Well, my S-lites AND Goodyear Runflats are toast. The Ohio potholes are big enough to swallow smartcars, and on portions of certain roads are unavoidable. SOBs. You swerve to miss one, just to clip an even bigger gorge. All four of my tires are done along with three of the S-lites. They are actually bent!! I wish I could send a bill to the State of Ohio.

Quick question - what happens with the flat tire monitor if you put on non-runflat tires? Will they just disengage the monitor? And, is there anything you can do with wheels that will void the warranty? Can a third-party shop put on the new rims and tires w/o voiding the warranty?

 

When I put non-RF on my monitor didn't say a thing, just like if i had my old tires on.

I wouldnt imagine that the warranty wouldn't be affected, my dealer comment that my new wheels looked sweet when i took it in for free service and a dome light button that fell off

I took my tires to a local race shop to balance as they had the top of the line machine, I put them on myself with locking wheel nuts

 

Yah, the tyre monitor works the same with or with out RF tyres. Someone will go into more detail I am sure, but the monitor is not in the tyre or rim, but actually somewhere up in the bearing. It is looking at the RMP of the wheel. Anytime one is a certain amount less, or more than the other 3, the light will come on. That's why you can slowly loose pressure on all 4 and not get a light.

 

Wow, that's quite a butcher's bill on your rims and tires! I had the same problems with NE Ohio roads. A pothole bent two of my s lite rims at the lips and gouged one of the tires. Does anyone want them? I hear they make great garden hose reels. Anyway, you won't have any problems with non RF tires, although you may need to reset the monitor when you put them on. It's my understanding that the monitor uses the ABS sensors to detect differences in rotation speed from wheel to wheel to determine if there is a flat. When you put on new wheels/tires, the sensors may have to re-learn the baseline rotation.

Are you thinking of sticking with the 17"?

 

The tire monitor actually works through the ABS by sensing differences in wheel speed, that's why it won't signal a sudden loss in pressure, as that would signal the same to the system as wheel spin. So unless you have tires and wheels that are different sizes on the same car, it should work with any tire and wheel.

 

it may take some time to get a refund, but I got a windshied paid for by a CA contractor who hadn't cleaned up a road after working on it. Pot holes that have been around for a while surely should get some compensation. Isn't some of the tax money supposed to go into fixing them? Anyway, after you get your new wheels and tires, list when and where the events occured, and send it in with a copy of the bill to your stated department of transportation (or make some calls to see who is the correct person in you state). It may not work, but if it does, about 9 months later you get a check. Can't hurt to try....

Here in CA if the powers that be know about the pot hole and don't fix it, they'll have to pay for damamges. I'm sure that varies by state, and maybe even county, but it's worth checking into....

Matt

 

Since it appears we're traveling in similar parts of the country...ummm...what sort of rims are you going to replace your S-Lite's with?

I ordered my MCS with summer performance tires with the intent of putting snow tires on the S-Lites and buying some other rims for the summer tires. If I had to order today I would get the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2's. But hearing the S-Lite's poor performance on Ohio roads. I'm concerned the Pro Race wheels may get toasted even faster?!

 

might want to do 16's or even 15's sounds like...

 

Well, normally I'd say that it takes a lot to damage an S lite rim if you hit a pothole squarely. After all, they are stoutly constructed (isn't that why they're so heavy)? My pothole was made at a connection where the asphalt had made a hole that ended at a steel plate that was embedded in the road (I was crossing onto a bridge). I hit the plate corner at an angle and it pranged 2 rims pretty badly. BUT- I was able to drive home with 2 flat tires! I'll run on my stock s lites in the winter (Pirelli run flat snow tires). Kenchan is right, however. If you want maximum protection from ODOT maintenance practices, 15" or 16" might be a better choice.

 

on a 16" you can easily find a 55 series tire (stock is 195/55R16), that might help isolate your wheels some...

 

Get some Rewinds and some 205-55/15's. You'll love 'em dodging potholes.

 

I'm loving these responses - keep the advice coming. I am brand spanking new to the world of aftermarket wheels.

I really like the look of 17s. Of course, it sure makes sense that 16s would be more pothole friendly, but we hope to not be in Ohio too much longer. We sold our house, so woohoo!! Now my husband and I just need to find jobs in Seattle, and we are outta here. Unless of course Seattle roads are as bad as Ohio's.

For the good Dr - I can imagine in Cali they have to keep the roads up. I could look into it, but I'm sure there's a clause that states you can't sue the state for damage caused by the condition on the roads. They'd go bankrupt. Winters are real tough around here, and the plows, the salt, and then the snow melts getting into cracks, and then freezes - acting like a jack-hammer in the concrete. It just blows apart literally. Then they bring out the orange barrells when the snow goes away in April, and we have road construction season. Then winter hits again. It's a vicious cycle...NOBODY should have a really expensive car around here. Unless it's just a summer driver. Even then, watch out for flying stones.

If you wouldn't mind throwing some manufacturer names at me to add to my list to look into?

 

Best advice right here!

 

Aftermarket wheels will/can bend just as badly as your old wheels. Check my gallery if you want to see pics. I had a set of OZ Superleggera's absolutely destroyed on Michigan roads.

The advice about 15s & 16s is very wise.

 

In WV you have to send all your info to the WVDOT and after going thru all the red tape, it ends up that the State Legislature has to approve it to be paid. Sounds like alot to go thru, but it works.

 

Really? That's too cool! I wonder if that WOULD work in the state of Ohio?

Ok, I am really considering going to 16s. What would the cornering difference be?

 

Hang on, there- if you really like the look of 17's and you're not long for this part of the county, don't discount that rim size just yet. I'd imagine that Seattle roads are in better shape than Ohio's. You could just buy the 17's and be very careful until you head west.

To answer your question about 16", you may experience less immediate response and a bit of "roll" due to the taller sidewall, but then again, depending on how you drive and the wheel/tire combo you use, you may not. As mentioned before, you'll probably get a bit more ride comfort. One thing to consider is weight. I switch from s lites to 17" Kosei K1 Racing rims when I go from winter to summer wheels. The Kosei's weigh several pounds less than the s lites and the reduction in unsprung weight is very noticeable. Turn in feels faster and acceleration is stronger with a lighter rim/tire combo- and my butt dyno isn't very well tuned, so if I can feel it, it's there.

 

Joe, I just realized where your sig is from! Real Genius! I love that movie...

 

Just a small correction - the R53's uses the ABS system to check tire pressure changes by checking the difference in rotation between all of the wheels. The R56s use an actual monitor in the wheels (see Tirerack for an explanation of the monitor). The problem with the R53 system is that it doesn't give a warning if all 4 go down together. If you put a rim without a pressure senor on an R56 you just get a low pressure warning that doesn't go out. Neither of these are affected by getting rid of the run-flats. As for 16ers on an S, I have both for my S and I prefer the 16s for the street. No real loss in feel or handling for the street, a much better ride and a bit more protection against the pot holes here in the northeast (hit one hard enought to pop the door open - no tire or wheel damage). Just put some good tires on them. The Bridgestone G019's work great as an all season tire on the car; you may want a good rain tire for where you are going. Also, I would stick with the stock wheels for strength. There are crappy roads all over this country. Look on ebay for stock replacements. I picked up a set of 17" for $125 each + shipping.