New Tires and Rims Questions

[theMerovingian]

Hey all, I'm new here. I have a red 2002 mazda protege5 with what appear to be stock rims. The previous owner replaced the front tires this past spring and the rear tires a year prior.

I am currently looking to get new rim and winter tires, but have no real knowledge of anything car related.

I was told that possibly outfitting my car with new rims and putting new summer tires on there, then just getting some winters for my old stock rims would be the way to go.

For Wheels I am considering THESE

For Tires I am considering THESE


I was just hoping for some guidance and feedback on this topic. I like the look of the thinner tire and bigger rim, but if it requires a lot of money for tuning my suspension differently and such then I may avoid that.

either way... PLEASE HELP!

 

[imola.zhp]

Personally, I think 18's are too big for a P5. I think 17's are perfect...

Your wheels/tires are independent parts from your suspension. I'm not sure why you would think you would need to change or "tune" your suspension for a new set of wheels/tires, this is not the case. Now, as for looks, you might prefer a lowered suspension once you go with larger wheels/tires, but its not required...

There are quite a few people on here running 18's, you might wait for them to chime in on the harshness of the ride...

As for your overall plan, its a good one. Get a set of nice wheels/tires to run during the nice months, and throw a set of winter "tires" on your stockers to run in the bad months...

Hope that helps...