Getting New Wheels + Tires soon

I only have about $150 more to save up for new wheels and tires.  They will most likely be 17's.

Questions I need answers to:
1.  Where can I get lug nuts that require a special key, and what size are they? 
2.  Do I have to get an allignment?  (I will be switching the oem steelies for winter time, so I am assuming no)
3.  Do you think they will look good on a stock suspension?
4.  Do you have to be very concerned about potholes?
5.  How can I tell which tires have the longest treadlife?  I just want average all season tires, but they don't state the tread life.
6.  Any other suggestions?  (I am trying to get all questions answered before I make such a large purchase which I cannot return)
7.  Some wheels like the first pictured say they are lightweight (19 lbs).  How much does an oem steelie weigh?
7.  Which do you guys like?


Sport Tuning Blade :)

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Tenzo GF 7 (Look at that lip!, but only come in 18's and are over $1k so prob. not)

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MSW Type 11

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Speedy Fusion (I like...but easy curb rash)

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Enkei Evo 6

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Forgot, heres my car.
 
 


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Anyone?!

Funny...I was looking at Speedy Fusion myself...it'll be a great rim to throw on to show off your car no doubt.

My vote is for the MSW Type 11.

I do like the Speedy Fusion...and the ST Blade.

However, I love the rims on this Accord (Which was stolen:( )
Anyone know what rims these are? They have black spokes but are hard to see.
 
 
 


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Here are the answers to your questions:
1. Scroll through these: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&dfsp=32&from=R40&satitle=accord+lug+nut&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=29646&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=32&fsoo=2
2. Not necessary unless you lower the car too
3. They will look ok but youll want to drop it sooner or later... SLAMMED is the way to go
4. No not with 17's on stock suspension, just dodge the monster holes
5. Just buy a decent brand tire and dont worry about the tread life. There are a lot of factors that go into that
6. Make sure you are in love with whatever wheels you choose...
7.note sure of steelies weight. Id say around 20-22lbs.
8. I like the first wheels, and the ones on the Black Accord(not sure of brand)

quote:

ORIGINAL: j_man_honda

Here are the answers to your questions:
1. Scroll through these: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&dfsp=32&from=R40&satitle=accord+lug+nut&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=29646&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=32&fsoo=2
2. Not necessary unless you lower the car too
3. They will look ok but youll want to drop it sooner or later... SLAMMED is the way to go
4. No not with 17's on stock suspension, just dodge the monster holes
5. Just buy a decent brand tire and dont worry about the tread life. There are a lot of factors that go into that
6. Make sure you are in love with whatever wheels you choose...
7.note sure of steelies weight. Id say around 20-22lbs.
8. I like the first wheels, and the ones on the Black Accord(not sure of brand)

 
Thanks for all of the great info J_man.  Couple more questions though!
 
1.  I clicked on your link, however I see two diff. kinds of wheel locks.  One is where the key goes inside the lug nut, and the other is where the key has a special tooth pattern that goes on the outside.  Is one better than the other?  The auction for the key that goes inside says if the wheels are tightened using an air ratchet the key will break and the wheels wont be able to be removed.
 
2.  If the oem wheels are 22 lbs and these are 19 lbs will there be any sort of noticeable difference in acceleration or mpg?  I am assuming no.
 
3.  The new tires will be around 205/45HR17 and my oem tires are 185/65/r15. I know there are speedo calculators but I dont know anything about which numbers are which other than the rim size.  So will my speedo be off by much?  And with the new tires, are those low profiles or do they have quite a bit of sidewall or can you not tell by the numbers?
 
