire in to the fender well more. Conversely, a negative offset means the mounting surface of the wheel is behind the true centerline of the rim / tire assembly. This will cause the tire to stick out away from the vehicle.

Rule of thumb: The smaller the #, the more it sticks out, the higher the # the more it goes in.

So if our stock offset is +38mm, you don't really want to increase the offset too much, otherwise (say for example +45mm) it will sit into the fender way too much...from the side it will look like it tucks into the car (sorta like when you put on steelies for the winter).

Whereas, something +38mm & lower, it will stick out more closer to the fenders...so they will look more flush with the body.

Hope you understand what I'm saying.

lol. I always gotta add whenever someone uses 'Rule of thumb' that the phrase came from an old school law that said its legal to beat your wife as long as the stick you are using to beat her is equal to or less than the width of your thumb.

width of the thumb, holy! Never knew that...cool.

Where do i find the info of the offset of the rims and tires?

I understood the explanation and sounds logical to me, thanks man!