Anybody tried 16's?

Michael Albers

Michael Albers

Daily Driver
Wondering if anyone has tried fitting 16" wheels and low profile tires, 195/45-16 maybe?
According to a tire comparator app I found online the height difference is only about 1/2" total and the width is the same.
I plan on running coilovers and have the Wilwood brakes from Allisons, so I think there is room to play with the offset using spacers, etc.
I don't know what other advantage the 16" combination would bring, but I really like the low profile look.
 
It has been done.
Visually, to my eyes, it doesn't work.
Even if you like the look of low profile tires on an X.

Generally, for all cars, the lower profile tire (bigger diameter rims) you use, the lower the car needs to be.
Look at an X with stock suspension running 15". Looks like a rally car.
As you mentioned, the 16"s are taller overall which will raise the car. You can't lower it to a point where it will look right IMO.
And with "low", I don't mean space in the fender well, but space under the rocker panels.
 
45 is a bit too high on 16”

I like the look, but 40 height tire would be too thin for roads where I live

16x9 rear
16x7.5 front (too wide for stock)
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Finding tires which will fit in the wheel wells and have an appropriate diameter for an X will be exceedingly difficult.

The small number of Xs we have seen pics of have looked absolutely like a—. Like goatse level of a—
 
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Being able to fit them and having them look right are two different issues. If you are asking style opinions then I think it will look terrible on an X. But then I don't even like 15s on an X. My 2013 GTI is a totally different situation.

Having said that, can't wait to see your car with 16s.
 
Michael Albers said:
Wondering if anyone has tried fitting 16" wheels and low profile tires, 195/45-16 maybe?
According to a tire comparator app I found online the height difference is only about 1/2" total and the width is the same.
I plan on running coilovers and have the Wilwood brakes from Allisons, so I think there is room to play with the offset using spacers, etc.
I don't know what other advantage the 16" combination would bring, but I really like the low profile look.
Click to expand...

Well Michael, as you can see there are some pretty serious opinions here on it. However, if this is the look you want, then go for it. So, to answer your question, what issues will you run into? Probably some rubbing on the rear/front of the wheel arch, and the inside of the wheel well as well. The front and rear can be massaged, but the inside not so much.

When you say you compared it to a 195/45-16. What was the comparison tire? I just ran this against a 185.60 - 13 and it shows the 1/2 height, but the width is .4" wider, which is going to be a problem. You will have to run coilovers as the stock springs will hit the tire.

In short, yes, you can with some work on the front/rear of the wheel well. You would also need to look at the inside of the wheel well and where it will rub on hard turns.

Hope this helps.
 
As has been said, the question can be very subjective in terms of how it "looks". But I think you already said you like the look and are asking about the fitment.

That will depend on several factors; the wheel offset, the exact dimensions of the specific tires you choose (not all brands/models have the same dimensions for the same tire 'size'), the use of spacers, the suspension settings, how straight your chassis and body are, you already said you have coilovers so that's good. You can take all kinds of measurements and do calculations, but it really isn't easy to know for sure how it will work until you try it. You may need to massage the fenders a bit like "fastX1/9" said. But that is also true for a lot of wheel/tire combinations on the X (short of the ridiculous looking stock ones :p - you can tell where I land on this).

I seem to recall it has been done before with 16", but I don't remember who it was. Hopefully someone with experience will offer more info.

If 16" isn't big enough, how about 22's on your X?
22inch wheels - Copy.jpg
 
Thank you all for the response, I do appreciate the feedback, and yes, I guess in hindsight it might very well look like a$$.
That is why I asked if anyone had done it, and didnt just run out and drop a grand or more just to see.
I think I will stick to 15" and maybe investigate the lower profile tires that are available.
I definitely don't want the high rider look.
 
There are lots of members here with 15" wheels. I really prefer that over anything smaller diameter, but like I said earlier - it is strictly subjective.
 
Pete with the red X with DCOEs and red Honda S2000 seats had 16"s, didn't he?
He is still around here, now with 13"s and switching to DCNFs I think.
He had some nice pics of his car with the big wheels.
 
