# Wheels change ride?



## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

does getting bigger rims cause a more bumpy ride? like going from stock 14's to 16's.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

ya. it will be a bit rougher. The bigger the rims go, the smaller the tire's sidewall. This will make it a slightly rougher ride. Jus make sure u get a good tire brand (kuhmo 712, toyo, bridgestone potenzas) and keep a good amount of air in there (more than you would on the 14").


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## sentra_hilo (Apr 23, 2003)

alright thanks.


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## McLaren F1 2003 (Jan 2, 2003)

yokohoma avs-100....cant forget those


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## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

or go for some fat sidewalled tires, also less likely to mess up wheels. although, this will affect your speedo speed too.


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## LethalAudio (Feb 12, 2003)

i got 205/40/R17s
not really the wheels that made a difference, just the 2" drop. It does handle alot better though.


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## snkee200sx (Aug 22, 2002)

don't forget to fix the camber in the front or you'll be purchasing new tires in about 6 months.


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

yea, upgrading the size rims will affect ride quality....there is less air in the tire therefore decreasing the "cushion".......much of it has to do with suspension setup......getting larger wheel's like 17's will do a number on a stock suspension(primarily socks)


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## Gimp (Jun 9, 2002)

It also really depends on the most important item......your cities ability to fix the damn potholes and cracks in the road.

With 16's, 17's, or 18's you'll feel EVERY little crack, crevis, and bump in the road.


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## tkvtec (Apr 20, 2003)

^^very true. Upgraded to 16's a couple months ago. Not much more rough. It was definitely a more solid ride, more contact patch(wider tire) softened the ride a bit to compensate some of the loss in sidewall. Much more stable at higher speeds, wait let me rephrase "stable at higher speeds". But you do feel much more of the road, and I just dropped mine yesterday and I'm really feeling the road now. I gotta check my camber and make some adjustments there, but otherwise a tolerable ride for the look and performance. No more wheel gap!!! YAY!!!


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

another thing to keep in mind: wider tires=hydroplane. I went from 175/70-13 to 205/40-16 and it is not very hard to hydroplane my car.


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## pearsont74 (Oct 1, 2002)

I dont know...I havent had a problem with hydroplaning...I think that depends on the tire and how worn they are
Personally I love my ride after goin from the lil stock 13 steelies to 215/40ZR 17...the performance, the handling


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## beatup97sentra (May 18, 2003)

what size tire could i go with on my 16x7 inch rim.... all inquires welcome?!?!?!?


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## beatup97sentra (May 18, 2003)

my friend has 205 55 16 on them now and they rub in the front... so i think maybe 205 50 or 205 45, what do u think?


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## pearsont74 (Oct 1, 2002)

with 16x7 rims...you can go with as low as 205 or 215 / 40


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

beatup97sentra said:


> *my friend has 205 55 16 on them now and they rub in the front... so i think maybe 205 50 or 205 45, what do u think? *


 what car?


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## beatup97sentra (May 18, 2003)

97 SENTRA GXE.... i want to stay with a tire that has some good side wall because of the roads around here, thats also the reason why i went with 16's


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## beatup97sentra (May 18, 2003)

ohh yeah its also lowered like 2.5 or something like that


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

well, the sidewall is good for improving the ride, but I can tell u, the sidewalls are way too big. Basically, to keep the same diameter of the outside of the tire, as the rim gets bigger, the sidewall must get thinner. For 16" tires, the ideal size is 205/40. This means that they have almost the same overall diameter as the stock wheels. Although your friens prolly has a better ride than I do on my 16s, the sidewalls are way too big. His wheels are rubbing b/c the diameter of the outer part of the tire is MUCH bigger than stock. Not only is he gonna rub, but his speedometer/odometer is going to be way off. It prolly reads about 52MPH when he's really going 60.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

Oh also, he is slammed down too far as well. Another reason he's rubbing b/c there's nowhere for the suspension/tire to go. I hope he has a camber kit for the love of god. 1.9" is about the lowest and B14 should go (1.5" recommended).


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## beatup97sentra (May 18, 2003)

well my b14 is down in the dirt with a 2.5 and it rides nice... my only porblem is the tire size on the 16's so i think im gonna run 45 series on them


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## tkvtec (Apr 20, 2003)

i have 205/45 and they dont rub dropped all the way on gc setup. a bit bumpy but not bad. overall tire diameter should be about the same as stock


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## 99Stealthy (Jul 27, 2003)

16 x7 can go w/ 205/45s for near ratio performance. tkvtec what suspension do you have?


