newb need help with Wheels and Rubber
- Thread starter sbr127
- Start date
I'm also trying to make the same decisions...
I'm personally leaning toward some Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons. I can't decide if I want to stick with 18 inchers or go down to 17s.
For the tire size, I'm thinking I'd like to get 225 width, 235 might work as well, but some people have had slight problems with rubbing in the back.
If I stick with 18" rims I'm going to get 225/45, if I go to 17" rims I'm going to get 225/50. Both those tire sizes are slightly bigger than stock.
For rim color you're probably on your own. But since you asked I'd say stick with a white/grey/black. Colors will probably look funny.
Lets see... For wheels the theory says the lighter the better, but people debate this a lot. Forged wheels are stronger (therefor lighter) but are also more expensive than cast wheels. There are other wheel technologies out there like "Semi-Solid Forged" (SSR brand wheels) and "MAF" (Enkei brand wheels) that are used to keep costs down but produce superior strength compared to cast wheels.
www.tirerack.com will probably have the best selection at competitive prices (probably cheaper than any local place). There is also www.discounttiredirect.com which is having an awesome sale 'til the 20th. Check this thread I started for more details on the sale...
For answers geared toward your needs more you should give us more details...
Budget?
Tires
Where do you live (what climate, do you get snow)?
What are your wants and needs? Do you want long life, high performance, a combination... Are you going to buy 2 sets eventually (one set for everyday use, one set for trackdays/'spirited'/summer driving)?
Wheels
Do you want looks or performance?
I'm personally leaning toward some Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons. I can't decide if I want to stick with 18 inchers or go down to 17s.
For the tire size, I'm thinking I'd like to get 225 width, 235 might work as well, but some people have had slight problems with rubbing in the back.
If I stick with 18" rims I'm going to get 225/45, if I go to 17" rims I'm going to get 225/50. Both those tire sizes are slightly bigger than stock.
For rim color you're probably on your own. But since you asked I'd say stick with a white/grey/black. Colors will probably look funny.
Lets see... For wheels the theory says the lighter the better, but people debate this a lot. Forged wheels are stronger (therefor lighter) but are also more expensive than cast wheels. There are other wheel technologies out there like "Semi-Solid Forged" (SSR brand wheels) and "MAF" (Enkei brand wheels) that are used to keep costs down but produce superior strength compared to cast wheels.
www.tirerack.com will probably have the best selection at competitive prices (probably cheaper than any local place). There is also www.discounttiredirect.com which is having an awesome sale 'til the 20th. Check this thread I started for more details on the sale...
For answers geared toward your needs more you should give us more details...
Budget?
Tires
Where do you live (what climate, do you get snow)?
What are your wants and needs? Do you want long life, high performance, a combination... Are you going to buy 2 sets eventually (one set for everyday use, one set for trackdays/'spirited'/summer driving)?
Wheels
Do you want looks or performance?
Last edited:
Hmm... well, I've given myself a crash course in wheels and tires the last few weeks. I'll try to condense what I've learned...
<<Sorry it turned out long. This seemingly simple subject has lots of nuances.>>
Well... I think the first thing you're going to have to decide is: are you going to have 1 or 2 sets. If you're going with 2 sets you'll probably want to get another set of rims. (It would be possible to keep removing the winter tires and mounting the summer tires, but it's understandably not good for them.)
Personally, I decided to go with a single set. It sounds like you'd be better off with a dedicated winter set.
Next, decide what is safe. Although I do not have much personal experience with this, people agree that summer tires are not safe in snow/freezing temperatures. If you're going to do a lot of driving in snow you'll probably want to get winter tires.
You'll also want to consider tire size. This will give you a good idea of what sizes will fit: http://www.tiresizecalculator.info/ (By the way: the stock tires are 215/45 18... in the U.S.A. at least.)
If you go to the tire-store websites you'll notice that tires for larger rims are more expensive. If you're buying new rims opting for smaller rims NOW will save you a decent amount of money now and in the future. The MS3 comes with 18" rims, it seems pretty much every 17" rim will work, and even some 16" rims will work.
Keep in mind when mucking with the diameter of the tire you're going to change the speedometer and odometer accuracy. I imagine it'll change the performance of the car some too. Wider tires will give you a larger contact patch (the area of the tire that actually touches the road). 'They' say for winter tires: narrow is better.
