I currently have the stock 17" wheels on my 2002 R35 (8 Spoke 17x7 Inch, 4x100mm Bolt Pattern, One Piece Aluminum, 48mm offset.) wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact DWS's and lowered on Megan street springs (green). I am in need of new tires after 5 years(!) and I have noticed a slow leak in the driver's side wheel. The stock wheels are quite damaged, and I was looking to getting them refinished, but might instead just go with new wheels all together.

I'm beginning to want a smoother, cushier ride the older I get, and I hate being afraid of every little nuance in the road. Would it be logical for me to go for smaller wheels and larger tires? I'm looking into the OEM 16" mini cooper wheels that look like BBS's, or even just 16x6.5 steelies. How much of a difference would this make in the ride? I think a narrower wheel would also let me handle better in chicago winters.

If going with a smaller wheel and bigger tires makes a significant difference in ride quality, what size/brand tire would you prefer?

Thanks everyone!

 

Hey man, I'm in Chicago as well and I'm not sure if its the bigger tire or the steel wheels but I find my ride more comfortable when I put on my winter tires. They're on steelies and I believe they're 195/55/16s.

 

Same thing. I don't mind a stiff ride, but I don't want to have to wear a mouth guard..!
I took my 17" wheels off and both...went to 16" diameter AND went one size larger diameter on the tire size.
While it's still a little stiff, no mouth guard is required..! Much better overall. I also searched for a tire that had larger edge or corner blocks in the tread. That is, smaller blocks of rubber will squirm/move around more when going into corners. Larger blocks of rubber move less, and therefore have better stability thought the corner. The Dunlops seem to corner well, even having more sidewall rubber.

 

I am not attacking you, but the first thing that jumps out at me is instead of questioning the tire or wheel choice, I would re-examine the Megan coilovers that also lowered the car; since cushier ride is your objective. I think their street springs are still quite stiff compared to the stock ones.

 

Thinking about going that route! What kind of dunlops? I was driving the other day and saw a wrx with these really blocky looking edge tires on what looked to be 15"s or 16"s.. was wondering if that would fit right and what kind of rubber that was..

 

Well, the megans were a cheaper option at the time while I was in college and strapped for cash. I think I paid around 600 for the set. They are adjustable, which is nice, although I haven't taken much advantage of that option. I don't want super cushy, just a less jarring ride when I hit minor imperfections in the road.. What sub $1k shocks would you suggest I go with the next time I change them out?

 

Blocky rubber tires usually means extreme performance summer tires. They are very contrary to cushy ride attributes you are looking for. They are usually 200 wear rating too so alignment is hardly an issue as the tyres wear out before the off-alignment can cause uneven wear. That is why I have yet to pay a professional for a precision alignment.

 

If you were a starving college student when you compromised and opted for the Megan you can't be that old to want a cushy ride. I am afraid Megan CO simple can't last long enough.

Seriously, if you have CO already, you are likely passed the point of no return as the chances are you no longer have the stock spring perches to use springs like Swift or stock springs. The truth is with the excellent Swift springs you still need to be very careful with potholes on the road with our deteriorated country that once were the best. Seems to me stock springs with Koni FSD (or the current incarnation) is your best choice.

 

pnw -

Just to clarify, the current shocks and springs in my car, are just fine.

I am NOT a fan of giant wheels and 2.00" sidewall tires...on ANY car. In my oh so humble opinion, they are just so much flash (or flash in the pan..!?). Big wheels and short tires have no place in the real world. They aren't on (real) race cars (well, I guess except for the Daytona Prototype cars), the wheel repair guys love'm though... A new industry was brought about by using 2.00"(ish) side wall tires, fixing the rim damage from potholes.
Cruisers seem to love'em, car show guys seem to love'em, I see no use in them in the world of driver cars. Even the few Mini Cooper's that I have seen, that have been outfitted for racing...use 15" and 16" wheels.

But thanks for the insite on my shocks and springs.

Mike

 

I just went through your thread about Desire.. great write up! Damn that's a lot of fine work. I think I'll have enough to switch up the suspension next year. How much would the Koni FSD and Swift spring setup cost approximately?

For now, is it reasonable to pick up 16x6.5 steelies with a larger diameter tire to get me through a year? I'm still learning a lot since most of my service is done with the assistance of my buddy who's a mechanic.

 

Just FYI you don't want to run swift springs with KONI FSDs, they'll wear the struts out prematurely and KONI won't warranty them because the FSDs are designed for stock springs. I picked up my FSD's for $550, they usually go on sale in the spring. Hopefully you still have the stock springs lying around, if not see if you can pick some up used, they're kind of expensive new.


