'79accord

first off Ive got a 79 accord no joke perfect condition I want to put new wheels on it but am having a difficult time finding some.

I've got 2 ?'s
1) right now I have 185-70-13 tires on there can I step it up to 16's or are 15 the biggest I can go.

2) or should I just forget about the rims and just have the stock ones chromed and get a different brand of tire to make it look wider instead

thanks for your help

nsxtasy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ’79accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1) right now I have 185-70-13 tires on there can I step it up to 16's or are 15 the biggest I can go.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can get whatever size wheel you like. You just need to make sure you keep the outer diameter of the tire the same as stock, and don't get tires so wide that they will rub on the wheel wells. On that last point, you'll have to check with other owners to see what works, or just try out various sizes. The offset of the wheels also matters, to position the wheels properly.

I would also question whether it makes financial sense to spend money on aftermarket wheels for a 27-year-old car, but hey, it's your money.

Your car came with 165/80-13 wheels stock. The sizes that would preserve the same outer diameter as stock are 195/55-15, 205/50-15, and 205/45-16. I would suggest the 195/55-15 over the 205/50-15, for fear of rubbing with tires that are 40 mm wider than stock. I'm not sure that the 205/45-16 won't rub, either.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ’79accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2) or should I just forget about the rims and just have the stock ones chromed and get a different brand of tire to make it look wider instead</TD></TR></TABLE>

Again, I'm not sure spending money on chroming wheels is wise. Especially 13" wheels. Also, a different brand of tire won't necessarily make it look wider. And you can't just put wider tires on if the wheels are narrow. (Each tire manufacturer has specs for how wide a tire can be mounted on a given size rim.)

'79accord

youre exactly right
first off there are not too many owners of (79's in general) out there. and if there were how many of them would know what I am talking about?

the 195's sound right the tires I was referring to were wider @ the treads but still @ the same tire size I have on there right now (185-70-13)
would it be possible to fit a 16 on there or would the tire be greater in diameter then the stock size?
right now dia. is 23.75 inches esentially I have 5 inches of rubber all around(10 both sides) @ the 13 inch rim. if I put a 15 on there its down to 8.75 inches
now will I have enough tire if I fit a 16 in there or would there not be enough room?

I have enclosed a couple pictures for you to look @...

http://img70.imageshack.us/img...z.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/im...j.jpg

nsxtasy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ’79accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the 195's sound right the tires I was referring to were wider @ the treads but still @ the same tire size I have on there right now (185-70-13)
would it be possible to fit a 16 on there or would the tire be greater in diameter then the stock size?
right now dia. is 23.75 inches esentially I have 5 inches of rubber all around(10 both sides) @ the 13 inch rim. if I put a 15 on there its down to 8.75 inches
now will I have enough tire if I fit a 16 in there or would there not be enough room?</TD></TR></TABLE>

There are three dimensions that, together, determine whether there is room for a tire inside the wheel wells of a given car: (1) the outer diameter of the tire; (2) the width of the tire's tread; and (3) the offset of the wheels, which determines the placement of the tire, in towards the car or out away from the car.

Here are the calculated outer diameters of the sizes mentioned:

165/80-13 23.39 inches (stock)
185/70-13 23.20 inches -0.84 percent
195/55-15 23.44 inches +0.22 percent
205/50-15 23.07 inches -1.38 percent
205/45-16 23.26 inches -0.56 percent

As you can see, all of these tire sizes are very close in outer diameter to stock. None of these outer diameters should cause any problems (e.g. rubbing).

However, they are all wider than stock as well, by 20-40 mm. If the tire is wide enough, it can cause rubbing on the wheel wells and fender liner because of the width. Is 205 wide enough to cause rubbing? Are there specific offsets on wheels that will prevent rubbing with a 205 tire? Unfortunately, the only way to tell whether a particular size tire on a wheel with a particular offset will cause rubbing is by trying it out.

'79accord

thanks for the info
thats quite helpful
with the pictures I listed would you think it would look beter, just feel better, and/or perform better with 15's or 16. what are your thoughts?
again thanks

nsxtasy

Well, looks are a matter of personal preference. I suppose most people like the looks of a bigger wheel, within reason. But the 15" and 16" are only an inch apart.

Performance is more a function of the make and model of tire than the size. There are lots of excellent performing tires in the 15" and 16" sizes I listed above.

Prices of 16" wheels and tires are usually somewhat higher than 15" wheels and tires.

Bottom line - take your pick...

'79accord

alright thanks I've got another topic if you could look @ it and tell me what you think. look up 1979 accord or 1st generation accord. thanks for all of your help.