The car is a 97 DX. Currently it sits with stock suspension, but most likely will have either Eibach Pro Kit or HR OE Sport springs put on it to drop it an inch or so. I'm not looking to go anything big and 16" is the biggest I wanna go most likely. The car is the girlfriend's daily driver. 17" are going to be too big for her car and I don't want to have to run a skinny tire for fear of her hitting a good sized bump and bending the rim, so that's my reason for going 16" or less. I'm looking for something in 15" or 16" but do not want anything that's going to rub. Obviously it needs to come in a 4x100 bolt pattern. These rims and tires will be used spring, summer, and fall and then will get put away for the winter. I don't need anything very wide or heavy since it's a low power daily driver, so at this time I'm leaning more towards 15" rims, but really like the look of 16" also.

It looks like my choices in rim size in 15" ranges in width from 6.5" to 8" and 16" width ranges from 6.5" to 8" also. From the looks of it the most common sizes are 15x6.5 and 16x7. I have no idea what offset to go with, so I figured I could get a little help on that one.

 

15x6.5/15x7 w/ an offset from +38- +45

16x7 w/ an offset from +38- +45

these are the offsets and widths i recommend w/o modifying your car.

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tire size:

15" - 195/55/15, 205/50-15
16" - 205/45-16 would be the best size but 215/45-16 will work also but only if your car isnt so low and if the wheel offsets arent too low.

 

I think the first question that needs to be answered is whether your DX is an Accord DX or a Civic DX.

I think the reply from Opossum Jenkins is assuming it's a Civic...

 

Yea, it's a Civic DX.

Basically I'm just looking for something that's not going to rub that will look nice. It seems like if I go with a 16" rim I'd want a 16x7 and if I went with a 15" rim I'd want a 15x6.5. It seems like those are good ratios to go with, that way you don't have short and fat or tall and skinny. I'm going for looks rather than traction and I don't want something that's going to be heavy and decrease gas mileage. Also, I want a pretty common tire size so that I don't have to buy super expensive tires for the car either.

 

Check out Tirerack.com. Whatever wheel size you pick, you have a great long lasting summer tire available for it. The Yokohama S.drive comes in 195/55-15 and 205/45-16. They are $71ea for the 15," and $93ea for the 16." If you stick with the 15" wheel you can pick up some pretty light weight wheels for a good price.

 

Well, I believe we're going to be using the H&R OE Sport springs and KYB GR-2 struts which will lower the car about an inch. I don't want to go too low because this car is driven in the winter and snow. The lowest point on the car is the front mudguards, which currently sit about 4" off the ground. 3" off the ground will be as low as I want them to be since it's the girlfriend's daily driver.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the 16's, but I'm just not sure if they'll be good for a daily driver. I'm not wanting to make the car too stiff, but would like the nice look of the 16's. I know I for sure don't want 17's because they look too big on a Civic to me. I know the 15's will be better for gas mileage and cheaper tires, but from looking around the 16's seem to fill the wheel well nicely. If I go with 16's I'll do a 16x7 and with the 15's I'll do a 15x6.5 to keep the ratios close.

 

Have you considered stock CTR spring and struts? I currently just put on a CTR spring/struts on my 99 civic coupe and was very impressed with the outcome. Once i get the time i'll be making a full review of the CTR spring/strut combo with pictures included.

 

Well, I'm looking at these currently:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/15-4x...Q5fAccessories

Excellent price on them. They're 15x7 with a +40 offset. I'm guessing since they're wider I'd want to use a 205/50-15 tire size? Aren't the stock EM1 rims a 15x6.5 with a 195/55/15? What is the offset on those?

 

I did some more searching and found those rims on Discount Tire for 330 shipped. If I wanted them mounted and balanced with Falken Ziex's they'd be 625 shipped which is very cheap. Most likely we'll end up going with the Drags since they're even cheaper than Rotas are and them come in gold with a polished lip which the Grids and Slipstreams do not and I can't find the Nippon Racing rims in gold with a polished lip either. I think the 15x7 would look really nice since it'll be a little bit wider than stock and after putting on the H&R OE Sport sports with the 1" drop it should look really nice. I'm just wondering if we should go 16's though...

