Opinion: AE102 Rims

[Ukrainian102]

I have a beige 95 Corolla. All stock now except for a muffler tip .

I want to get some new rims, I'm thinking gunmetal or black. My main question is how big do you guys recommend. I've read on corollaperformance.com that 17s and up will scrape when the suspesion bottoms out, so I'm thinking 16s or 15s.

Also there is the issue of width. I'm not sure, but I think the stock 14s are 6 inches in width. When I turn the steering all the way to one side, I have about an inch of space left between the tire and the car body. I am wondering if with 16s (which usually come in 16x7) this will be a problem. I don't want the wheels to rub when I turn the steering wheel as far as I can. My friend recently got 15x6.5s for his Sentra and there is barely any space left when the wheel is turned all the way. Tell me, is this really a big issue or am I just worrying too much.

Anyway. I was thinking Motegi MR7s, but I think a lot of people have them, so I might go for something more unique. I like ADR's Trama. I really don't want the standard five-spoke look. If any of you guys have reccomendations on good looking rims, tell me.

Another thing I am thinking about in deciding between 15s and 16s is how accelaration will be affected. I am going with the mentality that the (stock) Corolla is not a super fast car anyway, so I wanna keep as much performance as possible, while still getting a nice look.

Lastly, I need a reccomendation on good all season tires. I would like summer performance and good wet traction, but I live in Ithaca, NY and sometimes it snows quite a bit here, so I need to be prepared for that. The ideal solution would be putting snow tires on the stock wheels and summer tires on the upgraded rims, but I'd like to keep it low in price, so I'm opting for only one set of tires year-round.

Man, I wrote a lot for just asking about rims! If any of you guys have anything to say about looks, performance, or anything else, I'd be glad to hear it.

Edit: Yet another question. If I upgrade to 16s will there be an unsightly space between the wheel and the fender without a drop of the car?

[Chris Corolla S]

Your stock 14s are 5.5 inches wide.

You should be able to run 16 x 7.

If you are worried about performance remember to get a wheel that is less than 20lbs so it won't be heavier than your stock ones. I will be getting sub 13lb 15 x 7s for my Corolla. Most 15s are 15 x 6.5 though

For all-seasons that have good wet and dry traction and some snow ability check out the Dunlop SP Sport A2s. You can read the reviews of them at www.tirerack.com. They are inexpensive and perform very well.

Your fender gap will not change because when you get bigger wheels you get a lower profile tire so the over-all outside diameter is the same.

[Ukrainian102]

Thanks man. Exactly what I needed to know.