need your opinion about rims

[99corolla3spd]

i've had my eyes on these rota slipstreams

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROTA-WHEEL-S...dc61e8&vxp=mtr

or the white ones

http://www.ebay.com/itm/15X7-ROTA-WH...44e042&vxp=mtr

i understand that these are replicas so no need to expand on this unless its vital. i have a white 99 auto 3spd ve with the 14" alloy colored stock steelie with the black center cap. i didn't want to have a profile no less than 50 and find that anything above 15 needs to have a 40-45 profile on our cars. i know that the width shouldn't be more than 7 and probably 6.5 preferred right? with 195 55 15 tires? or 195 50 15 tires? i really like comfort but i'm willing to settle with some discomfort here and there.

do you guys think i can fit the 15x7 on kyb struts / stock springs non altered and not have to worry about hitting the inner sidewall? i use to have 16's on this car and remembered how it would rub in the rear when going over bumps and such.

if anyone has suggestions please comment especially if its concerning fitment and such. any experience with these rims? what color should i go for? i'm in my 30's and think the aluminum finish would suit me more than matching car color rims. i thought about black but i think it clashes with black tires too. anyhow any help or opinions are welcome.


btw: i'm on a budget so don't suggest that i buy a $2000 set of real rims heh

[BlackOmega]

Ok a few things that need to be addressed so you understand how sizing of rims and tires works.

Tires:
The first number is the width of the tire in mm.
The second number is a percentage of the first. So if your tire is 195mm wide, and you're using a 55 profile, in theory, the tire should be 107.25mm tall (from the bead).
So if you wanted to go with a 16" rim, you'd use a 205/45, where the tire would be 92.25mm tall. The sidewall would need to be shorter on the 16" rim to compensate for the extra inch of rim diameter to keep the same overall approximate size.
Obviously the third number is rim diameter.

Now with rims it's a bit more complicated because offset comes into play. We just ran into this with my brothers ES300. I have a set of 17x7.5", 38mm offset rims that we were going to install. Factory rims on his car, I believe, are 16x6.5" with a 45mm offset.
The way offset works is the lower the number, the further the outside of the rim, (the part where the tire actually is mounted to) moves towards the fender or outside of the car. The higher, the more the outside of the rim moves towards the strut.
However, the width of the rim also plays a role here.

If you're going to use a rim that's wider than the factory rim, you can use a slightly higher offset to move the outer portion of the rim towards the strut so it doesn't rub on the fender and doesn't require rolling the fender lip. However, if they're too wide, they'll rub on the strut, which is the problem that we ran into with my brothers lexus.

So he had to buy a new set of rims that were 17x7 with a 35mm offset, however, because the rim was 1/2" narrower, it fit properly.


At any rate, picking wheels is subjective to the person. I personally don't like chrome on white. I think it just looks odd. But that's just me. I don't particularly care for black rims either.
However, I think silver rims are tasteful.
I found this set on tirerack, and they're reasonably priced.
They're 16", but they wont rub because of the offset.

[99corolla3spd]

Originally Posted by BlackOmega

Ok a few things that need to be addressed so you understand how sizing of rims and tires works.

Tires:
The first number is the width of the tire in mm.
The second number is a percentage of the first. So if your tire is 195mm wide, and you're using a 55 profile, in theory, the tire should be 107.25mm tall (from the bead).
So if you wanted to go with a 16" rim, you'd use a 205/45, where the tire would be 92.25mm tall. The sidewall would need to be shorter on the 16" rim to compensate for the extra inch of rim diameter to keep the same overall approximate size.
Obviously the third number is rim diameter.

Now with rims it's a bit more complicated because offset comes into play. We just ran into this with my brothers ES300. I have a set of 17x7.5", 38mm offset rims that we were going to install. Factory rims on his car, I believe, are 16x6.5" with a 45mm offset.
The way offset works is the lower the number, the further the outside of the rim, (the part where the tire actually is mounted to) moves towards the fender or outside of the car. The higher, the more the outside of the rim moves towards the strut.
However, the width of the rim also plays a role here.

If you're going to use a rim that's wider than the factory rim, you can use a slightly higher offset to move the outer portion of the rim towards the strut so it doesn't rub on the fender and doesn't require rolling the fender lip. However, if they're too wide, they'll rub on the strut, which is the problem that we ran into with my brothers lexus.

So he had to buy a new set of rims that were 17x7 with a 35mm offset, however, because the rim was 1/2" narrower, it fit properly.