For the specific brand/model of tire you're at the mercy of manufacturer specs and reputation, owner testimonials, and professional reviews. From what I've seen most tire websites have compiled owner reviews. TireRack.com also reviews and rates some of their tires. Although it sounds like it would be wrong for you, here's what I chose: Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S.
As for the rims, as I said: lighter is accepted to be better. ...So long as the wheels are strong enough lighter certainly wont hurt performance. After the diameter you'll want to take the width into consideration. Tires have a recommended width, but can be mounted to wheels within a range of widths. In my slightly-informed opinion 7.5" is probably what you should shoot-for when looking at performance wheels. 6" or 6.5" might be good for winter wheels.
Once you've chosen your desired wheel diameter and width you'll want to make sure the offset, center bore, and bolt pattern are compatible with your MS3.
Here's some numbers to use as a guide...
Offset: 45mm - 53mm (A smaller offset will cause the wheels to stick out more.)
Center Bore: 67.1mm (wheels with a larger center bore can be adapted (usually the adapters are free), wheels with smaller center bores can be "bored out" by a machine shop... I imagine they want a pretty penny to do this. Also it's possible boring out a wheel will weaken it, and if done wrong could cause the wheel to mount off-center which would be bad. You'd really have to be in love with a wheel to have it bored out IMO.)
Bolt Pattern: 5-114.3mm (also sometimes called 5-4.5in)
<<Sorry it turned out long. This seemingly simple subject has lots of nuances.>>
Well... I think the first thing you're going to have to decide is: are you going to have 1 or 2 sets. If you're going with 2 sets you'll probably want to get another set of rims. (It would be possible to keep removing the winter tires and mounting the summer tires, but it's understandably not good for them.)
Personally, I decided to go with a single set. It sounds like you'd be better off with a dedicated winter set.
Next, decide what is safe. Although I do not have much personal experience with this, people agree that summer tires are not safe in snow/freezing temperatures. If you're going to do a lot of driving in snow you'll probably want to get winter tires.
You'll also want to consider tire size. This will give you a good idea of what sizes will fit: http://www.tiresizecalculator.info/ (By the way: the stock tires are 215/45 18... in the U.S.A. at least.)
If you go to the tire-store websites you'll notice that tires for larger rims are more expensive. If you're buying new rims opting for smaller rims NOW will save you a decent amount of money now and in the future. The MS3 comes with 18" rims, it seems pretty much every 17" rim will work, and even some 16" rims will work.
Keep in mind when mucking with the diameter of the tire you're going to change the speedometer and odometer accuracy. I imagine it'll change the performance of the car some too. Wider tires will give you a larger contact patch (the area of the tire that actually touches the road). 'They' say for winter tires: narrow is better.
For the specific brand/model of tire you're at the mercy of manufacturer specs and reputation, owner testimonials, and professional reviews. From what I've seen most tire websites have compiled owner reviews. TireRack.com also reviews and rates some of their tires. Although it sounds like it would be wrong for you, here's what I chose: Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S.
As for the rims, as I said: lighter is accepted to be better. ...So long as the wheels are strong enough lighter certainly wont hurt performance. After the diameter you'll want to take the width into consideration. Tires have a recommended width, but can be mounted to wheels within a range of widths. In my slightly-informed opinion 7.5" is probably what you should shoot-for when looking at performance wheels. 6" or 6.5" might be good for winter wheels.
Once you've chosen your desired wheel diameter and width you'll want to make sure the offset, center bore, and bolt pattern are compatible with your MS3.
Here's some numbers to use as a guide...
Offset: 45mm - 53mm (A smaller offset will cause the wheels to stick out more.)
Center Bore: 67.1mm (wheels with a larger center bore can be adapted (usually the adapters are free), wheels with smaller center bores can be "bored out" by a machine shop... I imagine they want a pretty penny to do this. Also it's possible boring out a wheel will weaken it, and if done wrong could cause the wheel to mount off-center which would be bad. You'd really have to be in love with a wheel to have it bored out IMO.)
Bolt Pattern: 5-114.3mm (also sometimes called 5-4.5in)