4.  I am really interested in what you said about how the mileage warranty isnt what matters for tire life.  Other then tire rotating and burn outs, what are other factors?  The cheapest tires w/ the rims are
Kumho Ecsta AST  $72 a piece
(High Performance All-Season)
 

Size: 205/45HR17

Serv. Desc: 88H Load Index 88 = 1235lbs (560kg) per tire
Speed Rating “H” = 130mph (210kph)

Load Rating XL

UTQG: Treadwear: 400
Traction: A
Temperature: A400 A A
 
5.  Should I just order the rims and search locally for tires?

quote:

ORIGINAL: 19Accord97

1.  I clicked on your link, however I see two diff. kinds of wheel locks.  One is where the key goes inside the lug nut, and the other is where the key has a special tooth pattern that goes on the outside.  Is one better than the other?  The auction for the key that goes inside says if the wheels are tightened using an air ratchet the key will break and the wheels wont be able to be removed.

2.  If the oem wheels are 22 lbs and these are 19 lbs will there be any sort of noticeable difference in acceleration or mpg?  I am assuming no.

3.  The new tires will be around 205/45HR17 and my oem tires are 185/65/r15. I know there are speedo calculators but I dont know anything about which numbers are which other than the rim size.  So will my speedo be off by much?  And with the new tires, are those low profiles or do they have quite a bit of sidewall or can you not tell by the numbers?

4.  I am really interested in what you said about how the mileage warranty isnt what matters for tire life.  Other then tire rotating and burn outs, what are other factors?  The cheapest tires w/ the rims are
Kumho Ecsta AST  $72 a piece
(High Performance All-Season)

Size: 205/45HR17

Serv. Desc: 88H Load Index 88 = 1235lbs (560kg) per tire
Speed Rating “H” = 130mph (210kph)

Load Rating XL

UTQG: Treadwear: 400
Traction: A
Temperature: A400 A A

5.  Should I just order the rims and search locally for tires?

1. I have Gorilla Tuner lugs with key inside, I wouldn't get the ones that have a squiggly 5-point star key, they like to strip. Thread is 12x1.5.

2. Noticeable... probably not, but they will increase a little bit.

3. I have 205/40R17, speedo is dead on, yours should be close. You'll have a good 2" of sidewall.

4. I look at the treadwear and don't pay attention to the advertised mileage they put out. My Toyos have a treadwear of 580 and grip like a mother, my Kumhos have a treadwear of 260 and grip like a mother on speed. Accelerating fast around corners, taking on/off ramps at higher speeds, etc. are going to wear down your tread much faster.


I would cautious around potholes... I hit one about a month ago doing 25, mire rim won't hold air now and I have to shell out $150 to fix rims that aren't even worth that. What can you do though, I can't afford a whole new set plus tires....

5. If you can find tires locally for the same price as the internet, go for it. When I replace my tires I plan on getting ASX or ASTs from the tire rack.

1. Id get the ones where the key goes inside the lug, just dont buy the cheapest flimsiest ones. And i would hand tighten with lug wrench

2. No not enough difference to notice

3. Speedo wont be off by more than 2mph id say. And the tires will be skinnier than oem of course but not really thin

4.If you want to buy cheap tires thats fine, i mean that will serve the purpose, but ive always liked and bought Falken or BFGoodrich

These tires are affordable and are Falken so they have to be somewhat decent:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-NEW-205-45-17-Falken-Ziex-ZE-512-Tires-45R17-R17-45R_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ66475QQihZ023QQitemZ360056656965QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Thank You guys VERY much for your help!
 
I am really thinking on this, as this will be the most money I have spent on my car for a single purchase.  Now, when I have the Sport blades w/ some $92 tires on tire rack the price is roughly 1,000 dollars!  So....do you guys think I should get 17's w/ a little better tires or 18's w/ the cheapest tires?  Will 18's look that much different?  Will the speedo be off by much more?
 
Sorry for dragging this out! lol  Im sure ill have even more  ?'s 

I always regretted not having 18s on my 5th gen, but I got a super sweet deal on my wheel/tire combo that I couldn't pass up!

I say....17"s with decent tires.

IDK just do a google image search of 5gens with 17's and 18's and see what you like best... I say 18's but its your choice

Just wanted to post these because they look somewhat similar to the ones on that black Accord:
http://www.wheelsnext.com/wheels-rims/Konig-Unknown-Machined%20W|%20Black.html

Awwww!  I LOVE the Konigs Unknowns and had always wanted those until I found out their price.  I think they are one of the best looking wheels....they look much better in person.  Thanks for the link:)

I don't care for black wheels personally, but I like the GF 7 pretty well.

