Considering going to slightly larger wheels

[mossberg]

I've got a 2001 i4 MT Accord EX coupe with what I assume are the stock wheels (bought car used). Pics of current wheels:

Tire tread is getting low, so I'm considering using this opportunity to put in some slightly larger wheels (perhaps buying a secondhand set of wheels with relatively new-ish tires on them). Also, my current wheels have a fair amount of curb rash, so that's another impetus to change wheels (though I suppose I could sand and paint them black). My understanding is that the bolt pattern on my car is 4x114.3, so the easiest wheel swap would involve getting 4x114.3 wheels.

Current tires are P195/65R15. A swap to 4x114.3 16" wheels with 205/55R16 tires would be simple, correct? Just put them on to appopriate torque and you're done, no need for rebalancing, right?

I found a set of wheels+tires for sale, but I'm not sure it would make a good fit for my car. The wheels are 16x7 +40 4x114.3 (I assume 7 is the wheel width in inches; not sure what the +40 refers to?). The tires are Toyo Proxes FZ4 205/45 16. If my math is correct, the overall diameter of these wheels+tires is 23.3" vs 25.0" for my current wheels+tires. Would the 1.7" difference require adjustments?

 

[RedRyder]

If you are not familiar with the concept of offset, I would hold off on buying wheels until you read up and learn a few things first. But yes 7" is the wheel width, +40 is the offset.

205/45 is not the correct size for 16" rims for this car, and would look really bad. 205/55/16 would be the proper tire size. But honestly you should really upgrade to 17's, 16's are just a bit small for your car.

Whenever getting new wheels they always need balanced and aligned. Like I said, I would educate yourself first, then look for a new setup when you know what you're doing.

 

[mossberg]

If you are not familiar with the concept of offset, I would hold off on buying wheels until you read up and learn a few things first. But yes 7" is the wheel width, +40 is the offset.

205/45 is not the correct size for 16" rims for this car, and would look really bad. 205/55/16 would be the proper tire size. But honestly you should really upgrade to 17's, 16's are just a bit small for your car.

Whenever getting new wheels they always need balanced and aligned. Like I said, I would educate yourself first, then look for a new setup when you know what you're doing.

I take it that if I go to 17's, I should be lowering the car so it doesn't look like a pickup truck?

Modifying the suspension is probably more than I'm prepared to learn and budget for by the time my current set of tires needs to be replaced, so maybe I'll just sand and paint my current rims and buy some new tires. Yes, the 15" rims look small on this car, but what bothers me more than the size is how much curb rash they have.

What color rims do you guys think looks best on a black body? Silver, bronze, or black?

 

[Valet]

If you're not ready to do suspension then I would say just put new tires on your current ones and saving for suspension. That's always what should be done first.

 

[fastflyinaccord]

Painted oem wheels almost never look good, especially on a car that is not lowered.

Do research and save your pennies for a suspension upgrade.

 

[mossberg]

Painted oem wheels almost never look good, especially on a car that is not lowered.

Might be a while before I can save up for a suspension upgrade. What can I do about the curb rash on my OEM wheels in the meantime?

Separately, as I mentioned, I'll have to replace tires soon due to tread wear. Instead of replacing with 195/65R15, I could go with 205/60R15 - wouldn't cost much more per tire. Is the difference between 195/65 and 205/60 visually noticeable in terms of tire width or sidewall height once mounted on the car?

Is the difference in ride comfort, cornering or acceleration noticeable?

There's also the 205/55R15 option, but the diameter is >3% smaller, which seems to introduce the potential for problems.

 

[20-CG5-01]

The thing is, if you upgrade tire size, your speedo won't read correctly and give you the wrong mileages its traveled.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
^^
Use that site to determine how much faster/slower than you are actually traveling.

205/60 would be suitable over 195/65, but why not just get the correct tires and sizes?

 

[mossberg]

The thing is, if you upgrade tire size, your speedo won't read correctly and give you the wrong mileages its traveled.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
^^
Use that site to determine how much faster/slower than you are actually traveling.

205/60 would be suitable over 195/65, but why not just get the correct tires and sizes?

I used a different tire calculator. The speedometer and mileage differences are inconsequential (for me anyway) between 195/65 and 205/60.

I was thinking 205/60 just for a potentially sportier look. Or would the shorter sidewall on the 205/60 make it look worse than 195/65 on a stock suspension Accord (a too small wheel visual)?

 

[RedRyder]

I take it that if I go to 17's, I should be lowering the car so it doesn't look like a pickup truck?

Modifying the suspension is probably more than I'm prepared to learn and budget for by the time my current set of tires needs to be replaced, so maybe I'll just sand and paint my current rims and buy some new tires. Yes, the 15" rims look small on this car, but what bothers me more than the size is how much curb rash they have.

What color rims do you guys think looks best on a black body? Silver, bronze, or black?

Always be sure to maintain overall OEM wheel diameter. Going outside that +/- will either look bad or produce inaccurate speedo/odo readings, or both. There are some intervals that won't make a huge difference in speedo/odo readings, but then again they won't make much of a difference visually either.

Sounds like the best idea for you right now is to just replace the tires you have with some cheap but decent rubber that will last until you can save up for some suspension.

You can paint your OEM wheels black, but that's about it. If I were you I'd just get them refinished in a nice OEM-ish silver.

 

[ey361995]

I have 215/45/17s and I hardly notice a difference in my speedo. I would still get some wheels man. A little more time and money goes a LONG way. Since you have 4 lug I would recommend some 3.0 cl wheels...or any cl for that matter (other than the 01-03 obviously because of 5 lugs)