Aftermarket Wheels & Tires

[vmarkary]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to change my stock 15" rims on my 2003 Camry I4 for aftermarket ones. I'm new to this wheels thing... to me it's a better look and sportier ride... It looks like there's enough space to stick 19's in there; but the major questions is; Would it pass the wife & kidney test??? I know enough to understand that the bigger the rim the harsher the ride because there's less tire height. I went on pages like Tirerack.com and they suggest me to upgrade to 215/55-17 with 40 mm offset or 225/45-18 with 35mm offset... There are also lots of other choices, but I don't want to rush in like a fool, for a new toy. Of all of you who have upgraded your wheels to a larger size, which of them do you feel comfortable on; 17's or 18's? And what's an offset? Does it affect the cars ability to be agile and turn precisely or well, what it is? If anyone could tell me which tires they would choose and what offset does, I would be thankful!

Thanks,

[johnnyzee]

mine's on 18's but 17's are more comfy as you can upsize the profile. 225/50 /17 with 38, 40 or 43 offset will work for you

[lammydi]

Originally Posted by vmarkary

Hi guys,

I'm trying to change my stock 15" rims on my 2003 Camry I4 for aftermarket ones. I'm new to this wheels thing... to me it's a better look and sportier ride... It looks like there's enough space to stick 19's in there; but the major questions is; Would it pass the wife & kidney test??? I know enough to understand that the bigger the rim the harsher the ride because there's less tire height. I went on pages like Tirerack.com and they suggest me to upgrade to 215/55-17 with 40 mm offset or 225/45-18 with 35mm offset... There are also lots of other choices, but I don't want to rush in like a fool, for a new toy. Of all of you who have upgraded your wheels to a larger size, which of them do you feel comfortable on; 17's or 18's? And what's an offset? Does it affect the cars ability to be agile and turn precisely or well, what it is? If anyone could tell me which tires they would choose and what offset does, I would be thankful!

Thanks,

I currently running 235-45-18 it is very comfortable. You can also run 225-50-18 if you want more height on the sidewall. 18" is comfortable enough for Lexus to have them on their car. It should be ok for us to run on our Camry.

[Eyekutr]

I am with lammy

[CamNub]

I'd say 18 or anything bigger.

I don't know what kind of budget you have, but everything is more expensive the bigger you get. Personally, 20s look better on a Camry for such a beefy car, but whatever fits your budget.

[TRD VVTi]

I voted for 17's. I think that they would be best for all around comfort, looks, and performance.

Most people don't buy lightweight wheels, and most reasonably priced wheels are pretty heavy. I think that 17's would work well.

I think that 18's look slightly better, but that would be the only real advantage to them.

If you are going to spend some real money and get a lightweight wheel, then I would get 18's. Anything beyond 18's is a waste of money for a decrease in performance as far as I'm concerned. There's a reason race cars don't exceed 18" wheels.

[reprod]

For a Gen5 Cam I would definetely say 18. I think it fills in the car nicely. For the Gen6 Cam I would say 19. The Gen6's have a larger OEM size than the Gen5's.

There is definetely a ride difference going from 18" to 19". I noticed it after driving just one block.

As far as weight is considered... I go with TRDVVti... 19's are heavy. Forged 19's or Enkei's MAT process 19's can eliminate this weight factor.

[Yazovets]

No larger than 18".

[EnderSavesTheDa]

Originally Posted by lammydi

I currently running 235-45-18 it is very comfortable. You can also run 225-50-18 if you want more height on the sidewall. 18" is comfortable enough for Lexus to have them on their car. It should be ok for us to run on our Camry.

You have a gen6... his gen5's a little different. I say 17s for the gen5.

[Gellenole]

Originally Posted by TRD VVTi

I voted for 17's. I think that they would be best for all around comfort, looks, and performance.

Most people don't buy lightweight wheels, and most reasonably priced wheels are pretty heavy. I think that 17's would work well.

I think that 18's look slightly better, but that would be the only real advantage to them.

If you are going to spend some real money and get a lightweight wheel, then I would get 18's. Anything beyond 18's is a waste of money for a decrease in performance as far as I'm concerned. There's a reason race cars don't exceed 18" wheels.

/agree -- I'm quite the car n00b, but I know that since not everyone's buying wheels for weight and performance reasons, why go with something that big?

[moky-tron]

i would go for 18s. depending on how low you want to drop it and what the design of the rims you'd be getting, i still think 18s are the best. i recall seeing several gen5s and 5.5 with 17s and i thought they were quite small still considering the camry has a slightly bigger body than most cars who sport 17s.

so +1 on the 18inchers!

i have a gen6 SE with 19s, and i feel like i should have gone with 20s and just bagged it.

[akira751]

Originally Posted by Gellenole

/agree -- I'm quite the car n00b, but I know that since not everyone's buying wheels for weight and performance reasons, why go with something that big?

I went with 18's because the oem 17's are heavy as hell.

[manaburrn]

18" because 17" are not much different that 16", and tires for 19" are expensive!

[TRD VVTi]

vmarkary: So what's your impression from the input you've received so far?

[Mervk77]

It really depends on what you want. If you are just going for looks then go for 18' and above. But if you want to go for comfort and quick dash off the blocks then I would recommend 17'. Considering that you are using I4, anything above 17' would be too heavy.