Red Pepper Racing

I would like to put 16" rims on my '87 Si Hatch. I want to keep the same tire diameter, but maybe a wider tire. Just wondering what will fit and not rub in the front. Fabricating fender flares can be an option of I have to have a wider stance. A guy at the tire store said I can go up to a 17" rim. I don't like cookie cutters on my stock 13's.

i have 205/50/15's and i run the very front inside of the inner fenders, but im lowered about 1-1.5"

so what your saying is you want to make your civic look like a 4x4 vehicle? i have the profile of whats supposed to be on the 13's on some 14's and its lifted. i couldnt imagine putting tires that big on a 16....oh wait i could, that would be my truck!

he wants to keep the same outside diameter just with bigger rims (smaller sidewall)

he wants bling rims and lowpro rubber...... you do know that you CAN get 18 under the civic and crx dont you? tho why in the world you would want to is beyond me. better have oodles of power under the hood to have any acceleration at all.



"hey like my new<insert bling rim size here> rims? the car handles great, but i'm peeing blood because i've ruptured both my kidneys and my chiropractic bills have forced me to get a second job".........


13's are suggested, 14's are ok, 15's would be pushing it if you had to drive it everyday.

dont get me wrong, huge rims look great on our cars. i've seen some very nicely built crx's with massive wheels. but if your city has bad roads you are going to be rattling the teeth right out of your head and suffering a back injury within a couple of weeks. i want to get larger rims for my car but am hessitant to do so due to the poor condition of our streets. i've hit my head on the headliner more times than i care to remember in my car and i have not lowered it, and i'm on stock steelies, michelins, and all new suspension.

i really miss driving in BC. the roads there are the best in canada, babies butt smooth and most of them twisty.

I've always found huge rims look funny on Civics because they make the brakes look so puny, especially the drums in the rear.

You can fit 205/40-16s with no issues, as long as the rims have the correct offset range(40-42mm)...

175/70-13 = 22.6" diameter
185/60-14 = 22.7" diameter
195/50-15 = 22.7" diameter
205/50-15 = 23.1" diameter
205/40-16 = 22.5" diameter

tire calculator here

or fit 215/40-16 but you will have some rubbing issues, esp. if it is lowered a lot. i drive 215/40-17 on my rex and 205/40-17 on my civic, and i love it. the 205's are a litle stiff thou, but not more then i can live with. has driven 215/40-16 on my rex a couple of times, and it is just a great size. plenty of grip and good response. tyrehight is actually lover then with 195/50-15's....

Is it safe to assume that the 205/40-16s are a wider tire also? I know nothing of metric tire sizes. I'm used to big 4x4 trucks, so the bumpy ness isn't too much of an issue.
Edited by gustav129, 15 February 2006 - 02:40 AM.

I put 215/40-17 ADRs on mine and with the new Tokico HPs the ride is absorbant but not harsh. There is no rubbing (it is not lowered) and my kidneys are fine.

Thank you all the big rim lovers!!!!^^^ i had 215/45/16 on my 85 si it wasnt lowered on gr2 struts and i never rubbed.....but with worn struts i suspect you would... people like 13's because they are light but i have a set of 17's that weigh 14lbs a peice they do make light wheels now-a-days..but jeepgirl is correct your ride will suck..I have the 2000 15" si wheels on and they ride better than my 14" stockers... personally i like 15's.. but for 16" i would go 195/205-45/50-16 for a no-rub GOOD ride... it all depends on the rim width also..

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is what your intended use is. Are you trying to improve performance or simply going for looks? If it's for looks, do you want it sporty-loooking or bling-bling looking?

If you're going for performance, you'll need to stay with 15" or smaller. If you go larger than that, you'll lose any performance benefit because of a combo that's too heavy. In addition, you could rattle your teeth with a sidewall that's so short like you would need with a 16"+ wheel. 15" will give you the most tire choices in a 195/50 or 205/50 size. If you really want a wide one, there is a 215/45R15 out there too. 14" is a great size, but your tire choices go down considerably. 13" is the best choice for performance reasons, but there are only a couple true street tires available, with the rest being race compound tires.

If you're going for bling, do whatever you want. As was noted earlier, you can fit up to an 18" wheel in there, but you'd be silly to do it. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have 16 or 17" wheels on this board, so I know you could get experienced feedback.

Determine what your intentions are for the car's use, and then choose your wheels from there. My advice? If going for bling, do 16 or 17" wheels with a 205 tire. If going for performance, go with a 15" wheel and a sticky street tire in a 205 or 195 size. Let us know what you decide!

Mike

Well, if you do the '88 acura integra disc conversion, couldn't you just put bigger discs front and rear?

eh, no difference.ive had 13" vx whels with that setup. barely bigger than stock,IMO.

But do the swap, and then buy the aftermarket bigger discs and brakes that everybody makes for those later years. That would fill up the rims. That's what I was talknig about?