What to look for in Wheels and Tires Options

[MyFirstCar]

I'm looking into getting 17" wheels and tires in the same package if I can. Someone I know ordered a package from tirerack.com and they wheels came with the tires on them already balanced. Is there another good place to get them.

Also, why is there such a big price range? Some are as cheap as $100 and some go up to $1000? WTF? Is there anything wrong with getting cheap 100$ rims?

And I also have no idea what makes a good tire. I need something that will grip through my aggressive turning when I drive (I take a lot of back roads where I live). But I don't want to sacrifice comfortability.

I've never bought any of this stuff so i'm kinda lost...

[jgreening]

I'm looking into getting 17" wheels and tires in the same package if I can. Someone I know ordered a package from tirerack.com and they wheels came with the tires on them already balanced. Is there another good place to get them.

There are tons of places to buy rims and tires. In fact, if you do a search, there is a good thread on here that was started in about 2004 which lists pages and pages of vendors. I know the title has the word "rims" or "wheels" in it. Different vendors have different lines and models within a line so its a good idea to look around at different sites if you haven't settled on a style. Type "wheels" into google and you will find many of them.

Also, why is there such a big price range? Some are as cheap as $100 and some go up to $1000? WTF? Is there anything wrong with getting cheap 100$ rims?

Mostly construction and weight. The higher priced rims are often lighter and stronger. You wouldn't necessarily need these for a daily driving celica unless you had plans to increase the performance significantly. Also, while opinions are subjective, many folks think that the best looking rims are the higher priced ones. Examples include Volk and BBS.

And I also have no idea what makes a good tire. I need something that will grip through my aggressive turning when I drive (I take a lot of back roads where I live). But I don't want to sacrifice comfortability.

I've never bought any of this stuff so i'm kinda lost...

If you have snow and will drive your car in it, you should not buy summer tires if you leave the same tires on all year. With that said, summer tires will generally give you the best grip. When selecting rim and tire size, remember that the lower the profile, the stiffer the ride. Very low profile tires feel great on smooth turns but can be uncomfortably jaring on bad roads. Most people tend to look for a compromise in this area. I recommend a 45 sidewall but others have reported good comfort with 40's as well. If my car were daily driven where the roads were not perfect, I would not go below that, personally.

As for which tires, my recommendation is to go to the tirerack website and read through their reviews and other information. Their site is exceptional for learning about rims and tires.

If you want a particular recommendation for a car generally driven on the street, mine would be:

17" wheels with an offset that puts the rim near flush with the fender. For a 7.5" wide rim, its about 33 - a little less for 7" rim. You can find a good thread on that on this site by searching for the word...you guessed it...."offset".

Tires in 215/45/17 or 225/45/17.

Good luck!

This post has been edited by jgreening: May 2, 2008 - 7:26 PM