best wheels / tyres for st Options

[bananaface]

hello,
I recently bought my first celica, here it is below - 1.8st.
Been having a few problems with the wheels, I thought the wheels looked nice, they had a few curb marks, but I have since found a large split on the inside of one, and I think 2 are buckled with a 2cm wobble.

What would be the best wheel size for this car - meaning wheels & tyres, currently they are 215 45 r17, which seem very heavy/large to me.
& what is the advantage of alloys over steels? (I know alloys look better, but they are expensive and appear to break easily)
thanks for any help

Chris

[uberschall]

i'm not sure about uk specs, but the stickers in the driver's side door jamb will tell you what the original wheel/tyre size were.

running bigger wheels has pros and cons. bigger, heavier wheels are unsprung weight that can compromise your handling and ride quality, but having a shorter sidewall and wider contact patch can improve your handling alot. alloys reduce the unsprung weight, which is important for a performance car. unfortunately, they are expensive and cannot be mended like a steel wheel if they get damaged. bigger wheels tend to ride rougher, too...like netrata said.

i would scroll through the member's rides here and find a wheel you like the looks of, and go from there. the stock size in the us is 15"...so anything other than that is an upgrade. most people opt for 16's or 17's because once you get to 18" wheels, tires start getting pretty expensive, and depending on the offset of the wheel and your suspension setup, you might also have clearance issues.

nice car btw, and good luck finding some new rolling stock!