Extremely noob question: Rims

[dawack1]

I've got a 03 Civic GLi Sedan (7th Gen) and I'm considering get a set of 17" (at least) RJR Zenith rims.

This will be my first car modification and so I know very little. Just wondering what thing's I'll need to consider when getting them.

Firstly, my current stock rims are 14" (I think) so will I have to adjust the suspension or anything to acccomodate the 17" rims?

Secondly, in regards to the new tyres I'll need, what do I need to consider when selecting them? Tread and dimensions obviously but what about stud patterns (whatever that is)?

Also, this whole "offset" thing - what suits my car etc.?

Any help will be greatly appreciated, and I'm sorry for my extreme noob-ness. A really basic explanation would be great hehe :)

Thanks

[jay_vtec]

well legally you only allowed 2 inch above the stock rims but no1 seems to care about that.....stud pattern is the holes in the middle of you rim...theres 4 little bolts..... (im presuming you have a 4 stud pattern...you could also have 5) but its doesnt matter because if you are buying the rims brand new normally they drill the holes to suit your car......suspension shouldnt be an issue however if you wanted the street look then getting sum nice LOW king springs wouldnt hurt...as to myknowledge correct me if im wrong people, offset determines if you rims will scrap the guards and stuff...not to sure bout that one of the other members will ave to clarify this for me.

im going to leave the tyres question alone because i dont want to say that wrong thing there lol


post pics when you get em on

[iversonruls]

ur car stud pattern is 4 x 100
offset ard 40, dunno the exact one, but 40 will fit

i used 17 on my 01 civic before, no problem at all.

for new tyres, get some decent ones not too cheap

hmm for tyre size 205/45/17 or 205/40/17.

215/45/17 maybe too wide for ur car.


my opinion is to get 16 instead if u want more power from ur car

[jay_vtec]

i find decent and affordable ones to be silvestones.....


iversonrules covered it pretty well (Y)

my guess is though ebing a GLI power aint much of an issue so go the big 17's IMO lol

[dsp26]

well legally you only allowed 2 inch above the stock rims but no1 seems to care about that.....stud pattern is

rule doesn't exist in any states road authority...

[krogoth]

well legally you only allowed 2 inch above the stock rims but no1 seems to care about that.....stud pattern is the holes in the middle of you rim...theres 4 little bolts..... (im presuming you have a 4 stud pattern...you could also have 5) but its doesnt matter because if you are buying the rims brand new normally they drill the holes to suit your car......suspension shouldnt be an issue however if you wanted the street look then getting sum nice LOW king springs wouldnt hurt...as to myknowledge correct me if im wrong people, offset determines if you rims will scrap the guards and stuff...not to sure bout that one of the other members will ave to clarify this for me.

im going to leave the tyres question alone because i dont want to say that wrong thing there lol


post pics when you get em on

1. "2 inches above stock is legal", this isnt right

the correct way to understand the rules, is as long as u dont increase ur overall rolling diameter by more than 15mm, then it is legal EDIT: youll have to double check the amount u can increase ur RD by, i think dsp26 is closer to the mark, 15mm increase max legal, but go to vicroads website and have a look

so u can get 18inch wheels, and as long as u get a very very low proflle tyre, then it will remain legal, since the overall rolling diameter hasnt changed

2. "if u buy wheels new, they usually drill the stud pattern for you"

this is not common, and is pretty much considered a custom job

mostly, u find a wheel design u like in the size that is suitable and hope its made for ur stud pattern

by the way, the stud pattern means how many studs u have on ur hub, the civics stud pattern is 4 x 100, so mostly, u need to find wheels that are already this stud pattern

and offset, to put in the simplest possible way, determines how far out your wheels stick out, so a lower offset number will stick out more than a wheel with a higher offset

usually as you get a wider wheel, the offset will need to increase, to allow the wheel to fit


ur car stud pattern is 4 x 100
offset ard 40, dunno the exact one, but 40 will fit

i used 17 on my 01 civic before, no problem at all.

for new tyres, get some decent ones not too cheap

hmm for tyre size 205/45/17 or 205/40/17.