I'm thinking about the MSW Type 11's myself...

I also like the MSW Type 11.
I haven't ever bought aftermarket wheels, but I will give you a brief review of the tires I bought a few months ago.
My wife's cousin in a Bridgestone rep, so i got about a $150 discount.  But I still wound up paying over $500 for the tires, mount and balance (on my stock steelies)
Bridgestone Touranza w/ Serenity technology
75k mile warranty
Free tire rotations for life
Good grip on dry pavement.  Very quiet. Grip in the rain is outstanding.  I have never had a tire perform this well in the rain before. When driving in the rain, I can barely tell a difference in the grip (unless I get on the gas too much from a stop.) This was a big plus for me as my Mustangs hydroplaned very easily.  So I have always hated driving in the rain.  If I ever buy another Mustang, i will probably put this brand of tire on it.
The tires are designed for high powered luxury vehicles like BMW's, Infinities, etc..
I did not see them on tirerack though in the size you said you will need.
They are expensive tires, but I doubt I will need to replace them any time soon. 
Just my little tire review for ya

Ya gotta have 2 sets of wheels, but the BF Goodrich KDW's are friggen sick in the rain.  My buddy has them on the EP3 and they are really unbelievable.  My Toyo Proxy4's hold the road pretty good too for an all-season option.  When I pulled the 0.9 g turns in my accord, I had stock wheels with Yoko's on them.  I had dB S2's .... they were discontinued because the dual depth rain channels caused problems with the tire's life ...... the inner channel caused cracks that wrap around the entire tire .... every rain channel!!!

Thanks for all the input and such guys!
 
I have decided I am going to get 18''s I just have to save up a little more longer than planned.
Once I have the money, I will really start looking for wheels, but most likely I will get the Sport Tuning Blades.
 
At work, this lady has a Lexus w/ 235/50/r18s and they look huge!  It is a pretty thick tire and I think it would fill the wheel well quite nicely on my car.  So what do to first two numbers mean?  And if I put 18''s on will it raise the car and lessen the "fill in effect" of 18 inch wheels?
 
THANKS AGAIN!:)

ALRIGHT!

Just added everything together and it comes out to $1151.48!  I have $1170 saved up!

Couple more questions before I purchase these!

Will I need an alignment?  Note:  I will not be using these during winter so they will be getting switched off.
How much will the speedo be off?
Are these good tires?
Here is the list of tires, what would you recommend? ALL I WANT IS TREADLIFE!  I dont race so grip isnt a big deal to me.

Wheels
Tires  This is a list, so please click this and compare.  I have "guessed" to get the Yokohama AVID W4S.

Thanks guys!  I really appreciate your input and help!

Your ride is gonna look sick! Keep us posted with pictures!

Thanks man!
I am hoping it will and will be ordering them pretty soon!
I just wanna get some more input on the tire selection
 

Serv. Desc: 89W Load Index 89 = 1279lbs (580kg) per tire
Speed Rating “W” = 168mph (270kph)

Load Rating XL

UTQG: Treadwear: 400
Traction: AA
Temperature: A400 AA A

Serv. Desc: 89W Load Index 89 = 1279lbs (580kg) per tire
Speed Rating “W” = 168mph (270kph)

Load Rating XL

UTQG: Treadwear: 400
Traction: AA
Temperature: A400 AA A
I am guessing the 400 means a long life tread?

I like the wheels you went with they are hot... As for tires, the ones you chose look ok. However for the same price you could get some Falken FK-452s which are arguably the best tires out there for the money right now. I have them on both my cars and love them. You can find them on ebay for around $140 a tire in the 215/40/18. Thats where i got mine from just because it was the cheapest place

Thanks man!  I am liking them more and more!
 
Do the Falkens have along life span?  And I would have to pay to get them mounted:(
 
On the tire list, are there any others that would have a good life?  I simply want the tire w/ the best tread life.