Now, on the tires. I take it since I'm running a 15x7 and not 15x6.5 I should use the 205/50/15 size instead of 195/55/15? And lastly, what should I go with for tires? I'm leaning towards a touring tire like the Kuhmo Solus right now, but something that looks a little more aggressive like a Falken would be nice. What do you guys think?

 

stock em1 rims are 15x6 w/a 195/55 tire

and 205/50 on a 6.5 or 7 is fine.

what model of falken looks 'aggressive' to you ?

and what type of tire do you need ? all season or summer tire?

 

Thanks for the clarification on the EM1 rim size. I always wondered what size they were because for some reason they look big for being a 15" rim whereas other 15" rims I've seen looked small for some reason.

The Falken Ziex's are a little more aggressive than what most tires are, but it depends on what you compare it to. The reason the Kuhmo Solus don't look aggressive is because they're a touring tire, and that non-aggressive tread is what makes them last so much longer than the "performance summer" tires. The 205/50 seems to be much more of a performance size than the 195/55 seeing as how the 205/50 lists almost no touring tires. They don't even list a Solus in the 205/50 size, whereas for the 195/55 they do. Funny thing is that the 205/50 tires are generally cheaper than the 195/55's.

The new rims and tires will only be used spring/summer/fall. I have the stock 14" steelies painted white with Blizzaks on them for winter use. So basically I'm looking for something that will hold up for a long time and will be quiet and not expensive. I don't want anything "sticky" because they're just going on the girlfriend's daily driver. I want to keep gas mileage at an optimum also.

For a 195/55 I'd be looking at these:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....1=yes&place=12

They're a little pricier, but they are a 600 treadwear rating and they have a 50 dollar rebate on them. For a 205/50 I'm looking at these:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=1

I've always been a huge fan of Kuhmo's but the nice thing is I can get the rims and tires mounted and balanced with the Falken Ziex's on them from Discount Tire.

Will I have any issues running a 195/55 on a 15x7? It seems like I'd be stretching them too much...

 

With 15x7 rims, you can use either tire size. Most 205/50-15 tires are approved for rims 5.5-7.5 inches wide, and most 195/55-15 tires are approved for rims 5.5-7.0 inches wide (which means 15x7 will work, although it will look slightly stretched). If it were my car, I'd get 15x6.5 if it's offered, so I could use either size without the stretched look; if you get 15x7, you're probably going to want to stick with 205/50 rather than 195/55, but either can be mounted and will be safe, if you want it.

I think you should get whatever tire you want - but don't buy tires by looks (which no one notices, anyway).

The Kumho Solus is a touring tire, which means relatively quiet and soft-riding, whereas performance tires give better grip and handling. The Falken Ziex is not only an all-season, but a really crappy all-season whose main virtue is that it's cheap. If you want to save money and you don't mind living with crappy traction, it's a good choice; otherwise, you can get much better traction for a few bucks more.

What you say about the sizes is correct; the lower the aspect ratio (the "50"), the more it's considered a performance size.

However, the pricing depends on the tire. Some tires (such as the Yokohama S.drive) are cheaper in 195/55, while others are cheaper in 205/50.

That makes sense.

I'm a big fan of the ASX, because it offers excellent traction for an all-season tire. However, since your GF is looking for a more comfortable and quieter and longer-lasting tire, she might be better off with the LX, since it is all of those things.

BTW, the ASX is available in 195/55-15, even though DTD doesn't show it on their website. They can probably order it, if that's the one you want.

It's not that you CAN'T mount them; you can. However, I think you would be a lot better off choosing a 15x6 or 15x6.5 rim rather than a 15x7. Since this is for the GF's car and she's looking for a more comfortable, user-friendly tire, the wider wheels aren't going to help that at all. Based on what you say she's looking for in tires, I think she's better off with a narrower wheel than 15x7, and getting some 195/55 tires.