215/45/17 maybe too wide for ur car.


my opinion is to get 16 instead if u want more power from ur car

and yes, i have 17 inch wheels on my 05 7th gen civic, perfect no problems

40+offset
17x7 wheel
205 45 17 tyre

215 40 17, should be fine, but i havent tried them, but most likely they should fit

though u should go for 205 45 17 as they are the ideal tyre, allowing u to keep the rolling diameter almost exactly the same as the stock RD

you dont need to touch the suspension

and 17s are fine, they shoodnt affect the feel of ur car, unless they are very heavy

my 17s are lighter than the stock 14s

[dsp26]

^^^thats more like it +rep

diameter rule is different on state basis, its 15mm increase limit for NSW


to elaborate more on what krogoth explained in simple terms...
read everything you need to know here along with all the relevant calculators:
http://www.1010tires.com/tech.asp

[krogoth]

^^^thats more like it +rep

diameter rule is different on state basis, its 15mm increase limit for NSW


to elaborate more on what krogoth explained in simple terms...
read everything you need to know here along with all the relevant calculators:
http://www.1010tires.com/tech.asp

yeh man, good link

and im pretty sure 15mm is wat the rule is for vic as well, thnx for correction

it sounds more familiar and far more realistic too

[jay_vtec]

1. "2 inches above stock is legal", this isnt right

the correct way to understand the rules, is as long as u dont increase ur overall rolling diameter by more than 15mm, then it is legal EDIT: youll have to double check the amount u can increase ur RD by, i think dsp26 is closer to the mark, 15mm increase max legal, but go to vicroads website and have a look

so u can get 18inch wheels, and as long as u get a very very low proflle tyre, then it will remain legal, since the overall rolling diameter hasnt changed

2. "if u buy wheels new, they usually drill the stud pattern for you"

this is not common, and is pretty much considered a custom job

mostly, u find a wheel design u like in the size that is suitable and hope its made for ur stud pattern

by the way, the stud pattern means how many studs u have on ur hub, the civics stud pattern is 4 x 100, so mostly, u need to find wheels that are already this stud pattern

and offset, to put in the simplest possible way, determines how far out your wheels stick out, so a lower offset number will stick out more than a wheel with a higher offset

usually as you get a wider wheel, the offset will need to increase, to allow the wheel to fit



and yes, i have 17 inch wheels on my 05 7th gen civic, perfect no problems

40+offset
17x7 wheel
205 45 17 tyre

215 40 17, should be fine, but i havent tried them, but most likely they should fit

though u should go for 205 45 17 as they are the ideal tyre, allowing u to keep the rolling diameter almost exactly the same as the stock RD

you dont need to touch the suspension

and 17s are fine, they shoodnt affect the feel of ur car, unless they are very heavy

my 17s are lighter than the stock 14s






Well thank you for clarifying that for me...im only telling him what i was told when i bought my new wheels a few months back...the guy said ur only allowed 2 inchs over the stock size and new rims and generally drilled to suit ur car...thanks for clarification ignore what i said :)

[dsp26]

Well thank you for clarifying that for me...im only telling him what i was told when i bought my new wheels a few months back...the guy said ur only allowed 2 inchs over the stock size and new rims and generally drilled to suit ur car...thanks for clarification ignore what i said :)

all good... getting the right info is what matters. you'll find that most tyre shops are like most exhaust shops.. they don't really know much about their profession....

i'm aware your in VIC but here is an example of all the guidelines we have in NSW. It is good to keep a copy for each relevant part you've LEGALLY modified to show the coppers next time they try to give you grief.. when i was younger i got sick of the cops giving that 2inch rule bullshit too...

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registration/downloads/vsi/vsi_dl1.html

- kept the guideline
- printed out spec comparison on wheel/tyre combos vs stock using the 1010tyres calculator.

just don't be a prick when correcting them... i got done for something else on the car instead that i didn't actually cover my arse on :/

[krogoth]

Well thank you for clarifying that for me...im only telling him what i was told when i bought my new wheels a few months back...the guy said ur only allowed 2 inchs over the stock size and new rims and generally drilled to suit ur car...thanks for clarification ignore what i said :)


i wasnt having a go at u or anything mate, just saying that alot of ppl think its 2inches over, i also did when i came to get my wheels, its a very common and widespread bit of misinformation

and u are correct about getting wheels pre-drilled, but ther are so many more pre-drilled designs out ther, that its just simply more common and im guessing cheaper to get pre-drilled

[krogoth]

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/CC48FC10-4D57-4F04-82E1-3BD72EF88340/0/VSI8.pdf

ther we go

no more than 15mm larger than largest tyre specifed by manufacturer

so if u get 12" stock wheels and u have a large enough tyre to begin with, u have heaps of room for expansion, coz even if u go to a 19" wheel, u can still get the same RD if u get a tyre with a low enough profile

but then if u get 19" wheel, ull be breaking another rule, and that is exceeding max allowed for increase in wheel width, which is 25mm, lol

