I need some info about upgrading wheels...

[bluelaser92]

I have a 92 Laser 1.8L that came stock with 14" hubs. I would really like to put some 17's on it, but I am worried that this will mess up the gear ratios too much and my car will be robbed of more power than it ever had to begin with...

So has anyone put rims on a stock 1.8? I need to know if there is a certain size that will be too big. Maybe 16's with some small tires will do the trick? Will 17's be ok, or would I need to mess w/ the transaxle and change the gear ratios?

I just can't stand having small wheels and huge gap.

Somebody help me before my head explodes...

 

[greathuskie]

you have a 1.8, dont worry about going fast

17s are fine

 

[Silver4694]

Its called Plus Sizing.... If you get 17's go with a 205/45 R17 Tires so when your going 60MPH, with the 17's and that tire (205/45 R17) you will actually be going 59.8MPH.... close enough ?

 

[bluelaser92]

Originally posted by greathuskie
you have a 1.8, dont worry about going fast

17s are fine

I am not the least bit worried about going fast. If you actually read my post, you would realize that what I am concerned about is "having small wheels and huge gap." In my opinion, wheels aren't really a go-fast mod in the first place anyway, they're all about looks... When I said that I was worried about my car being robbed of power, I wasn't talking about speed at all. I was talking about the ability of the engine to pull the car forward in first gear if I put bigger wheels on the car. In other words, I was worried about being able to move at all, let alone going fast.

Silver4694,
Thanks for the info. I thought about the smaller tires with bigger wheels deal, but I didn't know if I could get it to the point where the gear ratios would still be okay. So if the only difference it will make is a few tenths of a MPH, then yeah, it's definitely worth it to have 17's!

[/RANT]

 

[wret]

Plus sizing is about making your wheels bigger but tire profile smaller to keep the overall diameter of your tire close to the original. This will NOT reduce your wheel gap and may even give the perception of a larger gap as the height of your tire profile decreases.

A larger diameter tire will likely not alter your performance noticably but will mess up your speedo/odo. It is generally not recommended and you will get more tickets.

There is a lot of information out there on plus sizing and many people DO plus size for performance (handling) reasons.

 

[bluelaser92]

If I Plus size and then lower the car a little the gap will decrease, but I think more than anything I just need to get some rims on the car and worry about the gap later.

I just want to be sure that I've got this now... If I put 17's and 205/45's on the car, the overall wheel+tire diameter will not be affected enough to distort the gear ratios OR to completely render my odometer/spedometer useless, correct?

 

[bluelaser92]

Also, if the wheel is a 17x7, won't the tire size be 205/40's?

 

[FourG63 97GST]

i have 225/45/17 on my 17x7

for 17s go 45 series tires
for 18s go 40

 

[bluelaser92]

Well I was just checking because if I buy wheels from www.wheelmax.com they come with 205/40's - the 40 is the sidewall height, correct?

 

[FourG63 97GST]

yes and with 40s ull get a bigger wheel gap

 

[Fryguy]

40 profile 17s are way way small. Low tread life and poor ride quality.

 

[Beef Jerky]

Originally posted by Fryguy
40 profile 17s are way way small. Low tread life and poor ride quality.

So true. I started out with 40's and have since changed to 45's because they not only look better but also ride alot smoother. I have 17x7 rims and I'm using 215/45/17 tires. They look and work great.

As far as putting 17's on a 1.8...come on. Tons of people have done this and you shouldn't worry about anything.

 

[wret]

Here's a link to a tire calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

You can determine what your current circumference is and what it will be if you go to a bigger wheel.

The tire sidewall height value of the tire size is not an actual measurement. It is a percentace of width. A 205/40 will not be the same height as a 235/40.

 

[bluelaser92]

Thanks for the info guys, I will take your advice and go with a bigger tire size. The only thing is that this means I will have to wait a while until I can afford everything, but hey. It'll be worth it.

 

[Fryguy]

going by that tirecalc, that means 195/70/14 should be replaced with 225/60/14, or am I not reading that right. Can we fit 225/60 on our stock 14s?

 

[wret]

Yes, the diameters of those two tires are very close. I wouldn't go that wide on stock 6" rims though. The rim width should be at least 70% of the width of the tire.

 

[Fryguy]

so then what should I get? 205/60 is going to knock my speedo off by quite a bit