I know this topic of 15" vs 16" has been beaten to death, but please read my question. In the off-season, I've been saving up some money, and I want to get a set of Falken Azenis. Now, what should I do. a) get a set of 215/45/zr16's on an extra set of aluminum alloys (~$600 through local discount tire with warranty) or b) buy a set of 15" steelies and 205/50/vr15's (~$500 mounted from discount tire direct w/ warranty) and sell the 16" wheels for some extra cash. Now, it looks as if the 15" wheels and tires would be the better deal, but is the difference in price and the 205 vs 215 and 50 vs 45 handling difference enough to warrant an extra $100 bucks? Thanks ^_^

 

how much are they chargin u for 15" steelies? i know they go for $30 from the dealer and 205 azenis from www.vulkentire.com total up to alittle over $200.
-spenc
ps as for the size, i guess it depends if u want shorter gearing for better accel. (205/15s) or more grip(215/16's)


[Modified by SOLOef, 12:00 AM 12/14/2002]

 

the 16's are about 2% larger then the 15's. the size change is quite minimal. however, since the 215 falkens aren't any bigger then the 205's, the 205's would be preffered.

nate

 

Would the 14" steels be worth getting some good rubber on and using those???? Only prob would be that you can't get much wider than stock..... they are 14x6.5 i assume, which the largiest you can go is 205?
correct me if im wrong

 

dose anyone use the stock 14" steels for autox?

 

The stock Honda 14s are either 5" or 5.5", depending on car, not 6.5"...

 

The 215/45x16" will barely fit an Integra or Civic. I know Patrick Goss had to run some crazy camber settings in order for them to NOT rub when lowered. I had them on my 6th Gen Civic Si and they rubbed BAD!

Plus with 15s they are lighter and no rubbing problems

 

yup, 14's are 14x5.5. there arent amny good street tires in 14" accept for the 195 azenis. i'd go with the 15's if u can and get more tire and less sidewall(short sidewall=sharper turn in )
-spenc

 

You don't say what width the 15 and 16 inch wheels you're thinking about are. I have run the 205/50/15s on both 6" and 7" wide wheels, and I think they like the 7" wheels a lot better. 40mm offset on the 7x15s works on my Civic without rubbing.

 

well on a lowered integra

but maybe the wheel wells are a bit different from the itr to the gsr to the civic si

 

im runnin the 15's on steelies (cause im lo-buck) and theres no rubbing issues. of corse, im not low yet. but everyone else who runs them in sts has no rubbing issues. so i think u will be ok. the only thing im worried about is them rubbin the bolts for the rear legs of my roll bar. do i have to flip the bolts. but other than that, there is no worries. if u indeed do rub, then ur too low as was said in earlier post.

-spenc

 

and your getting too much understeer


[Modified by greebler, 5:15 PM 12/15/2002]

 

I ran 15" steelies for a while, hated them - too heavy and not wide enough. I then went to a 15X7 volk with the 205 Azenis and what a tremendous difference. I'm not a fan of steelies, right now they are sitting in the garage, haven't even bothered to wash of the brake dust.

 

Have you measured them? I ask because I'm going from 205/50/15's on 6.5" wheels to 215/45/16's on 7.5's...

BTW - the Falken site says 205-50's = 8.3" & 215/45's = 8.5".

 

My Integra is lowered approx. 1.75" and with 215/45R16 Azenis on 16x7 +42mm offset SE37K, no rubbing. And ITR and GSR have the same wheel well.

 

i amend what i said. now the tradeoffs are between corner speed and acceleration. i would imagine in autocross, since you spend so much time cornering the wider, slower accelerating tire would still be better by a very small margin.

nate

 

That is what I think too

 

but at what cost? since those azenis are so freakin' heavy......we're considering running 16's on our project STS Si hatch with KD's and projected weight would be about the same as my 11 lbs 15's with azenis, unless Kuhmo pulls through and sends us some or their 'new' MX's.....doesn't look too bright though....and from the hard data i've seen the MX's are equal to/slightly inferior to the KD and Azenis.....

 

Now that would be a good comparison. What do, say, 11 lbs 15" wheels with the 205-50 azenis weigh in total to say 15 lb 16" wheels with the 215-45 azenis. I'd like to know that. Hell, anyone know just the weight difference in the 205-50-15 and the 215-45-16 azenis? I'd be curious myself. I was thinking of going with 15" rims because you can get 11-12 lb rims pretty cheap, not to mention there's a $30 per tire difference in price!! Anyone know the weight difference answers?

s

 

Listed Specs of Azenis

205/50/15 Azenis
---> 22.6 lbs.
---> 23.1 O.D.
---> 897 RPM
---> 8.3" width on 6.5"

205/50/15 KD's
---> Do not list weight
---> 23.2 O.D.
---> 894 RPM
---> 8.4" width on 6.5"

215/45/16 Azenis
---> 22.8 lbs.
---> 23.5 O.D.
---> 883 RPM
---> 8.5" width on 7"

205/55/16 KD's
---> Do not list weight
---> 25.0 O.D.
---> 835 RPM
---> 8.6" width on 6.5"

225/50/16 KD's
---> Do not list weight
---> 25.0 O.D.
---> 835 RPM
---> 8.9" width on 7"

Note: the weight of the 16" Azenis will theoretically be farther from the center of gravity so it would take more to rotate than the 15's...

 

$188/ea from tire rack

 

Woah... Havn't posted in a while... Anyways Its funny that they list the specs of the 225 KD as being .4" inches larger then the Azenis When I compared my 215/45/16 Azenis's to Chris shenefield's KDS (On his Beemer before the Civic) and there was actually a half inch more tread available then the KDs... hmmm Strange. The KD tread is a narrower strip that sits on top of a wider tire. Very wierd.

As for the rubbing of the 215 Azenis? I run them on a 16x7 SSR Comp with approx. a 1.75" drop. They rubbed pretty bad in the back and I had to roll the rear fender lip (Louisville Slugger rocks the rolled fender lip!) to make them fit nicely. I'm sure offset has a descent effect on this and I wish I knew my offset but I don't.

Just thought I'd share.

 

That is why I posted they were specs only, I wouldn't believe it until I actually measured some tires... I have a feeling the posted WIDTH may not actually be the contact patch, but just the overall width.

Another possible tire are the Bridgstone S-03's

225/45/16's (their specs)
---> 24 lbs.
---> 23.9 O.D.
---> 872 RPM
---> 9.0" width on 7.5"



[Modified by Mugenlude, 5:25 PM 12/17/2002]

 

or

Bridgestone S-03's
225/50/15's
---> 25lbs.
---> 23.9 O.D.
---> 872 RPM
---> 9.3" width on 7"