[iversonruls]

get 16 and drop it
best thing to do imho

saves money when u get new tyres too

[jay_vtec]

i wasnt having a go at u or anything mate, just saying that alot of ppl think its 2inches over, i also did when i came to get my wheels, its a very common and widespread bit of misinformation

and u are correct about getting wheels pre-drilled, but ther are so many more pre-drilled designs out ther, that its just simply more common and im guessing cheaper to get pre-drilled

lol i wasnt being a smart ass bro, was actually bein serious i would rather someone correct me...appreciate it when ppl do it the right way like u did :)

(Y)

[dawack1]

hey fellas,
thanks for the replies, its a lot to take in. i'm glad you guys mentioned all the rules that may affect this. i'm from victoria and am a p-plater, they've been putting in and changing rules heaps in the last year or so.

so essentially 17" rims should be fine eh...not much noticeable difference to performance and feel? i'm not too fussed if its 16"s either but i guess i just need to see it in person and compare. i'm also stuck with the notion "if i'm going to change it, might as well make a real difference" i.e. 3 inches instead of 2 but yeah.


i've just sent an inquiry to bob jane t-marts about the rims i want. in all your experiences, how are these places? will they be trying to rip me off seeing as its quite obvious that i know so little? and also, do they know all this stuff you guys have told me about the rules etc.?

i have no idea even roughly how much any of this would cost either, and i know that we're not meant to ask prices etc. on this forum lol.

in regards to lowering and stuff, i'm quite hesistant cause theres too many frkn speed humps and stuff like that in my suburb haha. it's amazing though how much of a difference lowering makes to the look of a car.

anyways if you guys with 7th gens can post pics up of your cars with modified rims, it would be great for me to get an idea of how non-stock rims look like on it hehe. no-one seems to do up 7th gens.

thanks all

[jay_vtec]

lmao too many speed humps lemme guess u from the northern suburbs huh?

everyroad covered in burnout marks then speed bumps EVERYWHERE

look every place will try to make as much money of u as they can..i was lucky i knew a guy i put 18 inch chrome rims on my civic and they cost normally bout 2500 i got it all for 1500 cuz i knew him....if ur from frankston area i could try and hook u up with him...see if he can help u out if ur interested??

[krogoth]

i have a little more advice for you..

1. dont get shit tyres, tyres for a 17" wheel will be much more expensive than the 14" wheel, get good tyres, dont cheap out

stay away from nankangs, ling longs and the kind

2. dont restrict ur choices for wheels, just because u saw a wheel u liked while driving past bob jane doesnt mean u should walk in there and buy them

look around, check out 50 different places for wheel and tyre prices, ul also start to get a feel for wat an acceptable price is and wat classifies as a severe rip off

3. please lower ur car, just get king lows, and a good set of shocks, handling and looks will massively improve(pbviously not straight away, but get it done later, ive had my wheels on for 2 years and ive been dying for new shocks/springs forever, but an expensive taste causes restrictions, lol)

get info and pix of the wheel you want to buy, and tyres

get some prices for us, and post them back in here, weel tell u wats a good price and wat isnt

[dawack1]

jay i'm actually from the south-eastern suburbs, same problem in the north huh?

yeahh you guys are right i really do need to have a good look around..its just that i feel like every coupla weeks i go through this "phase" where i really want to do something to my car..then get over it lol. this time though i'm actually getting somewhere with it.

i'm not planning to restrict myself to those specific rims but yeah i think they're a good starting point. i'll post some pics i got off bobjane.com.au of the rims on other cars as soon as i figure out how to lol.

yeah lowering is something i'll be considering a bit later. i'm actually thinking about getting window tinting first, mostly for practical reasons but also coz it would look nice. i'm currently looking around for the best price, and hopefully i can get the dealer i bought my car from to match it.

my plan (if money were no issue) would probably be something like this:
1. window tinting
2. rims
3. muffler tip (don't want full exhaust, i'm not too fussed, just would like a deeper sound from the car, nothing dramatic).
4. lowered

3&4 can be swapped but yeah thats my plan..most likely over the next few months or year.

my car is dark blue and has a rear spoiler. you others with rear spoilers on 7th gens, when you brake does the light on the rear spoiler AS WELL AS the light on the back windscreen come on?

here are the pics. the one with the civic is from that virtual car thing on the website, it looks kinda dull on that but better on the real cars. i rkn it looks pretty sweet on that mazda 3.
if you guys see anything similar to that look, give us a yell please :)

thanks fellas

ah crap just realised these rims have a 5 stud pattern :S

[jay_vtec]

south eastern just like everyone else... :) lol i think the problem started in the north with all the hectics doin burnouts then escalated on from there y u think i left the northern suburbs and came to the southside