 

Yea, I'm not looking to stretch the tires to the maximum size rim I can. I'd rather just pay the extra money for a little bit larger tire. If I go with a 15" rim I'll probably use a 205/50/15 for a little bit sportier look. I don't really want something with the same size sidewall as the stock tires. I do see that depending on the size some tires are in fact cheaper. I guess it's more that I need to pick a rim size then pick a tire size to suit it. If I find a set of rims that I can get in a 15x6 or 15x6.5 I'll get them, but the ones I found so far are a 15x7. Ultimately though, I am looking for comfortable yet sporty but don't need anything with lots of traction since it's just the girlfriend's daily driver. It's just that the DR-16's only come in 15x7 and they're so far the rims we are going to go with because they are way cheaper than Rotas and look nicer.

As far as tires go I'd much rather using a touring tire than a performance tire. The touring tires are made for gas mileage and long life whereas the performance ones are made to be grippy. I know the Solus' are good tires because I've run them on her Civic before and have put a lot of them on friend's cars and they've really liked them. I would like to be able to order the Ecsta LX Platinums in a 205/50/15 but I don't see them listed. I know the Falken Azenis are nice tires, but they're a little more expensive than the Ziex's, not to mention they're a performance tire.

At this point though I'm starting to lean more towards 16x7 though and going with these:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...il.do?pc=45328

Found these to go with them:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....1=yes&place=20

https://honda-tech.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1237148162

They look very very nice on a white Civic, which is what the girlfriend has. I'm not quite sure if those are 15's or 16's though, but they look to be 16's. I can get the Drag DR-16's off DTD for 370 shipped which is an amazing deal considering the 16" Rota Grids that I wanted are 480 shipped for the cheapest place I can find them.

 

If you want less sidewall showing, the right way to do that is to get larger diameter wheels.

They are not available in 205/50-15, according to Kumho's website.

The Azenis is NOT what you are looking for for her; in fact, it's the exact opposite. Noisy, only lasts 10-12K miles, isn't particularly good in rain... I'm sure I don't need to continue.

That will work. Yes, 205/45-16 is the 16" tire size you'll need.

Obviously choosing a wheel is a matter of personal preference. I hope you find the ones that you AND SHE will like best. Good luck!

 

Thank you for the comments. They've been very helpful to me.

I think we'll end up going with 16's. It's been suggested by some people to use 15's, but the problem is that I think 15's look a little too small on the 96-00 coupe. There's a few rims that look fine in 15's like the Si rims or GSR Blades, but I think it's because they have a bigger spoke that they can pull off the 15's. Also, they generally only look good on a car that's been lowered at least 1.5". Her car will be lowered 1" at the most, so I'd like something with a little smaller sidewall so that it doesn't look so odd without being low. Also, I think the 15's look better on a EG whereas the EK's look better with 16's since they're a little bit bigger.

For the tires we'll most likely go with the Kumho Solus. The car needs a touring tire much more than it needs something grippy, especially since this is the "long trip" vehicle. I'd rather have something that we can get a ton of miles out of that will be comfortable and quiet as well as reasonably cheap. The Kuhmo Solus have never let me down as far as those standards go. Though they may not look all that aggressive or cool, they will make up for it in how well they work for what we need them for.

The rims we are looking at are a 16x7 with a 40 offset, so they fit the recommended size for 16's. The tires we are looking at are a 205/45/16, so they also fit the recommended size too. I'd imagine we shouldn't even come close to having rubbing issues with these, especially since the car will only be lowered about an inch.

 

 

Alright, now that we got that figured out we need to pick out valve stems and lug nuts.

Most likely the valve stems I will get the regular rubber ones and put the chrome sleeves and chrome caps on so they blend in with the polished lip. We have them at work so we should be good to go there.

As far as lug nuts go I'm not really sure. Is there any specific brand that makes strong/good ones that are of the locking style or take a special key? Also, would you guys go with gold or chrome finish?

