[DJ2BIG]

I have bent 3 OEM rims from my 2007 Focus Seadan SES in about 14 months since I bought brand new! These roads are horrible in Chicago and these people think they can bring the olympics here! Anyways I was wondering if changing tire size might help since I have to replace the tires im about to hit 30k miles on the perellis and snow fall is coming soon! I was thinking of going with 215/50/16 would this help? I want a wider tire so the lip of the rims are better protected? What do you guys suggest? Replacing OEM rims is expensive and the way things are going 3 rims a year is just to much!

 

[Geezer]

First, air pressure is critical in this situation. If the wheel is being damaged and the tire is not rupturing the odds are good you have too little air pressure in the tire. If the air pressure is correct the odds are the tire should be failing instead of the wheel or at least at the same time.

Second, increased profiles and aspect ratio is what will afford better protection, not a wider tire. For example a 195/60-15 will provide more rubber (taller sidewall) between the rim and the road than a 205/50-16 and both are the same overall diameter. That said, the 205/50-16 has a moderate sidewall height. Its not nearly as bad as say a 35, 40 or even a 45 aspect ratio/profile are. If your damaging wheels and or tires with that size the odds are good you'll do so with other tires.

If you seriously feel you need increased protection I suggest trying one (or all) of the following. Consider using 205/55-16 tires. Look for one with an extra load rating (XL). These will have stiffer sidewalls. They are a little taller than stock but not enough to cause any serious problems. Don't use alloy wheels...switch to plain ol steel ones (they are a lot stronger but can be bent...sometimes a hammer is all that is needed to straighten a bent rim). Switch to a higher profile tire and smaller diameter wheel such as 195/60-15 that I previously mentioned. And finally what ever you choose, watch those tire air pressures closely and be more vigilant to avoid those holes whenever possible. In the long run tires are generally cheaper than wheels. Keep them aired up, buy the cheapest ones you can find or at a minimum buy the damage replacement warranties and use them.

 

[DJ2BIG]

I asked the dealer about steal wheels they said it would throw off my speedometer

 

[stoopidsteve87]

I asked the dealer about steal wheels they said it would throw off my speedometer

lmao, LMFAO. ok. so i'm not an expert on this, and maybe at some extremes i'm sure that's probably true...but think about this... bottom of the line car with hubcaps on steelies, vs the next model up with alloys...idk, but i'm guessing that they don't program the same car differently for 3 different models with 3 different types of rims. now yes, i believe the svt's have the speedometers set slightly differently, but that's the svt...

in any case, again, i may be completely wrong about this. now of course, i'm sure if you get some crazy super heavy rims, things are going to be slightly off...but really...without researching anything, i can't think of how/why the weight of the rims would throw off the speedometer? yeah, super heavy rims are going to be harder to move...but...

the diameter of the wheel/tire combo WILL leave your speedometer off to an extent, depending on how much larger/smaller you are compared to stock and also the speed you're going...

but simply having steel rims throwing off the speedometer calibration? by enough to actually notice or cause any problem???

sounds silly to me. but alas, i'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination and anyone can feel free to prove everything i've said wrong.

 

[mikeswaggs]

The dealer was throwing YOU off. The only way the speedometer is thrown off is if you change the overall tire diameter. When you change to steel wheels, even if you go to the 15 inch wheel from the Focus, the sidewalls of the tire are larger and the overall diameter is the same. So if you want to change to the steelies, it won't do anything to your speedo.

 

[stoopidsteve87]

^^^yeah, i think that's about the one thing i forgot to clearly state, lol.

9 times out of 10, if you go up in wheel size, you go with a smaller, lower-profile tire. stock with 15" rims have 205/50/15 tires? maybe a 55 or 60, can't remember. anyways, bigger wheel usually means smaller tire, most of us running 17" rims have 40 or 45 series tires. the lower profile tire makes up for the extra size of the rim. i mean, lower profile tire you're going to be off by more because you don't exactly match up, but even a 35 series tire on 17" rims isn't going to make a BIG difference, especially below highway speeds.

thanks mike, glad i didn't sound like a completely idiot, lol

that dealership probably just wants to keep you coming back for stock rims. if that's where you're getting them, they're making a killing. i seriously have no idea how bad the roads have to be for you to be tearing up rims at that rate though. i've hit some pretty ridiculous rims with my 17"s on 40 series sidewall...and no problems. chicago sucks. lol

 

[DJ2BIG]

i find used rims for about $50 but still pricy after tire change out and rebalance another $20 and time consuming. Was thinking of buying a whole used set with or without tires just to have...lol.

 

[WeeAsp]

First, air pressure is critical in this situation. If the wheel is being damaged and the tire is not repturing the odds are good you have too little air pressure in the tire. If the air pressure is correct the odds are the tire should be failing instead of the wheel or at least at the same time.

Second, increased profiles and aspect ratio is what will afford better protection, not a wider tire. For example a 195/60-15 will provide more rubber (taller sidewall) between the rim and the road than a 205/50-16 and both are the same overall diameter. That said, the 205/50-16 has a moderate sidewall height. Its not nearly as bad as say a 35, 40 or even a 45 aspect ratio/profile are. If your damaging wheels and or tires with that size the odds are good you'll do so with other tires.

If you seriously feel you need increased protection I suggest trying one (or all) of the following. Consider using 205/55-16 tires. Look for one with an extra load rating (XL). These will have stiffer sidewalls. They are a little taller than stock but not enough to cause any serious problems. Don't use alloy wheels...switch to plain ol steel ones (they are a lot stronger but can be bent...sometimes a hammer is all that is needed to straighten a bent rim). Switch to a higher profile tire and smaller diameter wheel such as 195/60-15 that I previously mentioned. And finally what ever you choose, watch those tire air pressures closely and be more vigilant to avoid those holes whenever possible. In the long run tires are generally cheaper than wheels. Keep them aired up, buy the cheapest ones you can find or at a minimum buy the damage replacement warranties and use them.

Best advice you could get for this situation.