whats the handling like with 16" rims ??

[dark_knight]

slap on some 17s for the bling factor.. kidding!
for this car, whatever tire size you run, i'd say 15s are the best bet. if you want to go mental then get some light-weight racing rims..

 

[Gord R]

I run 16x8's on a 215 tyre on the front with 15"s on a 195 tyre on the back. Obviously im in a totally different circumstance to most, but mine needs to handle! Which it does. Also do not struggle with traction issues.

With reference to Pauls post a few things to bare in mind.

Match your rolling radius if you go bigger wheels/tyres and your speedo/gearing should not be to badly effected.

Weight wise, my front wheels weight are light, and weigh not that much different to my backs.

Worse of the start line? well you get more traction on a bigger/wider rim.

Bigger wheels on the back? More grip on the back, more your going to encourage understeer. Lovely.

Additionally, you mention 45 and 50 profiles, are you assuming the same width of tyre, Bare in mind a 195/45 will have a different height sidewall to a 205/45 side wall as the 45 is the percentage of the width.

 

[hardcoreep]

16s are the best. 17s are too large and 15 are too small for a EP91 with decent power. As for gearbox stress the stock box can handle 23-26inch drag slicks so a 16 inch rim on a street tyre will be little issue.

The rim size itself is irrelevant. As Gord R states is the rolling diameter is key. A 205/40/16 gives WAY better handling than any 15 short of R compound tyres.

 

[dark_knight]

@hardcoreep: x2

 

[kellygt]

C'mon the 16's I've ran 15's on my Gt turbo and I've ran 15's and 16's on my Glanza and the 16's are 'winning'

 

[weeJohn]

I am seriously thinking about 16's handling sounds good but people say comfort is lost with 45 wall size vs the 50 wall size, from your experience what do you think ?

Well it depends what width you go for, 45 does not mean 45mm, it means aspect ratio 45 to the width of the tyre. A 325 x 45 tyre will have taller sidewalls than a 195 x 45, something to think about. The ride in my car is harsh as I have D2s fitted so I didnt notice any difference with the 50s comfort wise mate, sorry I cant help you there.

 

[Corey_gt]

I did'nt like 16's because the ones I had were et42 which imo looked weird because they sat in too far and if I wanted to space them out and sit the car the way I wanted they would of rubbed the arch because of the diameter of the wheel. Down rough back roads with the lower profile tire on the 16's made the ride a lot different imo a bad difference did'nt feel right to me. I prefer 15's I have no problems with them and I'm running a good bit of power too the cars handling is great with my setup I would never put 16's on again even if I did the gain would be minimal not WAY better imo.. I also dont like the look of 16's on Starlets either.

 

[Rev]

I did'nt like 16's with the lower profile tire on the 16's made the ride a lot different imo a bad difference did'nt feel right to me. .

Thanks. I was wondering Corey , do you recall if the lower profile you had was the 195 45 16 or maybe 205 40 16 .

 

[Corey_gt]

As far as I car remember 205 40 16's dude. Your in oz though dude you have great roads compared to here you should have to many issues.

 

[Paul_JJ]

For the big power - no doubt bigger wheels would help!

On my own experience putting wider wheels on the rear made my handling better, but I have a standard suspension - so probably that's why.

 

[kellygt]

In relation to the 16's being better than 15's check out these track cars by Cruise all on what looks like 16's to me with wider front tyres

 

[Rev]

As far as I car remember 205 40 16's dude. Your in oz though dude you have great roads compared to here you should have to many issues.

Currently on 205 40 17's with a wall that measures about 35mm to get same radius as 195 45 16's . I really have few issues other than comfort.

On performance I found this quote ' As regards loss of grip, for track use, assuming 7" rim, 195 will actually perform better as there is less tyre roll (tyre is tighter on rim), but for everyday road driving 205 will be more compliant.'
I would add that the wider 205 tyre for me picks up a lot of road noise.

So I am open to 195 45 16's for performance but would be interested to hear If some one has found comfort with them.

 

[dark_knight]

to boil it all down, i think it comes to what your preference is as it's impossible to have an all-round tire that will handle well, stay quiet on the highway and be comfortable on bad roads and/or stiff suspension. it's all about compromise..

 

[Rev]

Agreed its a best fit decision. I have a high speed 250k+, low noise, medium price tyre , with above average wet dry grip due to special flat profile I have increased grip by having larger 205 rubber on the road. The low 40 wall gives good direct contact and because I do not like understeer my personal preference is lots of oversteer. With 582mm dia ( 195 45 16 ) means I lose about 1.7 ft/lb of torque compared to 195 50 15's or 8.6 ft lb's compared to 195 45 15's based on max 200 ftlbs.

So has anyone found comfort with 195 45 16 or 195 45 15's ?

 

[Paul_JJ]

Agreed its a best fit decision. I have a high speed 250k+, low noise, medium price tyre , with above average wet dry grip due to special flat profile I have increased grip by having larger 205 rubber on the road. The low 40 wall gives good direct contact and because I do not like understeer my personal preference is lots of oversteer. With 582mm dia ( 195 45 16 ) means I lose about 1.7 ft/lb of torque compared to 195 50 15's or 8.6 ft lb's compared to 195 45 15's based on max 200 ftlbs.

So has anyone found comfort with 195 45 16 or 195 45 15's ?

John, All I can say on my own experience - Comfort wise - 185/60R14 - which I use in the Winter is WAY better than 195/50R15 - it's a different league -) Of course performance wise - R14 are not the best wheels performance wise, but I use them only in the winter and they're great for the season!

 

[Ryan5793]

iv had 16's on mine and makes the steering feel a little bit more heavy, iv got 15's on atm and handling has been awesome on both though so if its for looks on a kitted starlet id have 16's just suits them so much better in my opinion. I just love how low my car sits on 15's which cant be done so well on 16's.

 

[Rev]

John, All I can say on my own experience - Comfort wise - 185/60R14 - which I use in the Winter is WAY better than 195/50R15 - it's a different league -) Of course performance wise - R14 are not the best wheels performance wise, but I use them only in the winter and they're great for the season!

I found I can get a 185 55 15 tyre that comes in a sport version tyre so I guess that will work for handling and comfort ? But from the photos above and all the above experience I was looking to stay wider with 195 minimun at the front then Ryan raises a good point that 16's will look better on my ride. Interestingly the KUMO sports tyre supplier does not offer 195 45 16's the closest I can get is 205 40 16.

 

[Paul_JJ]

I found I can get a 185 55 15 tyre that comes in a sport version tyre so I guess that will work for handling and comfort ? But from the photos above and all the above experience I was looking to stay wider with 195 minimun at the front then Ryan raises a good point that 16's will look better on my ride. Interestingly the KUMO sports tyre I use does not offer 195 45 16's the closest I can get is 205 40 16.

You don't have to go 185 it's just my example what I've got -) Surely 195 is better - especially for Australia when it's nice and hot -) I probably would get 205 if I lived in Australia and around 50-55 profile. I only use 185 in the winter and they're amazing.