For those with experience, what will be the effects on gas mileage, handling/performance and safety if I change my stock 13 inch 185/70 wheels and tires for 15 inch 205/50 wheels and tires? These are about the same circumfrence (and diameter, for you math freeks) as stock, but would be a little wider. Of course the bigger wheels would look cool. The car is a light beige 84 GSL, wimpy but pretty, bone stock and well tuned, sans cat, just the way I like 'em.

Thanks!
Ray

 

Should have littlke affect on your milage.
If the 15's weigh less than stock, than it will make it brake, accelerate, and corner better.

Also having a wider higher performance tire is always better.

 

It also depends on what width 15" wheel you're looking at, including offset (centerline of wheel to mounting face). I recently installed MB Motoring Model 272 to my 84SE and these are 15"x6.5" width. After doing the math on circumference, I found that going with 205/60 tires (Yoko ES100's) would yeild a taller tire height and larger diameter to the tune of about 6% difference in speedometer reading - this is too high, and would negatively impact performance, since the tires would be taller, the gearing would be taller, the tires would be heavier, the wheels would be heavier, and generally, the car would lose cornering ability and acceleration.

Instead, I went with 205/55 series tires (Yoko ES100's) which were less than 1% from stock height and diameter. This means that the speedo will read slightly higher than actual speed (tires are slightly, very slightly, undersized compared to stock tires). The total rolling diameter was less than 1/16" from stock diameter - this is comparatively the difference between new tires and worn tires in total diameter, so within my expectations for wheel use on my daily-driver SE.

Now that they are mounted, they have a 38 offset which fits very closely to the 40 offset of the stock 84SE. The tires are mounted 2mm more outboard than the stock wheels, and I think this makes the car appear to have a fuller wheelwell when viewed from the side and from the back. The wheels and tires are flush with the sides of the car when viewing straight down the bodywork, compared to before when the wheels/tires were noticably retracted within the wheelwell.

Performance has been excellent. By my signature line, you can read that I have some suspension mods and I recently added Tokico blues to the front (rears this weekend). The tires I chose roll much more quietly than the Michelin's I had on there, and the wheels look great, IMO. Cornering performance is identical to before, if not a bit crisper since there is a wider contact patch at the front to turn against (same total area, just a different profile compared to 205/60 tires on 5.5" width 14" wheels (Stock SE "electric razor" wheels). I haven't noticed any decreases in performance, but this is just my impression and likely due to buyer satisfaction with the package.

I highly recommend 15" wheels with the correct offset and width to improve the looks and performance of the car. In hindsight, my stock SE wheels are probably stiffer than the MB272's, but I like the look of machined face custom wheels, and it makes the brake rotors and calipers visible from the outside now. I don't have to remove the wheels to see how much brake pad I have left! HTH,

Link to wheels: http://www.winstonsarea51.com/mbmotoring272.html

<img\http://www.winstonsarea51.com/produc....large.jpg\img> (somebody help me out with this image if I have it wrong! Thx)

 

Excellent. Thanks LongDuck and 851stgen12a, I'm gonna do it.

Ray

 

thee easy way is to use the IMG button above the "your Reply " window ... it doesn't appear on the quick reply box though

+ I think the photo you are trying to link has been disabled from being remote linked (hence the red X)

 

Trying this again, hopefully with a link that will allow for downloading - and this is the last time I'll try this to save time/space.



Also, attachment is the image attempting to post. TIA,

 

So I decided to stay with the stock 185 wheels and itres because:

1. They are cheaper
2. They don't drag you around the road
3. I can afford them better, a new set of 13's with the raised lettering
4.. I lost the ebay acution, hope someone likes those 15 inch 3 point rotor rims, I sure do!

Ray

 

I keep my stock 13's for winter, and I have my 15x7 Enkei's for the rest of the year. 13's have snow tires, 15's have Yokohama AVS ES 100's. I found the Enkei's for $100, very dirty, but they cleaned up nice. The yokohama tires are EXCELLENT in rain or dry, but won't make the car move in snow. 195-50-15 ES 100's are still $53 a piece from tirerack.com I think the 205's are $72.

 

do you have a pic of those rims on your car?

 

I have some PLS wheels, 3 piece, French made. 15 inch and wider then stock... I used to have 225 front and 255 rear. Until I needed new rear tires and they couldn't deliver them! Out of production; I could order them from Michelins classic program, over $260 each and seven weeks waiting at least. So now I have Bridgestone's Potenza, 225 all-round. Pretty good lloking on a Mariah Mode one car.

 

Those rims are awesome, I second the notion for a pic of them on your car...And i might ivest in them after i get the swap complete

 

If you're retaining the stock 13 inch wheel, there is really only one tire to consider:

The Sumitomo HTR 200.

The Sumitomo is dirt cheap, sticks a lot better than it's price would indicate, and comes in great sizes, like 205/60/13, which gives you great contact patch and minimal speedo error. They're also amazing in the wet, as I learned at my local AutoX event two Sunday's ago.

Check out www.TireRack.com . They're just 40 bucks US.

 

I believe I run 205/50 on my 1st gen, love em

 

old 1st gen with the same setup

 

another