03 camry with steel wheel

[allenmak]

would that be stupid that if i change to alloys with the 15" tires? i wanna keep them so much though...

[2k4CamThrilla]

huh?

[lammydi]

So you meant you just want to upgrade from steel wheel to alloy wheels with 15" because you want to keep the tires. Go for it because anything is better than the steel wheel.

[s_ajanthan]

very true, alloy looks nicer and is more durable, especially in snowy climates where you can't always see the curb. You'll seldom experience bent rims

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

Alloy for the summer, keep the steelies for the winter with winter tires..

[bike4miles]

Originally Posted by allenmak

would that be stupid that if i change to alloys with the 15" tires? i wanna keep them so much though...

I am in the same boat. I have brand new tires on the stock 15" wheels but I would like to upgrage my wheels to alloy. I would recoment waiting it out for a while and saving for the wheels and tires you really want. That way you can bump up to some nice 17's or 18's.

[johnnyzee]

do it right or don't do it...

18's is the way to go, at least, 17's are OK too, but 15's, theres just no point.

[jermyjerm]

look on ebay for stock alloys.not sure if they made a 15 though

[x49zk]

Originally Posted by johnnyzee

do it right or don't do it...

18's is the way to go, at least, 17's are OK too, but 15's, theres just no point.

No. There is a point. It's a trade-off between ride and looks (assuming you like the look of 18's, 20's, whatever). If it's a performance issue, you will hear noises about the "turn in" performance of 17's vs 15's, etc.. In a Camry? C'mon. This hardly matters.

The large diameter wheels weigh more, tires cost more, and the ride is quite a bit harsher. If this is going on a daily driver you should attempt to drive some examples of the setup you are anticipating to see if you can stand it. OTOH, if you like the ride, handling and cost of the 15s, then there is nothing wrong with improving the look of the car with some alloys instead of steelies and some plastic factory wheel cover.

[allenmak]

thanks folks i think i have made up my mind. i will go and upgrade to alloys first but probably stay with my 15" new tires first...
17" or 18"... i might do it when i get the new camry in the future.

[CharmCityES]

just get a set of oem 15in wheels like the LE optional set....theyre 15in, come in 3 different styles and will fit your tires

[allenmak]

Originally Posted by CorCamrySE

just get a set of oem 15in wheels like the LE optional set....theyre 15in, come in 3 different styles and will fit your tires

where should i look for them? i thought that would be expensive going to the dealer... thanks again.

[x49zk]

Originally Posted by allenmak

where should i look for them? i thought that would be expensive going to the dealer... thanks again.

For Sale: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/f66

Want to Buy: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/f35

[tekdemon]

Originally Posted by s_ajanthan

very true, alloy looks nicer and is more durable, especially in snowy climates where you can't always see the curb. You'll seldom experience bent rims

I know this thread is kinda old but I just put on a new set of steelies for the winter (well, they're someone else's used steelies that they traded into discount tire, but they're new to me). Anyways, just wanted to correct this misconception.

Steelies are actually much more durable than alloy rims...because they're made of steel, without caring for looks or weight. Most factory alloys are some kind of aluminum alloy, and are not likely to be stronger than a steelie.

That's kind of why people use steelies for the winter to begin with-cuz they're just durable ugly and heavy wheels that'll take all sorts of punishment.

Best of all if it actually gets banged up (within reason) you just hang some hideous balancing weights and get on with it.

You can beat the crap out of steelies, they're tough as heck. That's why you see the cop cars with just the steelies. No it's not pretty but steelies are damned durable. Also why the huge 18 wheelers also run steel rims.

I think I actually kinda like the black steelie look on my car, cuz I took the wheel covers off when I was installing them and they kinda looked just raw and menacing when I had all 4 with steelies. I think they would have been more hideous, except I had nicely chromed tire pressure caps on, so it actually kinda looked nice, since you hardly ever see a car without hubcaps on these days.