Scratched up a stock rim...suggestions on new rims?

Scott W. · Sep 8, 2009, 06:52 PM

Sorry for yet another rim suggestion thread, but...

I scratched my front passenger side rim up pretty badly today on a tall cement curb. I've been wanting to replace the rims/tires since I got the car, but have not really had a reason (except for northern Illinois winters). Now with the screwed up rim and winter coming, I'm thinking of some new rims/wheels.

So I'm looking for some suggestions and I would appreciate any help from the knowledgeable people here. My car is Rotor Glow (orange), so gun metal or silver would probably be the colors I would be going for.

- What rim/tire combination would best help me avoid scratching up the new rims?
- Do 17" fit alright on the RA, and if so, what positives/negatives would there be?
- I would like some improvement in less weight and/or handling. What rim/tire width combination would be best?
- What store (either online or local) would be a good one to go with? I know of discount tire and tire rack, but not much else currently.

I probably would not want to spend more than around $250 per rim.

Thanks to anyone who helps out.

majinfajita · Sep 9, 2009, 09:55 AM

If you check the tire fitment thread, someone did fit 17's from an Evo8 to a Ralliart.
The pros:
- lighter
- cheaper tires
- better ride (higher profile tires)

The cons:
- 18's already look small on our Ralliarts
- higher profile rubber = potentially more sidewall flex

I originally wanted some MB Mesh X's (they are Evo X BBS knockoffs) but they only come in 17x7...too narrow for the 235 rubber i want to run.

Scott W. · Sep 9, 2009, 06:00 PM

Thanks for the help.

I was thinking 17" with some fat tires would provide more protection for the rims. I would like the car to look more rally-esque too, so I don't think I would mind a reduction in rim width.

Checking tirerack.com (the 2009 Lancer ES selected so I can see 17" rims):
17x7.5 Black or silver OZ Super Turismo GT for $237 each. I would probably get them in silver color.

17x7.5 Super Turismo with 235 wide Goodyear Eagle GT tires seems like a good choice so far (if not a bit expensive... around $1500 at tirerack with TPMS).

I'll check out the fitment thread to see if anyone has done something similar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by majinfajita

If you check the tire fitment thread, someone did fit 17's from an Evo8 to a Ralliart.
The pros:
- lighter
- cheaper tires
- better ride (higher profile tires)

The cons:
- 18's already look small on our Ralliarts
- higher profile rubber = potentially more sidewall flex

I originally wanted some MB Mesh X's (they are Evo X BBS knockoffs) but they only come in 17x7...too narrow for the 235 rubber i want to run.

Ladogaboy · Sep 9, 2009, 06:09 PM

One thing about the EVO X wheels: The offset is a little low. 225s might work okay on them, but the 235s I currently have poke out a bit too much. There is some rubbage with deep bumps.

havock28 · Sep 10, 2009, 06:40 AM

i have 5 year warrenty on my rims.. i scratch or dent one.. i get a new one free..

majinfajita · Sep 10, 2009, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by havock28

i have 5 year warrenty on my rims.. i scratch or dent one.. i get a new one free..

Must be nice!
With the dealerships here, if I sneeze too loudly near my car they'll void my warranty on everything!

08Lancer89 · Sep 11, 2009, 07:00 PM

What warrenry is this.

japan101 · Sep 11, 2009, 07:31 PM

Wait until you get Coilovers and then buy. Unless you bent the rim.

yahu · Sep 12, 2009, 12:27 AM

Winter is coming - buy some dedicated winter tires and use these as your winter rims and buy new rims in the spring/summer. Meanwhile you can save and get nicer rims.

Projekt Lancer · Sep 12, 2009, 06:31 AM

i would like to see some 17's on our ralliarts.. pics? i personally think 18's are a little too big for my taste.. i had 17's on my lancer and they were perfect.... but then again the ralliart seems a little bigger... so i would like to see if it would looks stupid to have some 17's on there

Gibby860 · Sep 12, 2009, 08:00 AM

Scott W,

Can u get it refinished or powdercoated. I know I did to my Mazda 6 and had I guy grind them down and had them refinished? or winter is coming have all 4 powder coated. A bit cheaper I had all 4 rims done for $200.

Scott W. · Sep 12, 2009, 10:44 AM

I ordered some rims/tires from tirerack.com today:
17x8 Enkei Racing RPF1 Black Painted
235/45R17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS
mounted/balanced with TPMS installed, so it should be easy enough for me to install them. Looks like I will need the dealer to link the new sensors with the car though.

I managed ok with the OEM summer tires last winter, but with these new tires, I should have a sizable improvement due to the added width and type of tire. Plus, the rims are around 15.6 lb each (if stocks are 23lb, 7 lb per wheel removed) for hopefully a bit of general handling/acceleration improvement.

The total was around $1700 shipped. Should be getting 3.3% cash back from using fatwallet.com as well as a Panasonic digital camera as a promo with the tires. I would have rather spent the money on a new digital SLR camera (haha), but the performance improvement should be worthwhile. Assuming I don't have fitment issues or anything, I'll take photos once installed.

yahu · Sep 12, 2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gibby860

Scott W,

Can u get it refinished or powdercoated. I know I did to my Mazda 6 and had I guy grind them down and had them refinished? or winter is coming have all 4 powder coated. A bit cheaper I had all 4 rims done for $200.

$200 for all 4? Where at? I'm assuming a local place?

Scott W. · Sep 12, 2009, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gibby860

Scott W,

Can u get it refinished or powdercoated. I know I did to my Mazda 6 and had I guy grind them down and had them refinished? or winter is coming have all 4 powder coated. A bit cheaper I had all 4 rims done for $200.

That is a good idea. I'm not too fond of the OEM style though. More specifically, how the spokes are thin in the center and get larger towards the outer rim. Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with them after I replace them next week. The tires only have around 2800 miles on them. So besides the dinged up rim they are in good shape.

Scott W. · Sep 12, 2009, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by japan101

Wait until you get Coilovers and then buy. Unless you bent the rim.

Kind of tempting upgrade.... I saw on here there is a kit selling for $995 or so, which seems a bit too cheap. If I were to get some in a few years, I would want to make sure there is a good performance/durability benefit compared to stock.

I'm thinking a quality set of new brake pads would be a good upgrade soon though. I've had the car since December and braking performance seems a bit lacking...

Hopefully with these new wheels, I will gain a bit of braking performance by allowing the brakes work less due to lower rotational mass.

According to Tirerack:
Yokohama ADVAN A10A 215/45R-18 are 23 lb
The Continental ExtremeContact DWS 235/45R-17 are 22 lb

So including the rims and tires, the total loss per wheel is a bit more than 8 lb.

Edit: Noticed someone said the OEM rims/tires are 48.6 lb, so the actual difference would be 11 lb per wheel, for a total of 44 lb.