Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it
Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it
In general -
14" rims
175/65r14 tires (23") are a good upgrade to the factory 165/65r14 tires (22.4"). Just go on any tire site or even Walmart.com & compare the tire choices of these two sizes. You will see a huge difference! 175/65r14 is a common tire size in the States. Many forum members use this tire size without issue. One member has over 300,000 miles on his Mirage, & he has been using 175/65r14 tires without issue.
15" rims
185/55r15 tires (23") are a good upgrade to the factory 175/55r15 tires (22.6"). Once again compare the available choices of these two tire sizes, & you will see 185/55r15 is a more popular size in the States.
Any tire that's 165-185 wide on 14-15" rims & within 23" in diameter is a safe bet for a Mirage. Anything larger than 15" may come with some risks that you may want to avoid. Another new member has recently experienced that with his recently purchased used Mirage that has oversized 17" wheels. See below -
https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...-Rubbing-Alert!
It really comes down to what you want, & what you are willing to spend. If you have your heart set on wider 15" wheels, I would follow Top Fuel's advice. A lightweight rim with 185/55r15 LRR tires that wear well may be your best bet. Since you live in the NY area, I wouldn't ditch your 14" x 4.5" steel rims right away. They would be great for a snow tire set up. Narrower tires do better in snow (especially with lightweight FWD cars like a Mirage).
This is how I think about tires (but I live where snow traction can be an issue) -
Let say you get some new 15" rims with some high quality 185/55r15 tires. Those tires may be perfectly fine for a couple winters (depending on how much you drive). Eventually their ability to handle snow may decrease, but they may have a lot of good weather life in them. At that point, you may want to consider using some cheaper winter tires on your original steel rims, & saving your nice alloy wheels for the rest of the year. Just a thought for anyone who has to deal with snow/ice. I value traction over mpg in the winter.
Last suggestion - Don't buy rims that are wider than necessary. For example, a 15" x 7" rim would be recommended for a 195-225 wide tire. A narrower rim would be more appropriate for a Mirage set up.
5" wide rims are recommended for 155-185 tires. These are hard to find, however.
5.5" wide rims are recommended for 165-195 tires. A little bit more common, & probably a great choice for most Mirage tire applications.
6" wide rims are recommended for 175-205 tires. More common choice if wider tires are being added to a Mirage.
6.5" wide rims are recommended for 185-215 tires.
For example - My 2011 Subaru Forester has 16" x 6.5" rims with 215/65r16 tires. 6.5" wide rims on a Mirage would seem wide to me, but 6.5" would be fine if you plan on using a wider tires like a 185/55r15.
Just for the record - I like/prefer my factory 14" x 4.5" steel rims with 165/65r14 tires for my Mirage.
Last edited by Mark; 07-10-2020 at 05:45 AM.
I understand completely where you are coming from. Wheels/tires were the first thing I changed on my car.
From a purely aesthetic angle, these cars are not helped by their small/narrow wheels and undersized tires. Stock wheels also have a lot of positive offset...so they are "tucked in" too far under the body. It's an issue on the Mirage, but the look may be worse on a G4.
15" wheels are a good compromise on a Mirage. Look for wheels that are 6.5" wide with an offset around 40mm. A tire size of 185-55-15 works well on this wheel. A 6.5" wheel is a full 2" wider than than your factory wheels. You will get a more aggressive look with this combination, but you don't have to worry about anything rubbing. This is what I have on my car...you can read about it here.I just want 15 inch rims, with wider tires..nothing fancy..another inch will do
There are people running 15x7 wheels and even wider tires, but you will have to deal with tire rubbing issues if you go this route.
Check out this post for some other affordable 15" aftermarket wheel ideas.
Other OEM 15" wheels will fit the Mirage, too. You can get some ideas in this thread:
Wheels: What Else Fits the Mirage
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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)
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 44.4 mpg (US) ... 18.9 km/L ... 5.3 L/100 km ... 53.3 mpg (Imp)
Dirk Diggler (07-10-2020)
You welcome!
I am not a tire expert by any means, but it helps to know what tire sizes are popular/available for a Mirage.
I tend to use this site to compare tires side-by-side -
https://tiresize.com/comparison/
Most any 165-185 tire that is within a 3% outside diameter variance of a factory 165/65r14 or 175/55r15 tire is a safe bet. I mention the two options below because they are within that range, & they offer more tire shopping options.
165/65r14 (22.4") to 175/65r14 (23") have a 2.7% diameter variance.
175/55r15 (22.6") to 185/55r15 (23") have a 1.8% diameter variance.
You can make up a tire size, but that doesn't mean it's popular or easy to find on the market.
Some who try 195+ wide tires experience rubbing issues that can be damaging to both your car & tires.
Please share what you are considering in the future. Other members have great input & more experience in trying other sizes than myself.
Basic (07-13-2020)