what improvements going to alluminum wheels

[spoiler]

Hi i am thinking of taking off the steel rims and hubcaps and replacing with alluminum wheels and new tires. what will I get with this change beside looks? will the car ride and handle alot better too?

[solarinsocal]

Generally going with a plus size wheel will net you better handling due to stiffer sidewall and better traction due to wider tires (as long as you go with plus one size and wider tires of course). You may also get better traction if your wheels are lighter than the originals. The downside is a rougher ride, road following, pinch flats, bent wheels,..... all dependent upon what size wheel and tire you decide to get.

[spoiler]

lexus wheels 205 55 16
i have 205 65 15

they are about the same diameter size so the speedo should only be about 1 mph difference but they will cost $$$$ and i was wondering if the ride would be better ?

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by spoiler

Hi i am thinking of taking off the steel rims and hubcaps and replacing with alluminum wheels and new tires. what will I get with this change beside looks? will the car ride and handle alot better too?

You will get slightly improved handling. This occurs since the alloys will weight less and thus give you less sprung weight at the points of contact with the road.

You will also get slightly better brake cooling since the cutouts in the alloy wheels allow more air to pass through to the brakes.

In normal everyday driving these benefits will probably not be that noticeable.

Mike

[solarinsocal]

[quote=spoiler]lexus wheels 205 55 16
i have 205 65 15
quote]

Personally, if the set up was going to cost a considerable amount of money I would just get aftermarket wheels (plus 2 sizes) and tires with a wider section width. I don't know what you are after though. There isn't going to be a significant different between the two sizes that you mention.

[freestylez]

im looking to getting some rims this summer too but ill always have in mind all those potholes in nyc

[solarinsocal]

Yup, potholes suck!

[Tom 2000]

If you have 205/65R15 tires and want to install 16" alloy wheels, you want to get 205/60R16 tires. I did this about 2.5 years ago on my car.

Ride comfort is the same. It corners just a tad sharper, but overall, you won't notice much difference.

Just don't cheap out on tires. I got Falken ZE-512s. Great tires for the money.

Make sure to get lugnuts also.

[spoiler]

thanks for the info!! sounds like my ride won't be much different and it will cost me about 1k so I guess i will just keep what i have. the steel wheels with hubcaps don't look too bad.

[freestylez]

trust me get some rims it would looook so much better even tho your not in it for the looks u can get some good wheels&tires cheap like $500 and under

do u live in nyc? i know some spots that sell some nice wheels packaged with tires for under $500

[spoiler]

I live in upsate NY

[freestylez]

Originally Posted by spoiler

I live in upsate NY

if you are familiar with queens there a shop across from Shea Stadium they have great and cheapppp prices for wheels

[y_one2000]

I got a set of Lexus IS300 OEM Rims with dunlop tires for $600 from craigslist.org
215/45/17
Rims are 95% new, tires have 75% thread left.
But the weight of the new wheel is 3 lbs heavier than my OEM steel wheel which came from my 06 camry.

[Hajoca]

Larger wheels mean larger amount of metal, and regardless of alloy or steel, they both weigh more than the tire.

When you get alloy wheels, specially the ones that are oem, usually they are not forged, or cold fored, they are cast. That is why there is a premium price on ight alloy wheels of the same size.

[spoiler]

how did the car ride and drive