I might be better off getting her 15" alloys and 175 55 r15 tires? For selection sakes.
I might be better off getting her 15" alloys and 175 55 r15 tires? For selection sakes.
It's critical, but most places that sell new rims will list the rims that will fit your particular car. If you know the best offset, please share that. Width of rims and everything are part of the equation. Places that sell wheels for a living are there to help you, too.
Don't make the assumption 175/55-15 is a popular tire size. It's almost as bad, but you can go with other sizes if you like.
Just searching Walmart now-
175/55r15 gives 8 tire choices total (both factory size tires for the Mirage are both lame)
175/65r14 gives 76 tires choices
Just because you switch to 15" wheel doesn't mean you have more tire choices. I guess you need to decide what you really want? Bigger wider tires will not increase your mpg unless you really go with some good LRR tires. Even then, I feel skinny tires may do better. 175 are a nice mid-range. Those who go beyond 185 have to watch for rubbing issues.
Last edited by Mark; 07-20-2019 at 01:09 AM.
If you are confused, I would look up a tire installer for your area on tirerack.com. I would go to them, and tell them you want to switch out your steel rims for alloy rims. They will set you up with something from tirerack.com, or they may have another source they deal with that is better. Let them present you options. If you go this route, they may charge less to mount/balance them, too.
I really like the 175 65 r14 selection too thank you. Do you think with the 175s road and tire noise will be less? I understand handling will be better and mpg/acceleration slightly worse?
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)
Top_Fuel (07-20-2019)
Someone can surely add to this list, but I feel these may be the most common tires sizes. Any time I have checked, 175/65r14 offers the most choices. Factory tires have an outside diameter of 22.4" or 22.6". Staying within a 3% variance of that is usually considered acceptable.
165/65r14*, 22.4”, 0%,
185/60r14, 22.7”, +1.3% variance
175/65r14, 23.0”, +2.7% variance
175/55r15*, 22.6”, 0%
185/55r15, 23.0”, +1.8% variance
* factory stock tires
A 185 wide tire may give you better handling. A 165 tire may give you better mpg. 175 is the middle of all that. The quality of the tire and what it is designed for are big factors, too.
I share these sizes as a good starting point. They are all round tires with 22.4" to 23" outside diameters. I am not swayed by larger rims are better in all cases.
Hey Dirk, why you are doing this in the first place?
If you want to address a single damaged rim, the most cost effective approach is to replace that one rim with one from a salvage yard.
If you want to change how your Mirage rides, handles and/or looks, you are looking at replacing all the tires and it'll cost significantly more.
Like a few other forum members here, you are in a unique position to have two Mirages to play with. You can modify one Mirage with rims & tires of your choice and use the tires off of that as spares for the other Mirage.
Personally, I try to figure out what the goals are before getting lost in the maze of choices out there. If I don't stick to a plan, I'll wind up getting something I didn't want in the first place.
You strike me as someone who is careful with money. That being said, I would recommend just replacing that one bad rim. It's the easiest and most cost-effective solution. If you want to change the ride, handling, and looks of your Mirage, we can focus the discussion towards that goal. It'll be more expensive, but other forum members have said new wheels have made a significant difference.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
Just food for thought.. buy a cheep set of imola rims, you can search them on here. I paid 50$ for my set. I bought 175-55r15 quatrack5 tires mounted balanced road hazard everything out the door for less than $400, personally it cost a little more for me cause I did the extra step of purchasing stuff to clone all my sensors. But not totally nessary. Then shelf your stock tire and rim set ups as emergency backups for your two mirages.
These are a nice light tire wheel combo that definitely have way more grip than stock and way better cornering. Feel safer than stock dunlops when situations call for quick braking " lots of deer".