I have a real dumb question but bare with me I am a computer geek not a tuner head. I am about to change my wheels on my 1997 Honda Del Sol Si and I wanted to know what all is involved in doing so. Stock rims were 14" with 185/60/14R tires ... I want to equipt the car with 16" or 17" Wheels with correct size tires (Whatever that maybe) but I can only assume there is more to it then buying tires, wheels and Locking Lug Nuts right?

I have plans to replace the Shocks & Springs as well but I can't do both at once ($ is a concern) and the wheel tires need immediate attention. Any help would be appreciated!

S

 

I suggest you don't go larger than 16's on a del sol. 15's preferably.

 

I have 17's (205/45/17 on all 4 corners) and love em. There is noticeably less sway in the corners. Potholes and speedbumps are painful and I have replaced my front susp. bushings a few times. IMO its worth it.

Larger wheels are slightly slower in a straight line tho. Metal is heavier than rubber, so more rotating weight.

As long as you you get wheels with the right offset and tires with the right outside dimensions, bolt em on and go.

 

I was looking @ 16" but they are hard to find and 15" seems so small ... Is there a reason behind your suggestion? Again bare with me I am Machanically Retarded

 

I do agree, 16's are likely more than enough for most people. I'll also note that if you drive in winter, I would keep your old wheels and throw winter rubber on them. low-pro tires are no good in winter.

 

Smaller wheels are better in handeling, and also you drive a del sol, which is a very small car. ie. look at the difference.

I think these are 15's


and these are like 17's


and also the wheel gap on stock del sol's are hideous.. so dropping the car with a suspension setup will help the car out visually and performance wise.

 

I disagree about smaller=better handling. the del sol is a tiny car, but if you really chuck it into a corner on 15's. you will ride the sidewalls. that top pic has to be at least 16's if not 17s. 15s still have quite the sidewall.

 

I had 16's on my Sol, and i wouldn't go any bigger than that. The lower profile the tires are the eaier you can damage the tires and rims. It's nice not having to be so careful looking for pot holes that want to ruin your rims.

I went back to the stock wheels now, and if I get rims againi will prolly look for 15's or maybe 16's.

 

16s are very hard to find rubber for, that is the only reason i didnt go that way.

 

First thing is the Wheels and it sounds like 15" may be the way to go even if I had my heart set on 16" ... I have a Skunk2 Suspention setup on back order so i think it'll be dropped 2.2" more then stock if I am not mistaken ...

So just to be clear 15" tires would not be Low Profile and 16" tires would be. Also Low Profile = Pothole nightmare for alignment and wheel balanceing/denting?

 

the del sol vtec's came stock with 15's. so that is pretty standard. low pros are terrible on potholes, but you can avoid them. any decent shop will be able to properly mount and balance whatever you decide. dont hit things, you wont dent them. parallel parking is a bitch on low pros too. you will scratch your first set if you parallel park often.

 

beg to differ, my VTEC model came on 14 inchers

 

Id stick with 15" wheels, will look better on your car, wont mess up your handling, and 195/50/15 tyres are VERY cheap, lots of choice too!!

 

15's would be my choice if I was you. 17's are way to big in my opinion and would only be worth it if you were doing a big brake swap. Rubber is cheaper on 15's too! Also if you are lowering you car with Skunk2 springs a 195/50/15 would be a good fit.

 

16s MAX. end of story. If I were you I would look for a nice pair of GSR blades. I think they look great on the del sol and are just the right size.


Here are some 16s with the right size tire.


And here are some stock si wheels with the right size tire.



Both are lowered about the same. But you def need to lower it the skunk 2s will make it all come together.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wondersparrow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the del sol vtec's came stock with 15's. so that is pretty standard. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Wha? I have a stock Del Sol with Vtech, and I have 14" alloys. (which I need a couple of center caps for )

Also, I looked at Discount Honda, all years, and models, and all I could find is 14" alloys. So if you know where to get 15" alloys, please let me know.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wondersparrow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the del sol vtec's came stock with 15's</TD></TR></TABLE>
Nope, Del Sol VTECs came with 14x6 wheels and 195/60VR14 tires. I bought my 97 VTEC new, and knew someone who had a 94 VTEC, so this isn't just "internet knowledge."

As for rolling over on 14s, 15s, 16s, etc. - that's a function of the sidewall design. If the sidewalls are rolling over in corners, you should buy tires with a stiffer sidewall. 16s, 17s, etc. require stiffer sidewalls by default because if they flex to absorb an impact (like a normal tire) they'll run out of sidewall. But that doesn't mean that larger sidewalls can't be rigid.

I used to buy Yokohama AVS-I 195/60ZR14 tires for summer use and those things NEVER rolled onto the sidewall. Unfortunately I only had the ZR for a couple years, after those were disco'd I replaced them with VRs that rolled over during very hard cornering (and then all AVS-Is got disco'd). I just switched to Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212s a couple weeks ago and, so far, their sidewalls haven't rolled over - but I haven't driven much.


Personally I would go with 15" wheels. The tires are still reasonably priced, and if you buy a light 15" wheel the weight can actually go DOWN from a 14" OEM. I would get an extreme summer or competition variant with at least a VR rating. It looks like 195/55VR15 was the OEM size for GS-Rs.

 

Thanks for all your help ... I am a little more confident going out and getting what I need. You never can trust sales people HAHAHA ... Any suggestions on light weight Wheels ? ASA, Enkei, Konig, OZ, Motegi, TSW??? I think I like Toyo tires any reasons not to run those? Yoko's seem pretty good as well

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Socratez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks for all your help ... I am a little more confident going out and getting what I need. You never can trust sales people HAHAHA ... Any suggestions on light weight Wheels ? ASA, Enkei, Konig, OZ, Motegi, TSW??? I think I like Toyo tires any reasons not to run those? Yoko's seem pretty good as well

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You should compare the weights between rims. The more lighter the better. For tires brand. I would go for Toyo's myself reason being they grip wayyy better than anything else. Yoko's are good tires as well.

 

how much money are you looking to spend on rims?

 

I am trying to get tires + Rims in and around $1k CDN $ ... I live in Toronto but I am not going to buy used, I want brand new tires w/ Nitrogen Inflation.

 

You might have to get some rota's, because a good name brand wrapped in good tires will put you around 1200 bucks.

 

I'd run 15's with 205/50/15 Falken Azenis RT615's for the summer. Great handling tire and dropped a 15 will be plenty big.

 

heres a picture of my del sol: I have 15 inch rims with 205/55/15 tires on it and have H&R lowering springs on KYB GR2 gas shocks.. Rides really good and I can take turns like nothing.. Also changed all my bushings with ES bushings. And I also installed integra sway bars..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Poppins324 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here are some 16s with the right size tire.
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Those are ek9 wheels aren't they? If so they'll be 15's, not 16's