rim and tire advise anyone?

[BSGCORP]

i haven’t ever upgraded rims on a car before and I just don’t want to make a wrong decision so thanks ahead of time for your reply’s and opinions!

I have a nissan sentra SE-R and it has 16in rims stock.. Like anyone else I want the car to look good that’s why i was hoping to stick 18's under it but my biggest concern is the ride & handling of the car.

1.Does quality of rim matter as must as quality of the tires?

2.is an 18in rim to big for the small sentra?

3.what kind of tires should i get for top notch handling? i dont drive in the snow and very little rain because i live in the desert.

4.is there some brands that are better then others?

5.Also where am I gunna find the best deal? Is there a standard for rim quality that I should look out for?

[giant016]

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

i haven’t ever upgraded rims on a car before and I just don’t want to make a wrong decision so thanks ahead of time for your reply’s and opinions!

I have a nissan sentra SE-R and it has 16in rims stock.. Like anyone else I want the car to look good that’s why i was hoping to stick 18's under it but my biggest concern is the ride & handling of the car.

1.Does quality of rim matter as must as quality of the tires?

2.is an 18in rim to big for the small sentra?

3.what kind of tires should i get for top notch handling? i dont drive in the snow and very little rain because i live in the desert.

4.is there some brands that are better then others?

5.Also where am I gunna find the best deal? Is there a standard for rim quality that I should look out for?

First off, if you want to keep that ad in your sig you'd better pay the site's admins some advertising money.

Next up, could you please refer to them as wheels? I don't mind the rim thing from time to time, but in reality the rim is just the outer part of the wheel. Damned rap music making kids dumber.

1) I don't know much about wheels, but it seems there are some high-volume aftermarket companies making decent products. Probably not what you're looking for, but the classic aftermarket wheels for musclecars are Cragar SS wheels, which are relatively cheap, good quality, and look good on the right car. This is just an example showing you don't need $500 wheels.

2) Nobody's going to know off hand. I'd jack the car up and do some measurements with the steering turnedd all the way to the side.

3) Something like the Nitto NT01 R-compound is going to grip REALLY well. However, performance tires are made of softer compounds meaning they may only last a few thousand miles. They're made for the racetrack; not that many people drive daily on them, it's overkill and gets expensive. I suggest you stay away from racing tires and look for a summer tire: better handling than regular tires, but they last much longer than racing compound tires.

4) Companies like Nitto pretty much focus on performance tires, they're worth looking at. However, just about every major manufacturer seems to put out a decent performance tire nowadays.

5) Call up your local tire/wheel places with price quotes from online tire/wheel places like tirerack and so on. Ask of they can beat or at least match them. Wheels can be bought used on the cheap, if you know they'll fit this may be the way to go.

Most importantly, make sure the bolt pattern fits, you'd be surprised how many think that wheels are universal; they're not.

[darktrojan]

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

i haven’t ever upgraded rims on a car before and I just don’t want to make a wrong decision so thanks ahead of time for your reply’s and opinions!

I have a nissan sentra SE-R and it has 16in rims stock.. Like anyone else I want the car to look good that’s why i was hoping to stick 18's under it but my biggest concern is the ride & handling of the car.

1.Does quality of rim matter as must as quality of the tires?

2.is an 18in rim to big for the small sentra?

3.what kind of tires should i get for top notch handling? i dont drive in the snow and very little rain because i live in the desert.

4.is there some brands that are better then others?

5.Also where am I gunna find the best deal? Is there a standard for rim quality that I should look out for?

dude, i recomend you to buy a set of 17's, ive seen a nissan sentra with 18's,but just to b sabe i recommend u the 17's. i hope re ride looks tight
i was gonna recomend u a set of blackmotegi racing rims but, too bad 4 u they r not compatible with the "R"

[newyorker]

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

i haven’t ever upgraded rims on a car before and I just don’t want to make a wrong decision so thanks ahead of time for your reply’s and opinions!?

Here we go

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

I have a nissan sentra SE-R and it has 16in rims stock.. Like anyone else I want the car to look good that’s why i was hoping to stick 18's under it but my biggest concern is the ride & handling of the car.

18s IMO are too big. If you want good performance, stay with your 16s and get good tires. There are autocross guys around here that use their stock SE-R wheels and just get good tires

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

1.Does quality of rim matter as must as quality of the tires?

Yes. Certain wheels are known for cracking, such as ADR. Forged wheels will be super strong, but super pricey. Also, you increase the chances of damaging the wheel from every angle if you lower the size of the sidewall.

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

2.is an 18in rim to big for the small sentra?

Depends what year sentra. Ive seen them with 18s and it did nothing for me. Remember that a bigger wheel usually means more weight too, and that hinders performance

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

3.what kind of tires should i get for top notch handling? i dont drive in the snow and very little rain because i live in the desert.

R-Compound tires are pretty much the best you can get, but some of them arent DOT legal. I recomend Kuhmo ECSTA MX, Falken Azenis 615, or Yokohama Parada Spec2

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

4.is there some brands that are better then others?

Regarding wheels or tires?? Yes some brands are better than others in both respects. Just remember, you gotta pay to play, so dont expect to get wheels that cost 100 a piece and have them be top quality. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Ive had many wheels on the different cars I have owned, and I find that some designs are better than others when it comes to strength. My last set of wheels (IKON P33) got bent very quickly. My current set (ICW Talon) have taken a beating and no bends at all. My previous car had EXEL BK7 wheels (same as ICW talon) took a beating and no bends. My friend's maxima had Motegi MR7 (same as EXEL BK-7 and ICW Talon) took a beating and no bends. I duno what it is about them, but they dont bend, and they are cheap too, only about 115 a piece. Did you have any certain wheels in mind?

Originally Posted by BSGCORP

5.Also where am I gunna find the best deal? Is there a standard for rim quality that I should look out for?

I believe all wheel manufacturers have to meet some kind of standard to be on the market. I use tirerack.com personally. It has a great tool that you can see the wheels on your car in different sizes, get prices for wheels, tires, packages, and shipping comes at a reasonable cost. However, they dont stock the Azenis 615 tires I told you about. I believe tirerack.com only sells products from companies that are ISO9000 certified, meaning that they meet a given standard and earn a more reputable name in the industry. Any other questions, post up.

My advice, put some nice tires on the 16s you have. The wheels look good IMO, and 16 is a good size because there are many tires offered for that size wheel. You will also be safe when parking near curbs, becuase if you have a tire thats like a rubberband around a wheel (225 40 18 for example) you have less rubber on the wheel and are increasing your chances of damaging it if you clip a curb while trying to parallel park. Also, if you hit a pothole, the smaller tire will not absorb as much of the impact, and the wheel will, resulting in a rougher ride, side-to-side pull over road imperfections, and you increase chances of bending a wheeel.