Hi,

I'm rather noob to the whole tires and wheels .. so offsets & sidewall descriptions will not have the desired understanding to me.

To make it short - I've a Black Honda Accord 2007 - stock alloys - 16", Michelin Tires and thought of getting new set of 18" Alloy Wheels and compatible tires.


The problem is I'm clueless to what I should replace with and everyone has so far given a different piece of advice to me regarding this. That ranges from the specialised Alloy guys to Honda Service Staff. They are as follows (all advices are based on my question with 18"alloys):

1. 18" Alloys + Tireset will cause it hit\scratch\rub the car inside fenders easily when taking turns
2. Replacing Stock alloys with others will cause vibration at speeds above 75mph. No matter what alignment\balancing is done.
3. Different alloy sizing will damage the car suspensions & mechanics
4. Steering will be too stiff
5. Ride comfort will reduce drastically
6. Tire Life will be reduced to a year or less
7. Fuel consumption will double
8. And everyone has a different opinion what size tires i shud go for.

With that in mind I'm rather confused about the whole thing. My requirements or rather desire was the following:

1. Snazzier looking alloys - spider\thin spokes with matte black\gunmetal color & finish
2. Better Control at higher speed. But without compromising much on steering smoothness, ride comfort or vibrations! And definetly no damaged suspensions or scratched fenders.
3. Should support my occasional (once in 2~3months) bursts of high speed driving in the 120mph range. [Intercity drives - 150mile stretch]
4. I do drive at times off-road - slightly - to get out of traffic.
5. I can accept a higer fuel consumption (but not above 30% - that doesnt make sense) & a tire life of atleast 1.5years

With above in mind is it recommended to change my stock alloys to 18" Alloys + Tires or not? if yes what tire size\brand should i go for and what are the tips\suggestions.

Help me out guys. I appreciate all you support for replacing my audio with a full Alpine kit.


Regs

 

suggestions anyone?

 

Please read all the Wheel and Tire links we put at the top of the post.
Alot of your questions and concerns will be answered if you just read the links...

WheelBrokerAng

 

I'd check tirerack dot com for their fitments. If their site says it fits (on your year/model) then it shouldn't rub or screw anything up.

What do you REALLY mean by off-road? Much of that, and I wouldn't use 18". Those low-profile tires make it real easy to bend rims.

Larger wheel & lower-profile tire make it a bit more difficult to keep in balance, but NOT impossible (not cheap either). #2 in your first list sounds like someone is afraid you'll shop elsewhere. If you're worried about it, then don't cheap-out. Read the reviews at tirerack.

#3 & 4 are bogus, unless you mis-match the offset from what is needed.

#5 is probably true, if you "need" a soft cushy ride.

#6 & 7 can be true, if you choose a real sticky high-performance tire. That type of tire is far more common in the low-profile sizes, but if you look around you might find alternatives that are less "high" performance. But then WHY go to 18"?

#8 will always be true, as long as there's more than one person answering your questions.

 

Here's a list of 18" rims for your car
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resul...All&sort=Price

Here's a set of thin grey spoked 18's on your car
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/MiniW...d=true&sw=1024

Here's some tires that will fit.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...All&loadRank=2

These tire and wheel packages will have the same outside diameter as your stock wheels, just less tire and more rim. There will be a harsher ride and a higher chance of damaging a rim, but there should be no real harm to the car. Dealers like to scare people from changing anything from stock to custom. With good reason, stock works well, custom can really Eff up your car if you don't know what you are doing. Fortunately the folks at tire rack do know what fits and what does not.

As mentioned above, if you drive off road at all, don't but 18" rims, save your money for new shocks and bodywork. Or just stay on the pavement you nut.

 

lol

Some of the things your people have been telling you are bs!

Tire life depends on what tire you get. I got the 18" Yokohama WS4's because they have a 600 treadwear and are all seasons. They aren't soft and aren't meant for grip. They are just like any other all-season and will last just as long. I have had mine for about two years and use them 6-7 months out of the year and they are still in great shape.

Fule consumption will increase slightly if the wheels are heavier.

Suspension will handle it fine. Brakes will have to work harder and some components may wear out earlier but nothing major.

Ride comfort will decrease.

You can go off the pavement. I go on dirt/country roads all the time.

You have to watch out for big potholes as they can bend a rim.

Won't vibrate if the wheels are balanced.

Whoever said all that stuff to you are complete idiots! Tell them I said so.

Go for it! Get w/e size and looks you want! But after wheels you'll prolly want to lower the car to get rid of the fender well gap. If you are concerned about tire life make sure it is not a summer tire. All seasons will be a good bet.