CAN97SH

I am having the hardest time finding wheels for my car for autox. I'm looking for a wheel that is 15" in size and 8" in width. The tries I'm going to get are the falken RT 615's at 205/50R15. Stock, the tires are 205/50R/16 but 15's are cheaper and supposedly better for autox. I cannot find any 15" wheels that are 8" wide and a bolt pattern of 114.3.

Any suggestions anyone?

nsxtasy

205/50-15 is much too small for a Prelude. That's a full inch smaller in diameter. (And 15x8 is too wide for that size anyway.)

Just use your stock 16" rims. If you're stuck on the Azenis, you can get at least a 215/45-16 in there, and you might even be able to stuff the 225/50-16 in.

Another 16" option is the new Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 tires, which is designed to compete against the Azenis. In Tire Rack testing, it beat the BFG KD and the Yoko AD07, and came in a close second to the Bridgestone RE-01R. They're available in your 205/50-16 stock size. That's what I would do.

CAN97SH

Wouldn't a smaller wheel/tire be better for autox though? I can get the 16's no prob but I'm trying to keep cost down if possible. I don't really care what the tires cost but 16" wheels are expensive! lol. Stock Prelude tires are 205/50/16. 205 is the width which is 8" no?

Also, I am sitting on 15" steelies with winter tires and they work fine. They are a taller/more narrow tire for winter so I don't know why you say 15's are too small. Not trying to be a dick, I would just like to know why you say that

Anyone with other suggestions or does everyone think 16's would be better for autox? I have all winter to research this and it's already driving me nuts lol.

nsxtasy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wouldn't a smaller wheel/tire be better for autox though?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, not necessarily.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I can get the 16's no prob but I'm trying to keep cost down if possible.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Your car needs bigger tires. And the Dunlops aren't all that expensive, anyway. ($103 in 205/50-16.)

If you're really concerned about costs, you might want to autocross using your regular street tires, whatever they are. It sounds like you're a novice at autocross, and you can learn and gain experience on those just as easily as on stickier tires (even better, in fact). Besides, you're not going to be all that competitive when you're starting out, anyway. And once you DO gain experience, if you really want to be competitive, you're going to be considering other options anyway, like R compound tires.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't really care what the tires cost but 16" wheels are expensive! lol.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't you already have a set on your car? You can use the Dunlop Z1 on 16" wheels on the street as well as in autocrossing. Or, you can pick up a used set of 16" wheels if you want to drive something different on the street.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Stock Prelude tires are 205/50/16. 205 is the width which is 8" no?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. The best wheel width to use is not the same as the tire treadwidth. You can look up the manufacturer's specs to find the range of approved wheel widths for any make, model, and size tire. Dunlop's range of approved wheel widths for the Z1 in 205/50-16 is the same as Falken's for the Azenis in 205/50-15: 5.5-7.5 inches. Most people whose cars use smaller tires (e.g. Integras) and use the 205/50-15 Azenis in autocross put them on 15x7 rims. For your Prelude, 16x7 or 16x7.5 will be fine for the Z1.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also, I am sitting on 15" steelies with winter tires and they work fine. They are a taller/more narrow tire for winter so I don't know why you say 15's are too small.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's not the wheel size that's too small. It's the tire size. When you use tires that are a whole lot smaller in diameter than the stock size, you run into all kinds of problems. They throw off the speedometer and odometer, they reduce ground clearance (NOT what you want for winter use), etc. Just not a good idea. Maybe your winter tires are taller so they're the same diameter as stock - for example, 195/60-15 is fine on your car - but 205/50-15 isn't.

CAN97SH

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Your car needs bigger tires. And the Dunlops aren't all that expensive, anyway. ($103 in 205/50-16.)</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'll take a look at some reviews on the those tires compared to the falken's I'm pretty sure I want to stick with the falken's though.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Don't you already have a set on your car? You can use the Dunlop Z1 on 16" wheels on the street as well as in autocrossing. Or, you can pick up a used set of 16" wheels if you want to drive something different on the street.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have the stock 16's but they have Hankook ventus HR 2's on them and I don't want to use em for autox. I want to get a seperate wheel/tire for autox and maybe street.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
No. The best wheel width to use is not the same as the tire treadwidth. You can look up the manufacturer's specs to find the range of approved wheel widths. Dunlop's range of approved wheel widths for the Z1 in 205/50-16 is the same as Falken's for the Azenis in 205/50-15: 5.5-7.5 inches. Most people whose cars use smaller tires (e.g. Integras) and use the 205/50-15 Azenis in autocross put them on 15x7 rims. For your Prelude, 16x7 or 16x7.5 will be fine for the Z1.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ahh I see. I was thinking a larger contact patch would give me more traction.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
It's not the wheel size that's too small. It's the tire size. When you use tires that are a whole lot smaller in diameter than the stock size, you run into all kinds of problems. They throw off the speedometer and odometer, they reduce ground clearance (NOT what you want for winter use), etc. Just not a good idea. Maybe your winter tires are taller so they're the same diameter as stock - for example, 195/60-15 is fine on your car - but 205/50-15 isn't.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I know what you're saying now. I didn't take that into consideration. I don't know the exact tire size of my winter tires on the 15's but they are about a half inch taller than the stock wheels with tires on them. They are also a lot skinnier than stock but they fit with no issues. Calipers fit in the wheels with no issues either.

