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Old 01-03-2005, 12:03 PM   #1
timo
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Default new wheels and tires, or just new tires?

I have stock rims and tires on my 03 wrx, and was wondering if I need to buy new rims, or not? My stock tires are almost worn out at 35k miles and I need to replace them. I wouldn't want to spend extra $600 for 17" rims if I didn't have to.
Please tell me if there will be a sginicifcant difference in performence between good tires on 17" rims, and good tires on the stock 16"...
Also my car is running cobb's vf34 map, and doesnt have other mods. It currently has too much power for the stock suspension, so I will be working on that, but don't know if I should start with rims, or not. Please help
thanks,
timo
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Old 01-03-2005, 12:16 PM   #2
Silver04WRX
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Tires are probably the first place you want to start (before doing anything to the suspension). I would suggest some 17" rims to go with them. The two main benefits are a wider tire and less flex in the sidewall.
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Old 01-03-2005, 12:32 PM   #3
ratt_finkel
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No, you don't have to replace your rims. And what do you mean you have too much power for your suspension?
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Old 01-03-2005, 02:14 PM   #4
timo
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I mean the car doesn't feel very stable when I floor it, especially coming out of a turn. I think I need stiffer springs and maybe wider tires. In the turns I can easily spin the tires and the whole car feels like it's bouncing all over the road.
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Old 01-03-2005, 02:44 PM   #5
Nightrunner
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Of course new wheels and tires together. That's what i am doing now, got to have the new bling and wider-thinner tire.
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Old 01-03-2005, 03:08 PM   #6
timo
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That's the thing, I don't care about the "bling" factor The way I see it bigger rims will be significantly heavier than stock, they will require bigger and more expensive tires, and will probably improve handling a bit. Well, is it worth it?
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Old 01-03-2005, 03:36 PM   #7
Silver04WRX
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Try some Rotas...the Torques or Boost because they're 8" wide (assuming you have a sedan). What kind of tire are you looking for? Summer? All season?
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Old 01-03-2005, 03:47 PM   #8
timo
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summer tires definately. It doesn't snow here, and the winter doesn't last very long....
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:16 PM   #9
Nightrunner
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Rota is very affortable. And the Torque is awsome.
Volks and 5zigen also have lights wheels, what is your budget?
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Old 01-04-2005, 02:57 AM   #10
johsti
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Get some good summer tires. You can use a 225/50/16 on the stock rim, but it bulges a little. Not a big deal.
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Old 01-04-2005, 11:50 AM   #11
2Stroke
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Unabomber had the same question a while back (except he was running Cobb Stage 2 and had a $600 limit) and started a poll/thread about it.

Because he is a Minor Deity, many people responded with their best advice:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=600971
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Old 01-04-2005, 12:37 PM   #12
Back Road Runner
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I see changing the rim and tire sizes as a personal thing. You're trying to achieve a certain feel as well as a certain traction amount.

17" rims are not needed. In fact, many years back, such sizes weren't even heard of. A sport wheel might have been an upgrade to 14" rims, lol. Yes, this would be a good number of years ago. The tire choice will have as big of a factor on how the car feels and even how much responsiveness you get.

In a basic sense, a larger rim allows for a lower profile tire. This has the benifit of a lower sidewall and less tire flex. The handling will improve. As well, you'll gain additional road feel due to less sidewall soaking up bumps. This can be good or bad depending on how bad the surfaces are where you drive on. The tires will also be a little less forgiving. If a tire slides, it will do it more abruptly, but the limit should be a little better defined. All of this is very general. It will vary by brand and model of tire you choose.


As far as the uneasiness of the car. That's something to get used to. The driver should be able to adapt to the car's behavior. The rear end getting out on your on the exit could simply be additional torque going to the rear wheels or it may just be the time it takes the weight to transfer and the car to begin oversteering. Under throttle and with a good deal of turn in, the car will begin to oversteer. My lowly Forester does it. As well, on looser surfaces like gravel, it gets easier to have the rear end get loose. The car feels very uneasy when you start to get all the tires spinning. It almost feels like it's floating.

I think it's more of an awd phenomina really. A fwd or rwd will always have two tires that are free rolling and generally always in connection to the road, i.e. gripping. You'd only get the front or only the rear to feel loose. These cars always feel more connected to the road even when you break traction. An awd car however can get all the tires spinning and the car begins to feel unstable. It's not really unstable, but it's different.

I guess something to try is a little less steer in on the exit. Try to feel when the rear end begins to come out and straighten the wheel earlier. Even during the corner, you should be able to feel the rear tires skipping a little. Ajust throttle and steering to keep it in check, usually just throttle as letting off the gas may start the rear end sliding and then some counter steering would be needed.

Anyways, have fun with it. This is a little beyond what you asked, but your initial post indicated you were looking for something a little more than just tires and wheels. Adjust the tires and wheels to get the feel you want. Work on technique to get the car to behave the way you want. Adjust the suspension to adjust the car's overall behavior to something that you'd more prefer, i.e. not having to adapt the way you drive to the car so much but rather the car to the way you drive.
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