I have two sets of Ronal A1s in 15x7 and 4x98, but I never considered using them on the X. Just way too big imho. Then again, maybe I should test fit sometime.
 
Above and beyond my cranky view of them there are other issues.

Rims. Most will be for front wheel drive cars and so will require a set of spacers to pull the rim off the strut and to get the geometry near correct. The OE rims for an X run from 20mm positive to 27mm positive. Most FWD rims run 38-48 with most nearer the 48mm positive offset. Some 13” rims which look great on an X run 0 - 7mm positive offset.

I had looked at some of the Fiat 500 Abarth/Sport 16” rims on an X they didn’t look bad but would still have needed around a 20mm spacer to work. I have a quick photoshop of the Sport 16” rims I will try to find it and post it.

The design of the rims tend not to be appropriate or sympathetic to the design of the X. An opinion here...

Tires. Finding tires which will be closer to the correct diameter will be stretched rubber bands. Prone to road hazards and will notably degrade ride and likely not do much for handling. An interesting aside, when late model VW GTIs were driven back to back with 16’, 17”, 18”, 19” rims the fastest times were set with the 16 and 17” rims and tires.

Weight. Bigger rims weigh more. Spacers weigh more. This weight is unsprung weight, something which a light car does not need and the already limited strut choices will be harder pressed to damp the additional weight and therefor inertia. This will affect not only ride but acceleration as it takes more torque to get those monster meats to get going. A good magnesium rim can weigh as little as 8lbs in a 13” size versus 22-near 30 for many 16” rims plus the needed spacers.

Agreed you can and should make the car your own, I would just suggest looking at all the factors when doing so.
 
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15's on a stock X1/9 body are definitely tricky - I can't imagine making 16's work.

My opinion is that the tires need enough meat for them to look right - not the 'rubber band' look that will arise with stretched tires on too wide a wheel.

I had 15x8's zero-offset Corsa XRs sold by VicAuto which will 'work' with a stock body X, but look odd IMO (check their website for offset pics)

I'm using 225/45x15 R and 205/50x15 F - 23" OD - on 15x8 & 15x9 - more than an inch larger than the 185/60x13's I ran pre-Dallara.

I think in 16", you would need at least 205/55x16s not to look 'funny' on the wheel, but that's a 25" OD
 
Why 16" wheels for an exxe when the tire-wheel diameter was designed for about 22" dia?

Lower profile tires produces less slip angle at a given corner load relative to a taller profile tire. What is often not appreciated, tire slip angles are part of the suspension-chassis set up and design. As slip angles are reduced, chassis-suspension set up and tweaking encounters a different set of limitations. IMO tire profile less than 50 for a road car is absurd given the realities of road surfaces, pot holes, curb hits and LOTs more.

Lower profile does NOT inherently result in more tire grip, it is FAR more complex than just that.

What absurdly low profile tires are about today is Moto Fashion, Apparent and Marketing-Social identity image. Low profile tires are not about increasing tire grip or performance..


Bernice
 
Lets go back to what you are trying to achieve. Is it performance? then I agree that 16's in a size that will fit may not be the answer. My personal experience is when I have uber low profile tires, adjusting the tire pressures to help balance the grip becomes dicey with 1 or 2 pounds making a huge difference. Whereas a tire I have a bit more tire profile allows me to do as such. For the second time ever, I disagree with one statement from Bernice. a tire lower than 50 is an ambiguous statement as it is an aspect ratio. a lamborghini Countach rear tire is 345/35/15 yet has a larger sidewalll than the beloved 185/60/13. not getting into the practicality of that size on a fiat. Keep in mind it is only that one part. Generally speaking a lower profile tire will not give you added value on the track. look at the top racing cars out there. F1 and nascar. I dont see low profiles on those cars, actually they are pretty tall sidewalls, and for a good reason, predictable tunability.
Myself I am going for straight what I personally think looks good. many people dont, oh well, its not their car. I have 15x8 offset 0 with 245/40/15 in the rear (sidewall is about 1/2 inch shorter than 185/60/13 if you wanted to know) I have Braydens choice for the flares and love the meaty look from the rear.


Odie
 
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