As I've posted here before, I really like having 15s on the car in the winter. I prefer the ride to my summer 17s and my clutch never squeals with the 15s, as it frequently does with the 17s ...which I am guessing is because it is easier to get the car rolling with 15s?

So, here come the questions ...

I really like the Sport Edition F7s, but they don't come in 15". Is the ride of a 16" a good compromise, or more like a 15" or a 17"?

Is there a wheel that looks and costs like an F7 that does come in 15".

I currently have a set of 17" ASA1 wheels with nearly new Nitto NeoGens (love 'em!) with about 5K miles on them. Two of the wheels have very minor road rash, but they all look great from 3' away. The wheels have 45K miles on them. What would a fair asking price be for the wheels and tires?

Thanks in advance for you help.

Dean.

 

Dean it is not only the 15" wheel size that is making the ride smooth. It is also the fact that a snow tire is very rolly poley in its construction.

I run 16 inch tires 205/50/16 in summer & yes they do provide a better ride than 17 inch ones will. I had high performance tires & they were kind of hard. I've since switch to an all season & I like the ride better. For me it is a good compromise.

Look in the marketplace for similar wheels & tires & see what others are asking.

 

Chuck: Can you please more completely define the term "rolly poley" for those of us are unclear! Thanks Mike

 

like riding a fat girl on a water bed?

 

There are of unaswered questions here, for instance, what size tires are you using on both the 17s and the 15s?

Most likely, the 15 have a higher aspect ratio than the 17s so there is much more sidewall deformation over bumps with them than with the 17s. If the overall diameter of the tires is the same, than the most likely reason that the 15s feel like they accellerate better is because the 15" tire/wheel combo is likely much lighter than the 17s.

My guess is that in addition to giving away a weight advantage, the 17s are also larger in diameter than the 15s. That changes the final drive ratio downward (makes your gear ration lower) across the range. You can easily check that by checking your tach to see what the RPM is at a constant 60 mph. My bet is that the RPM is higher with the 15s.

You could also find some simple answers in the tread patter, the contact patch, and the construction of the tires.

 

I mean they are soft. It is the nature of a snow tire & one of the things that makes them work in the snow.

I run a 185/65/15 Pirelli Snow Control tire.

 

Liquid Wrench, That water bed comment absolutely cracked me up!! These boards get way too stuffy at times, a little humor is welcome in my book.

 

Thanks for the help folks ...and the laughs !!

The 15s are 195/60 and the 17s are 215/45.

I originally bought the 17s because I liked the look. But the look of the 15s have grown on me and as I said, I prefer the ride.

I'm not a wheel/tire guy, so all of these numbers mean little to me. So, I guess what I am really asking is if I get a set of Nitto NeoGens in 195/60/R15 will the ride soften up and will the car Handle as well as with the Nitto 215/45/R17 set-up?

Dean.

 

Simply put, if you like the handling of the 17 Nittos, but much prefer the ride of the 15, you'll likely be very happy with the 15 Nittos. You likely won't have the same level of cornering ability as you would with the 17s, but on a long ride home from work, you'll appreciate not having your kidneys shaken out. I suspect, like me, that you will opt for comfort.'

Let us know what you do.

(btw, I put 205/50/16 Yoko Avid Envigors on good ol' stock Bridgespokes on mine and I'm very happy -- you may find similar results with a 205/50/16 Nitto. Nothing is easy is it?)

Oh, and your probable good price on the set of 17s is going to be between $400 and $700. You'll get more in the springtime than you will right now.

Good luck.

 

An all season tire will ride softer than a summer tire or performance tire. Corning and handling can be very good as many track cars use 15 inch wheels and tires. I use 205/55/15 and love them. They ride smooth and
corner great. A popular size to improve ratio is 205/50/15 as they are slightly smaller in diameter.

 

What does "improve ratio" mean?

Thanks.

Dean.

 

Your gear ratio will be slightly altered and you will find that acceleration is brisker with the smaller than stock tire diameter. I found alot of information on this when I searched under 15 inch tires, plugged into the search engine "205/50/15" and plain just searched anything "15 inch". I was looking for alternative tire sizes for the stock 175/65/15 and found alot of advice and recommendations this way. I then decided on the 205/55/15 tires. They are wide, have some poke on the standard 5.5 inch wheels, and ride smooth while not effecting handling at all because of being all season tires. Love them!

 

While 205/50-15 is a common size for performance driving on the track or at autocross it is not a good size for street use. It has a small tire diameter of about 23.1" which is over 1" smaller than stock so speedo and odometer will have some error and wheel gap will be larger and ride height and clearance will be less than stock.

To answer the OP, yes you can consider 16" wheels and depending on which tire you choose you can find one that gives good handling and good comfort for street use. 205/50-16 or even 205/55-16 with stock suspension is fine.

If you choose 15" rims then 195/60-15 will work best for street use if you can find the right tire for you in that size which is not difficult.

Nitto Neo gens are Ultra High Performance All Season tires.
I don't see them in any tire sizes less than 205/50-15.
You could get them in 205/50-16 and that would work.

 

205/50-15 gives you information on the tire size.
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=46

205 is the tire width in mm. The wider the more tread contact patch with the road in most cases.

50 is the sidewall aspect "ratio". 40 is a lower profile sidewall which is stiffer and allows you to flex the sidewall of the tire less during hard cornering results in better handling response but also more ride harshness when going over bumps or potholes. 55 or 60 is a taller sidewall for more flex due to more tire material height on the sidewall and more comfort but not as good handling under speed. If you drive the speed limit either low or higher profile tires will work OK.

 

Thanks guys !

Now to do some homework and shopping.

Dean.