20"s...Unsafe or Not a Good Idea?
02-25-2004, 04:26 PM
#1
20"s...Unsafe or Not a Good Idea?
Like most people in the forum, I'm trying to find some bling to roll around on and at first I was thinkin' 20" is the way to go. Until..I was shopping around on tirerack.com. I couldn't find any 20"s available for the 04 max. I called their CS & asked why. The answer I got was that (in a nutshell & terms I understand) 20's would not leave enough room for tires that would be safe. The rep on the phone explained, tires, (small enough to fit) would break or be ruined far too easily.
Any thoughts on this?
Any thoughts on this?
02-25-2004, 05:31 PM
#3
Originally Posted by clayman88
Like most people in the forum, I'm trying to find some bling to roll around on and at first I was thinkin' 20" is the way to go. Until..I was shopping around on tirerack.com. I couldn't find any 20"s available for the 04 max. I called their CS & asked why. The answer I got was that (in a nutshell & terms I understand) 20's would not leave enough room for tires that would be safe. The rep on the phone explained, tires, (small enough to fit) would break or be ruined far too easily.
Any thoughts on this?
Any thoughts on this?
02-25-2004, 08:02 PM
#4
Originally Posted by imxelite
Well I had 20's on my last car and they can be driven on but you will be replacing flats often if you live near rough roads. Oh and don't even think your going to be racing anyone
02-25-2004, 08:27 PM
#5
Originally Posted by clayman88
Are you saying 20's aren't good for speed?
02-25-2004, 09:32 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: a meadow south of Atlanta
Posts: 8,143
20" wheels are for show, not for driving.
With 20" wheels, in order to leave room for the struts and springs to fully compress and expand (as in real driving), you would probably need to go with no higher than a 35 profile. A 35 profile tire is fine if you don't mind a harsh ride, and don't plan on driving on anything but very level surfaces. It puts the tread just two or three inches from the wheel, so you don't want to hit any irregularity in the road, as a 35 profile tire has very little sidewall height (distance between tread and wheel) in which to flex.
Also be aware that the load capacity of a 35 profile tire is much less than a higher profile tire of the same width.
edit - But if you have your heart set on 'looks' rather than performance, there is another thread on this board started by RayRey21 that discusses 20" wheel/tire options in detail.
With 20" wheels, in order to leave room for the struts and springs to fully compress and expand (as in real driving), you would probably need to go with no higher than a 35 profile. A 35 profile tire is fine if you don't mind a harsh ride, and don't plan on driving on anything but very level surfaces. It puts the tread just two or three inches from the wheel, so you don't want to hit any irregularity in the road, as a 35 profile tire has very little sidewall height (distance between tread and wheel) in which to flex.
Also be aware that the load capacity of a 35 profile tire is much less than a higher profile tire of the same width.
edit - But if you have your heart set on 'looks' rather than performance, there is another thread on this board started by RayRey21 that discusses 20" wheel/tire options in detail.
02-25-2004, 11:24 PM
#7
When I was looking for my 20" wheels I found many different options available, I was going into actual shops more than online. I am running 245/35/20's and the ride isn't that "harsh" actually. My car rides pretty good even with the Eibach kit installed (I do plan on replacing the struts as soon as they come out though) The roads out here in Ca. are pretty smooth for the most part so I luckily haven't had any problems with potholes or rough surfaces. Unsafe, I'd say no, I went about twenty different wheel places (some sketchy and some reputable) and got a lot of feedback before my purchase. I've been throughly pleased.
02-26-2004, 08:53 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 160
i haven't made my car squeal on corners since i got my 20s...with
stock 17s the car would squeal all the time...you can argue
that the tires are better...so be it.
roads down here (hawaii) are probably as bad as paved roads can
be...with 20s you're gonna feel the irregularities.
bending the rim and 'bruising' the tire are definate possiblilities.
i have read that wheel weight is a bigger problem...upgrading the
brakes would solve this problem...but you can find 20s that weigh
less than the stock...
stock 17s the car would squeal all the time...you can argue
that the tires are better...so be it.
roads down here (hawaii) are probably as bad as paved roads can
be...with 20s you're gonna feel the irregularities.
bending the rim and 'bruising' the tire are definate possiblilities.
i have read that wheel weight is a bigger problem...upgrading the
brakes would solve this problem...but you can find 20s that weigh
less than the stock...
02-26-2004, 06:52 PM
#9
Originally Posted by mikenatas
i have read that wheel weight is a bigger problem...upgrading the
brakes would solve this problem...but you can find 20s that weigh
less than the stock...
02-26-2004, 09:41 PM
#12
Lexani wheels are heavier than shiznit. If I had a 6th gen, I would roll 20 inches strong....at least. I would personally step up to 22's.....but its your choice. Just make sure you dont get some ghetto chrome wheel.....chrome is a hit or miss adventure.
02-26-2004, 10:11 PM
#13
I got some 19" axis spiders ready to put on whenever I convince myself to spend 1000 bucks on the tires even though I have stock 18s and the crappy azz RSAs still got a TON of tread left after 23,000 miles. I went 19s because I wanted to go bigger but be able to run a 40 series tire without rubbing. Speed is still a factor to me too. But if your stricly looks the 20s or up would be sweet on the 04.
02-28-2004, 11:53 PM
#15
Originally Posted by Glude
I got some 19" axis spiders ready to put on whenever I convince myself to spend 1000 bucks on the tires even though I have stock 18s and the crappy azz RSAs still got a TON of tread left after 23,000 miles. I went 19s because I wanted to go bigger but be able to run a 40 series tire without rubbing. Speed is still a factor to me too. But if your stricly looks the 20s or up would be sweet on the 04.
grip !
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