At any rate, picking wheels is subjective to the person. I personally don't like chrome on white. I think it just looks odd. But that's just me. I don't particularly care for black rims either.
However, I think silver rims are tasteful.
I found this set on tirerack, and they're reasonably priced.
They're 16", but they wont rub because of the offset.

thanks for all the good info. with some understanding, getting the right rim size width and offset can save me some headaches. however, i don't have any real specs to go off of. i would like to hear from others on their experience with 15x7 rims and what offset to go with. most of what i've seen is that 15x7 with 38-42 i think but i'm not sure. the rota's that i'm interested are 40 offset and are advertized to fit our cars. i'm debating on the color still and yeah i hear what your saying about the chrome look although it looks more like a finish to me.

[PhatRoyale]

You'll need 195/55/15 tires. No worries about fitment issues because I'm running wheels and tires with similar specs on my summers. You'll have plenty of clearance since you're not lowered.

That said, I would go with the polished ones as well. The white looks too tacky IMO.

[99corolla3spd]

Originally Posted by PhatRoyale

You'll need 195/55/15 tires. No worries about fitment issues because I'm running wheels and tires with similar specs on my summers. You'll have plenty of clearance since you're not lowered.

That said, I would go with the polished ones as well. The white looks too tacky IMO.

thanks for your input. yeah i was leaning towards the polished ones. few particular worries i have is the chipping that i've read that these replica rotas have a tendency of doing after a little while. also some say that these rims are brittle with great force put on them such as hitting a curb or median. anyone who has experience with these rims do share your experience.

one other reason why i wanted these is that they are pretty light weight. i figured i would be taking off about 3-4lbs per wheel getting these with tires compared to my current setup. i'm counting on getting a little better traction and more power to the ground instead of rotational mass.

[PhatRoyale]

Just layer on a couple coats of wax on the wheels. All wheels will chip over time because they're exposed to the elements and random road debris - even expensive ones. If you're a safe driver then I wouldn't worry about hitting anything.

Slipstreams are quite popular for that reason alone - since they're well priced and lightweight. I was actually looking at them when I was shopping around before settling on my final choice.

[99corolla3spd]

Originally Posted by PhatRoyale

Just layer on a couple coats of wax on the wheels. All wheels will chip over time because they're exposed to the elements and random road debris - even expensive ones. If you're a safe driver then I wouldn't worry about hitting anything.

Slipstreams are quite popular for that reason alone - since they're well priced and lightweight. I was actually looking at them when I was shopping around before settling on my final choice.

thanks now i feel a little more confident about purchasing them. i would like to hear from others about their experience with them if any.

[brusk]

Depends on what your looking for but I was able to get a set of 6 spoke wheels from tirerack with tires shipped for about 740. They had a handfull of rims that were priced pretty good.

[99corolla3spd]

i can't really find any wheels online cheaper than these rotas that are especially light weight. i'm still deciding but my choice will probably be the polished rotas.

[99corolla3spd]

one other question i was curious about with 15in rims and 55 profile, how much of a gap is there on stock springs and kyb struts?

[99corolla3spd]

as i was about to buythe 15x7's, i just did a search to see what 15's looked like on our cars and found that some of you are using 15x6.5 and also you guys say i wont need to worry about clearance or rubbing unless i lower my car.

here is a link to 15x6.5 rota slipstreams $469.95
http://www.ebay.com/itm/15-ROTA-SLIP...feda78&vxp=mtr

here is the link to the 15x7 $515
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290830705128...84.m1423.l2649

am i going to lower the car? not really sure.. i might but probably not.
how much more of a benefit would i get from 6.5 to 7?
help me guys so i can feel confident with my purchase.

[PhatRoyale]

Difference between the two in terms of fitment is negligible.

I would just get the cheaper 6.5" width wheels and pair them with 195/55/15 tires.

[99corolla3spd]

Originally Posted by PhatRoyale

Difference between the two in terms of fitment is negligible.

I would just get the cheaper 6.5" width wheels and pair them with 195/55/15 tires.

okay will do. thanks! i'll show pics of the result later *after* i get the tires $$$.

[99corolla3spd]

phat royale one more thing.. any recommendations on tuner lugs as far as durability?

[PhatRoyale]

949 Racing makes some nice forged lug nuts. If you want more security pair them up with some McGard wheel locks. Just make sure you buy the proper seat lug nuts for your slipstreams.