I also have koni yellows/GC's so I raise the car in the winter. But the tires are taller so the clearance is good

Seems like I might have to go with a 16 x 7.5" wheel

I just thought that 15's would be better.

nsxtasy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'll take a look at some reviews on the those tires compared to the falken's</TD></TR></TABLE>

You won't find a lot of reviews, because the tire is new on the market. But you can look at Tire Rack's side-by-side comparison test in the link in my post above. Note that the conclusion that the Tire Rack drew - the Z1 is faster than the KD and AD07, not quite as fast as the RE-01R - is the same thing that Grassroots Motorsports said about the Azenis, in two separate tests (here and here).

If you get the Azenis, you're going to be getting either 215/45-16 (1.9 percent smaller diameter than stock) or 225/50-16 (3.3 percent larger diameter than stock). The 215's shouldn't rub; I'm not sure about the 225's. Prices at Vulcan are $90 for the 215, $105 for the 225.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I was thinking a larger contact patch would give me more traction.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The size of the contact patch depends on the weight of your car and the pressure in the tires, not on the size of the tires. For example, if you inflate all the tires to 32 pounds per square inch on a 3200 pound Prelude, the size of the four contact patches will total 100 square inches, regardless of whether you have skinny 185 treadwidth tires or 235 steamrollers.

By the way, here are how the diameters of all these sizes compare to the stock size, and you can see from these numbers why some sizes are a better match than others:

205/50-16: 24.07" (stock)
205/50-15: 23.07" (-4.2 percent)
195/60-15: 24.21" (+0.6 percent)
215/45-16: 23.62" (-1.9 percent)
225/50-16: 24.86" (+3.3 percent)

CAN97SH

Dude you are the man! Thanks for the help. I obviously need to do a little more research but that's what this site is for right?

If I think of anything else I will ask if you don't mind.

Until then I will be reading as much as I can.

nsxtasy

CAN97SH

Okay dude, I was obviously not thinking right yesterday. I don't know why I thought the Prelude came with 8" wheels lol. I was thinking of the tire and that they were both the same. 6.5" is the width of the stock wheel.

So with that said, I'm sure it's now possible to fit a 15x6.5 114.3 (don't know recommended offset) with a Falken 615 at 205/50?/15. But you're saying that that wheel/tire combo is too small for the prelude? I know it's smaller than stock but as long as it's functional then I don't mind them being smaller. I don't think Falken sells a taller tire in that width/size.

I wont really mind that the speedo will be off, that doesn't bother me until I start to get speeding tickets I just don't know what the ride height will be like. I have the Koni/GC's though so I can just raise the car to accommodate. I don't want a slammed ride either.

95greenlude

contact Billy (user: 117)

he used 15x8 Rota Slips for his RR prelude..... i believe he had some in stock, or his shop can order them....

nsxtasy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CAN97SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm sure it's now possible to fit a 15x6.5 114.3 (don't know recommended offset) with a Falken 615 at 205/50?/15. But you're saying that that wheel/tire combo is too small for the prelude? I know it's smaller than stock but as long as it's functional then I don't mind them being smaller. I don't think Falken sells a taller tire in that width/size.

I wont really mind that the speedo will be off, that doesn't bother me until I start to get speeding tickets I just don't know what the ride height will be like. I have the Koni/GC's though so I can just raise the car to accommodate. I don't want a slammed ride either.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That one-inch difference in diameter (over 4 percent) is huge. To answer your question, the undersized 205/50-15 will lower the car by half an inch, compared with the stock size tires.

I think it's a bad idea, for all of the previously-mentioned reasons. But it's your car, you can do whatever you want with it.

A Blue Lude

Those won't fit a 97 Prelude.