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## 99Stealthy (Jul 27, 2003)

never mind that last question, tkvtec. 

ever consider 205/50/15's? i've seen several sentras with that setup and i think it looks awesome,not to mention the lighter wheel weight, less expense on new tires down the road, more cushioning than 16's, etc.


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

1997 GA16DE said:


> *another thing to keep in mind: wider tires=hydroplane. I went from 175/70-13 to 205/40-16 and it is not very hard to hydroplane my car. *


I agree; plus the "tram-lining", or "bump-steer", is horrendous,
and I just went from 14"OEM to 15x6.5. New tires next week,
so I might get happy.


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## apachewoolf (Mar 7, 2004)

AjRaCeR805 said:


> yea, upgrading the size rims will affect ride quality....there is less air in the tire therefore decreasing the "cushion".......much of it has to do with suspension setup......getting larger wheel's like 17's will do a number on a stock suspension(primarily socks)



so what kind of probs can i expect i just bought some 17x7.5 icw wishbone tuners with 205 40 17's :cheers: i am upgrading from the 14's that were on it and now that im reading this im getting nervous that i should have went to 16's


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## 200sx98fl (Jan 5, 2004)

apachewoolf said:


> so what kind of probs can i expect i just bought some 17x7.5 icw wishbone tuners with 205 40 17's :cheers: i am upgrading from the 14's that were on it and now that im reading this im getting nervous that i should have went to 16's


i just got a set of 17's and i love the ride really not much bumber than before only thing is the low pro's grab the hell out of te road. Any crack in the road it grabs but if you got a good alignment you should be ok. As far as hydroplaning the dunlop sp sport fm901 i can barely spin in the water and it rains down here in florida all the time. the best thing was that the 17's were lighter than the stock 14's. I just hope the sportsline 1.9 drop isnt too low on the b14, i have 205/40/17 on there. So i think i should be fine. any one have any suggestions abou dropping the 98 200sx.


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## 200sx98fl (Jan 5, 2004)

apachewoolf said:


> so what kind of probs can i expect i just bought some 17x7.5 icw wishbone tuners with 205 40 17's :cheers: i am upgrading from the 14's that were on it and now that im reading this im getting nervous that i should have went to 16's


wow them icw wishbone tuner s looks pretty heavy!?!?


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## Flounder (Sep 4, 2003)

I'm going to be upgrading to 17" wheels with 205/40/17 and am not really planning on dropping the car. I am planning to get KYB GR-2 on the whole car and some better bushings though. How will this work?


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## 200sx98fl (Jan 5, 2004)

SERmonkey65 said:


> I'm going to be upgrading to 17" wheels with 205/40/17 and am not really planning on dropping the car. I am planning to get KYB GR-2 on the whole car and some better bushings though. How will this work?


just fine


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

I have my 13" steelies on now for the winter much different ride than my 16" wheels. In summer i have 16's with 205-45-16's Toyo Ts-1s. They are much better traction wise and handle hydroplaning much better than these winter tires. They are noticeably louder and I feel more bumps but I knew that when I got them.

If you have the correct suspension setup you can lower it safely quite a bit. Mine is probably around 2.5"-3" lower in the front / 2" rear and it rides perfect and alignment was tuned for me to spec.

So yes as most ppl said. Its not just the wheels but the wheels and tires together along with the suspension that changes the ride.


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## apachewoolf (Mar 7, 2004)

200sx98fl said:


> wow them icw wishbone tuner s looks pretty heavy!?!?


once i get my rims installed ill let you know the difference but as far as picking them up they still weigh less than the factory alloys i have on now


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## speedricer (Mar 10, 2004)

I just got a set of Motegi MR7's 17inchers and right now i'm using stock shocks and springs...tires arnt too low pro, they are kuhmo's i'll get the size in a minaute, but should i be fine with wear and stuff? I got a set of ground control coilovers i'mma put on soon also, when that happens then should i worrry about gettin a camber kit and stuff?


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## apachewoolf (Mar 7, 2004)

apachewoolf said:


> once i get my rims installed ill let you know the difference but as far as picking them up they still weigh less than the factory alloys i have on now


welp i have the new wheels installed and everyone has been right so far they are alot stickier and they grab alot better the ride is rougher but the advantages are alot better than the drawbacks i feel every bump but that is a good thing when it comes to driving the curves in the mountians of ky and tn oh and as far as weight you cant tell the difference even though i think they weigh about the same next up is lowering it ill let ya know what happens


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## 200sx98fl (Jan 5, 2004)

I would definetly get a camer kit for the front being we have independent suspension in the front. No need for any in the back though. I wouldnt go any bigger than 2' drop on 17's. I love how my dunlops grab and go!


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