Did going from 15" to 17" hurt the ride quality?

nodestiny · Post by **nodestiny** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 1:38 pm

When i had my 88 nissan pulsar, i went from the stock 15" rims to 17" neeper flies. It seemed like i could feel every pebble in the road with these! Definatly didnt like how small bumps could be felt where the 15" stock wheels i really never noticed them.

Are the neons the same way?

dblsg · Post by **dblsg** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 1:45 pm

its the size of the tire that makes a difference.

dawm · Post by **dawm** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 1:53 pm

less rubber = harder bumps

LCPLPunk · Post by **LCPLPunk** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 2:03 pm

smaller wheels/tires = faster
bigger wheels/tires = slower

nodestiny · Post by **nodestiny** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:31 pm

Hmmm... but at the same time, you have a limit on the rubber you can put on. Hence why i am asking. Figure right now i have 195/55/15 tires on and rides perfectly. If i kept these wheels/tires, id goto 205/55/15. So if im not mistaken, 205/40/17 would be what i would want if i went with 17"s? And you think the ride should be pretty decent still?

vex · Post by **vex** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:45 pm

im riding on 205/40/17 and its not the greatest ride but its not the worst either.

toronto roads are good for a few kilometers, then bad for the next few.

I was actually wondering if its possible to run a bigger tire size without changing my struts to srt. would spacers work?

btw, i have no idea how my ride was on 15's cause i bought the car during winter and i had some winter tires put on right away.

Vernon · Post by **Vernon** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:22 pm

I beleive you can fit a 205/45/17 on neons. Thats what I am hoping at least when i get rims for my car again.

ilpadrino · Post by **ilpadrino** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:41 pm

those are 205/40/17. I heard 215 is a huge difference. Anyone running 205/40/17 will tell you a 1/8" pothole at 25 mph feels like a 6" deep pothole at 50 mph. Trust me, I live in NY lol. The only good thing about having these size tires, is that I learn to memorize where all the bumps and potholes are in NY so I can avoid them the next time I drive through.

In all honestly, when I do get my new wheels (probably in the Spring/Summer) i will most definitely be getting 215s.

205/40/17 isn't death but it almost feels like it

(it's not that bad--but if you have a choice, go with 215)

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:46 pm

I have 215/45's on my car right now. They are Kumho's, and my brother uses 215/45 Falkens on his car. They both fit fine....and they ride considerably better than 215/40's or 205/40's. I would never again use anything less than a 45 series on a 17" wheel. That's my two cents.

205/40/17 isn't death but it almost feels like it (it's not that bad--but if you have a choice, go with 215

I just saw this....and wanted to make it clear that it's not the width that makes that big of a difference...205 or 215.....it's the height, which is the 40 or 45. I hope everyone on here knows how tire sizing works, but just to be sure it goes like this:

The first number (215 for example) is the width of the tire in mm. The second number (45 for example) is the height of the sidewall expressed in a percentage of the width of the tire. So a 215/45 is 215mm wide, and the sidewall is 45% of 215 mm.

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:48 pm

i got 225/45-16 kdw's - nice compromise between comfort and sportiness

vex · Post by **vex** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:34 am

you dont have any rubbing issues with a 45 height?

Frizbe · Post by **Frizbe** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:54 am

vex wrote:you dont have any rubbing issues with a 45 height?

on 16' wheels he doesn't.

vex · Post by **vex** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:59 am

ok so to run a bigger height could I use spacers?

Whats bad about using them and at what width would I need to get?

Frizbe · Post by **Frizbe** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:04 am

vex wrote:ok so to run a bigger height could I use spacers?

Whats bad about using them and at what width would I need to get?

you could, but the disadvantage is that they push the wheels out (duh) leaving less thread for your lug nuts to thread onto. DO a search for 'fitting SRT wheels' I know someone said that a certain spacer would work, now weather that was a 3mm or 5mm or bigger I can't remember. You could also just grind down the nipple on your strut to fit the tires, as described in one of the many SRT wheels/tires threads.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:05 am

linkinevo wrote:
vex wrote:you dont have any rubbing issues with a 45 height?
on 16' wheels he doesn't.

Whoa baby. Those are BIG rims......lol. 16 inch wheels don't have issues with a 45 series for sure....and neither do 17's. 215/45R17's will work. Even though it seems like a tire size should be what it is and not vary, they do vary between brand....kind of like buying Nike or Adidas. Some are bigger, some are smaller for a given size. 215/45R17 Falken ZIEX 512's are literally smaller than 215/45R17 Kumho Ecsta 711's. I know, because I've had them size by side unmounted, and then mounted on the exact same wheels.

Given these discrepencies, even the bigger Kumhos fit on my car just fine. If I turn the steering wheel all the way to lock, they will rub slighty. If I back off just a tad....and I mean a tad...they won't rub. But you never have your steering turned that far unless you're going slow, so it's not an issue at all. (EDIT- Or auto-crossing, my bad...I suppose there are times when you go lock to lock...especially if you're a bad driver...

)

If you were to get really thin spacers (3 or 5 mm) you can leave the stock wheel studs in, but a spacer that is much wider than that...say 10mm for example, requires longer wheel studs. My brother went to the trouble of fabricating 20 longer wheel studs for his car (he has SRT wheels), because he put .5" (12.7mm) spacers on all four corners of his car. He also had access to a lathe and end mill....which most people don't. On top of that, in order to slide the longer studs into the front, some grinding is required on the knuckles. But it did work, and his car has a mean stance now. A much easier path is grinding on the strut perch. But then you still end up with wheels that are tucked under your car alot more, opposed to pressed right out to the corners making it look more taut.

(note: all of this is concerning putting SRT-4 wheels on a 2gn)

vex · Post by **vex** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:41 am

thanks for all the help.

I got srt wheels on mine too. Looks like I'll go 45 next season

tamadrumr88 · Post by **tamadrumr88** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:26 am

its not the 45 thats pressed for fitting, its the 225's

..... either way i have no rubbing issues..... killer look though

2k2patriotblueneon · Post by **2k2patriotblueneon** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:42 am

ilpadrino wrote:
those are 205/40/17. I heard 215 is a huge difference. Anyone running 205/40/17 will tell you a 1/8" pothole at 25 mph feels like a 6" deep pothole at 50 mph. Trust me, I live in NY lol. The only good thing about having these size tires, is that I learn to memorize where all the bumps and potholes are in NY so I can avoid them the next time I drive through.

In all honestly, when I do get my new wheels (probably in the Spring/Summer) i will most definitely be getting 215s.

205/40/17 isn't death but it almost feels like it (it's not that bad--but if you have a choice, go with 215)

I can vouch...NY sucks ass.....bumps galore.

vex · Post by **vex** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:57 am

tamadrumr88 wrote:its not the 45 thats pressed for fitting, its the 225's ..... either way i have no rubbing issues..... killer look though

yea but your on 16's..im on 17's

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:05 am

I went from my stock 14's to 17's...I really don't notice a difference, only on the highway when my steering wheel starts to shake. (ordered some centric hub rings to correct that problem.) Bad thing about bigger wheels is that they weigh more.