 

Anyone?

 

McGard spline drive. Chrome, black, and gold available. Color is a personal preference. I have black spline drives on my "hyper black" (dark chrome look) wheels on a red car, pick what you think will look good for yours.

For aftermarket wheels, you need a taper seat (instead of the stock ball/radius seat). The spline drives can also come with locks if desired (my kit came with them).

 

Alright, so I have it figured out that I want spline drive lug nuts with closed ends and tapered seats. So at least I have the style figure out I want.

Like I said before, Muteki and Gorilla seem to be the more popular ones for cheap. I don't want to spend more than 45 dollars for a set of lug nuts, especially since they're going on a daily driver. I found the Muteki's for 35 shipped for the full set, so I'll most likely go with those. I don't see the point of spending 100+ dollars on them.

 

So, here's what I've found:

Drag DR-16 16x7 Gold with polished lip 370 shipped

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...ivan&tmn=DR-16

Kumho Solus KH16 205/45/16 369 shipped

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/205-4...Q5fAccessories

Muteki closed end black steel lug nuts 40 shipped

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=390033426575

I think that should about do it unless I go with some sort of wheel locks for the car. I was going to order the tires through Tire Rack but I found them on eBay for 50 dollars less. If you want to get a set of Drag rims, get them from Discount Tire now since they are extremely cheap and they're having a sale on them. The Muteki lug nuts you can really get almost anywhere for 50 shipped or less. All I'm looking around at now is locking lug nuts and I'm set.

 

Before you buy anything, I would suggest discussing your needs over the phone with the folks at Discount Tire Direct, since you're planning on buying the wheels there anyway. The reason I say that is that they offer free shipping, their tire prices are usually the best in the business, and when you buy wheels and tires at the same time, they mount and balance them before shipping. That means you will save $40-80 by not having to pay anyone to mount and balance the tires. They don't show the Kumho Solus KH16 on their website, but if you want that specific tire, they may be able to order them for you, since they carry Kumho. Otherwise, they have some other all-seasons in 205/45-16, including the Falken Ziex ZE-912 for $77/tire, the Yokohama Avid H4S for $86/tire, and the Kumho ASX (which I recommended above) for $87/tire. Since that includes free shipping, all of these are cheaper than the Solus tire deal link, PLUS you wouldn't have to pay for mounting/balancing. (Personally, I'd go for the ASX!)

Disclaimer: I don't have any association with Discount Tire Direct, or any other tire company. I'm just trying to save you some money and get you the best deal.

 

Actually, the DR-16 + Solus deal = 739 shipped.

The DR-16 + ASX's deal = 778 shipped.

I can mount and balance for free since I work at a dealership, but I guess it would save me the hassel of having to do it and I'm getting charged 12 bucks for the valve stems through Discount Tire. I know the ASX's are good, but the Solus may be better for our needs.

EDIT: I looked through my car on Discount Tire, and the reason it's 778 shipped is because I had Road Hazard in there, which was 12 bucks a tire x 4 tires = 48 dollars, so the total is actually 730 dollars mounted and balanced shipped.

EDIT 2: Holy ****, check this out:

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.p...se=&LoadRange=

I wonder if Discount Tire will match that? If they will, I'll definitely go with Discount Tire for everything.

EDIT 3: I called Discount Tire and they will mount and balance the rims and Kuhmo ASX tires with stems and hub centric rings for 643 shipped. If I order the tires and rims separately from the two websites it'll be 599 shipped. I'd almost rather pay the extra 44 dollars, that way it pays my mounting and balancing, weights, and stems and gets me the hub centric rings and the assurance that they'll be correct.

EDIT 4: Called Discount Tire Direct again to ask about how they mount and balance. They do not use a Road Force balancer and if your rim will take a clip on weight they use it. The dealership I work at has a road force balancer and tons of sticky weights to use and I get the valve stems for free, so I'll be ordering the rims and tires separately to save money and mount and balance them the way I want to.