I've had FSDs on my car for a little over 2 years now and I love them. The ride is great and the performance is too.

As far as wheels go, I have 2 sets of OEM wheels, a set of 17 inch wheels and a set of 16 inch wheels. I drove on 16 inch wheels year round for 10 years, and the ride quality is noticeably better than the 17 inch wheels. More sidewall = better ride almost all the time.



I don't have any experience with aftermarket or steel wheels, but I have stayed with the OEM wheels because they are cheap, especially second hand. You can probably pick up a set of 4 used OEM 16 inch wheels for $200. They probably won't be in perfect cosmetic condition, but they can be refurbished, or you can live with it.

 

I should still have them lying around. Thanks for the info! Yeah, I've been looking at Ebay for OEM 16'S, looks like the ones I want are about $90 a piece. I can't wait to ditch the 17's..

 

A little late in seeing this one... I have two sets of wheels and tires. One set is strictly street use as they are winters - OEM 15x5.5's (though my signature below shows the 15x5.5's on track - that was before I got more wheels). My summer set are 16x7 Pannasports. Kind if light weight at 18 or so pounds. They are the street versions so they are durable enough to be used on street but light enough to track. The tires I put on them are sized 205/55-16. You can go 205/50-16 but that seemingly minor difference in the sidewall makes a huge difference in ride quality on the street but still gives good spirited driving characteristics. It is a good compromise in tire size, in my opinion, and that is after 2 sets (each) of tires sized 205/50 and and 205/55. The 205/55's are a better choice for street use. The extra, though small, amount of sidewall makes for a dramatic difference in comfort. I also have Megan's but they are the Euro II's which are, again, slightly stiffer than your Streets. To totally beat a dead horse, my recommendation is 16 inch wheels, as light and as strong as you can afford and 205/55-16 tires. You will always be limited in the tire choices with our little cars.

 

I'm clueless. So I'm looking at grabbing the Sparco Terras in 15x7 or 16x7. Would 215/50/15's on the 15x7 or 215/50/16 on 16x7 fit better (if at all) on the Megan Street Series (dropped about 1" from stock)? Which would be a better option?

Or if I got steelies:
15x6's with 215/50/15s
or
16x6.5 with 215/50/15s

Do these configurations work!?

 

I have three sets of 16" wheels on my R53 with Bilstein B14 coilovers lowered by about 35mm.

195/55 Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 (studded winters) on 16x6.5 ET37 steelies
205/50 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 also on 16x6.5 ET37 steelies
205/50 Yokohama AD08R semi-slicks on 16x8 ET34 Rota Slipstreams

The only ones that rub a little at the back are the Yokohamas. They are also the noisiest and the harshest ride, which is no surprise. But perfect at the track. The Michelins are really nice on the street. Really good in the wet too.

I'd say 215/50-16 will be fine on your car. 215/50-15 would be a bit too small diameter...

 

I want to go 215/50/16 - then a tire rack sales rep said they would be too wide and I'd need to modify my fenders - can this be confirmed? I know these tire guys want to stick to OEM configurations..

 

I tried to put 225/50-16 on my car and the fronts rubbed on the coils of my Megan's. I have pulled the Megan's off as they need rebuilding and currently have 205/55-16 on my Panasports. There is about 2 cm of clearance between the tire and the stock spring - less with the Megan's but not by much. I do not know if the Street springs are of a different diameter than the Euro II's that I have. I am unsure about the clearance between the fender and the tire.

I do know for fact that 205/55 and 205/50's do not rub anywhere at anytime even on the Auto-x and track. The 205/55-16's give great grip and really fill the wheel wells and with the factory drop from the Megan's the stance looks great from all sides, too.

I cannot confirm if the 215's will rub on the fenders/springs or not. Since you are looking at a slightly shorter side wall, there may be a little more clearance in height, but they may still rub because they are wider. 225's are too wide. 205's fit just fine with some clearance. 215's may rub.

In my opinion, the difference in the 215 and 205 is negligible in the amount of grip that you will get out of them. I'd go with 205/50/16.

 

thisss is what I wanted to know, thank you!!

 

..

 

So I ended up going with Black Sparco Terra's 16" with Kumho Ecsta PA3's in 205/55 R16. Ride quality has definitely improved as well as traction and feel. I do feel a noticeable amount of roll with the higher sidewalls, looks like a sway bar is going to be on order. I'm curious to see how these will handle during Chicago winters. Thanks everyone! I'll post pics soon if anyone's curious.

 

Sparco Terra 16x7's with Kumho Ecsta PA31 205/55 R16

 

Looks great!