Aftermarket Wheels for a 1997 Del Sol VTEC (Spedo + Other Probs)

Hello all,

I am planning to replace the 17inch wheels (aftermarket) that came on
my car when I bought it used. The two front ones have cracked and are
leaking. My questions are, how do I calculate what size tire I need
to fit with my (either 17 or 18 inch) wheel that I am going to put on.
The last owner had the diameter of the wheel and tire too small and it
screwed up the spedo. (and made revs too high for highway driving)
What size tires should I fit with my car? I would rather have a
larger circumference then a smaller if possible. If equal, perfect.
Also, I have heard that it may be bad to put 18inch wheels on my car.
Is it loud? Will it hit when I turn the wheel?

If anyone knows or has a link to a calculator or some reference that
will be able to help me fit my car with wheels and new tires. I would
greatly appreciate it! Any comment also!

Thank You!
John

 

My son's '99 Civic coupe has 17" wheels and the tire size is 205/40/17.
I would definitely recommend not going bigger than 17. The 17's look
awesome but the ride is tough. Hit a bump, go boom. He popped a tire
once when he hit a pothole.

I would highly recommend visiting www.tirerack.com and use their search
tool to find tires (and wheels, for that matter). Even if you don't end
up buying from them, it's a great site to gain knowledge about tires.

One more thing to think about when going to that diameter, I'm looking
at having to get a camber kit installed because of a serious toe in of
the tires. (The vehicle's been lowered an inch as well.) I think the
problem existed even before the drop because the wheels are so much
bigger than stock. Now that I'm aware of the problem, I've seen other
Civics with bigger wheels/tires with the same toe in--the top of the
tire is leaning in, causing the inner part of the tire to prematurely
bald.

The more you do to it, the more you pay...in ways you might never think
of!


From: (John) wrote:

Hello all,
I am planning to replace the 17inch wheels (aftermarket) that came on my
car when I bought it used. The two front ones have cracked and are
leaking. My questions are, how do I calculate what size tire I need to
fit with my (either 17 or 18 inch) wheel that I am going to put on. The
last owner had the diameter of the wheel and tire too small and it
screwed up the spedo. (and made revs too high for highway driving) What
size tires should I fit with my car? I would rather have a larger
circumference then a smaller if possible. If equal, perfect. Also, I
have heard that it may be bad to put 18inch wheels on my car. Is it
loud? Will it hit when I turn the wheel?
If anyone knows or has a link to a calculator or some reference that
will be able to help me fit my car with wheels and new tires. I would
greatly appreciate it! Any comment also!
Thank You!
John

 

(ravelation) wrote in @storefull-3273.bay.webtv.net:

snip
up buying from them, it's a great site to gain knowledge about tires.

Negative camber, not toe in at all. It is there you just didn`t notice it
on the smaller width tires. KB

 

wasnt it wrecked and repaired by the previous owner, as well? i seem to
recall the saga of the mismatched headlights

the frame could possibly be slightly tweaked. course, the drop and big
wheels dont make the diagnosis more clear.

 

15 inch rims are the perfect fit for the older Civics, when mated with 50
profile tires (if it's a DX/LX standard tranny, get 195 width, otherwise
go for the 205). Note, the weight of the tires and rims should guide your
purchase when shopping for the Civic. Heavier cars might require more
heavy set rims (unless you can afford the astronomical price for the light
but highly strong brands)

The current/new Civic has bigger rims (195/60/15). On this model, stepping
up to 17 will result in an efficient tire size.

Pars
98 DX Hatch (195/50/15 on lightweight Konig rims)

 

Yeah, good memory, SCM.

It is. He had someone back into him in the school parking lot and the
repair place had to replace the front bumper, hood, etc with '98 parts
because they couldn't get '99s to fit the frame. The Frankenstein Civic
lives on!!

The only thing that's clear is the expense of modifying...