Rims/Wheels Lifespan

[AltCoupe10]

Hey, what's up people? This is probably a very stupid question, but I'm a novice at modifying cars. I was wondering if you were to remove your stock wheels/rims and replace them with larger ones, does that shorten the life on the wheel it sits in? Or what if you were to get the same sized rims as the ones that comes with the car, do you have to necessarily replace the tire too?

What are some recommended brands when it comes to rims? I'm looking for some black 5 spoke rims for a blue coupe in the future. Thanks.

[nissangirl74]

I was wondering if you were to remove your stock wheels/rims and replace them with larger ones, does that shorten the life on the wheel it sits in?

The wording of that question is confusing.

Or what if you were to get the same sized rims as the ones that comes with the car, do you have to necessarily replace the tire too?

If they are the same size, you don't have to replace your tires unless the ones you already have are in bad shape.

[scrutmonkey]

1. I was wondering if you were to remove your stock wheels/rims and replace them with larger ones, does that shorten the life on the wheel it sits in?

2. Or what if you were to get the same sized rims as the ones that comes with the car, do you have to necessarily replace the tire too?

3. What are some recommended brands when it comes to rims? I'm looking for some black 5 spoke rims for a blue coupe in the future. Thanks.

1. No, but the diameter of the wheel and width will affect your turning radius a bit (width) and odometer reading (diameter). I would check out some tire calculators to see what size wheel and tire, from stock, will minutely or drastically change your mileage reading.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

2. If the rims you get are the same size as stock, you should be able to just swap the tires over. ButI would just wait till the tires die and get new tires on the new rims.

3. IMO, Nismo had some I liked, but expensive. I went for some 350Z rims instead. the Touring V.2's.

[dangeris]

monkey is correct.

assuming your stock tires were 215/55/17 which are the stock tire size on a 08 coupe, and if you go bigger on the rims like 18s than the closest to stock tire size would be 225/45/18. With that size, your speedometer would be off by .3, which is nothing.

Just remember that the bigger the wheel diameter, the slower it would turn compared to stock thus affecting your speedometer to read slower than you are actually traveling. the inverse would also stand true if the wheel diameter was smaller. Hope that made sens to you.

[AltCoupe10]

Sorry, apparently my wording is kinda confusing on this one. Say I'm lucky enough to get a new 2010 Altima Coupe. Plans are on hold with this one, right now. The SR has 18" rims, but say I want to switch it out for custom built rims. What is the life on the tires with "bigger" rims? Is it still the usual 3-4 years (depending on the typical factors of wear and tear on everyday tires)? Let's say someone is driving around in 20" rims on their coupe, aren't they more prone to damage since the tires would be thinner than an 17 and/or 18 inched wheel base? Say he/she hits a pothole........pop!!!

I'm just curious as to how people spend big $$$ on tires/rims and I'm wondering how long to they usually last as to say factory tires/rims.

[LongBeachCoupe]

Depends on the location, i had 20"s for over a yr and i drove thru 2 winters on them.

In TX, 19"s or 20"s year round shouldnt be a problem.

Some wheels are made with crap, those wont last as long, but a quality wheel will last as long as your car does, and the tire type determines how long the rubber lasts

[Blackmobile]

it totally depends on the quality of the tire and the treadwear rating. treadwear ratings though, aren't consistant among tire companies, so two different brand tires with the same treadwear may not last the same amount of time. just ask around for suggestions for a good quality tire that lasts a long time and you'll be ok to upgrade your rims & tires.

also the type of tire will affect how long they last, don't expect an ultra high performance summer tire to last as long as an all season tire. i've been eyeing a set of Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum tires, they have a treadwear of 600! (that's high)