XBRachel

HI

My box is my daily driver. I have rode in cars that have low low profile tires, bump--rough.

I am looking for some new rims. I think 15" would look good. It will keep the ride and look better than plastic hub caps.

I thought about 16, but would have to buy new tires

If I go with 15' I would like to push them out just abit. what offset

ps what is the stock wheel weight and offter anyoney

XOX

rAndal

From the sticky above...

Stock Wheels/Tires
15"x5.5" +38 offset / 195/60-15 xB 185/60/15 xA
37 lbs per wheel & tire
Alloy wheel: 16.7 lbs

Also I'd say stick with 15's but thats just me... be careful of wheels with anything higher that +40 offset you may have clearance problems (will vary wheel to wheel and also what size tire you run)

HeathenBrewing

15 - Excellent choice, can keep stock tires, good on the straights. Bad: look slightly undersized for the box.

16 - My personal choice, fills the wells better, slightly better performance in the turns which is the boxes strong point. Bad: weigh more than 15's.

17 - Fills wells perfectly, looks fantastic. Bad: heavy, expensive tires, and too "bling". Also no performance benifits overall. A wider tire, yes, but with the added expense of slightly increased engine wear...no thanks.


15 or 16's are the only way to go IMO. 17's are cosmetically great, but as a daily driver, I say 15/16.

RTon20s

Some very good information from both of the previous posts. But there are other things you have to factor into your consideration. First and foremost, is what are you looking to gain out of switching out your wheels? Do you want strictly improved performance? Do you just want a different look than stock? Do you want a better look with increased performance? Are you strictly concerned about looks, and not performance? Do you want to make a change as cheap as possible? Are you trying for a specific look? And lastly, but no less important, what are your suspension plans?

All of these will affect your wheel decisions. If you can answer some or all of those questions we will have a much easier time of making suggestions.

TXboxdriver

16's

my 16's(TSW) and Tein S-techs

eXciteBox

my 17's drive amazingly. they arent "bling", they arent wide (7"). my tires were NOT expensive, they were $75 a piece SHIPPED for falken ziex ze-512's from discounttiredirect.com for a 205/45-17. 15's rock if you can find a decent one, but my vote is for 17". heres mine:

XBRachel

Wow..

all the dudes here are so sweet...

MMM.. I think I will go with 15's but If I get a few more bucks 16's.

I just want to get rid of the hub cap look.....caca


XOX

Boxer_Rebellion

17's baby! For comfort and fatty looks go with the 215/45's...

doctorcue

Well, from a commuter with 84k+ miles on the box, I prefer my 15's. I don't know how much driving you will do. I think 16's would be a good compromise for size & comfort. When I did have my 17's, I had too small of a tire 205/40-17. Also, I'm all the way down on my coilovers, so it was a rough ride. If you can, make it out to a meet in your area and ask a couple of people with different setups. Doesn't hurt right? Good luck!

Tomas

Best ride and best pothole survival: 15's

Better tires will also help once you wear out your stockers.

There are lots of threads here with really good information (and some with some errors - for
example the stock wheel and tire on the xB is 6JJx15 wheel with 185/60R15, although
185/65R15 is also shown in the xB repair manual, and the '65' is also the OEM tire on the bB).

If I were setting up a daily driver, I'd go with 185/65R15 BFG Traction T/A T's on some decent
looking, reasonably inexpensive wheels - Wait! That's what I did.

I put the T/A's on the OEM steel wheels until I found some alloy's I liked the look and the price
of. Wheels are on order right now from Tirerack.

Why did I go to the slightly oversize ratio tire (65 instead of 60)? Better ride, better selection,
corrected the speedo and odo error. Why did I go with the BFGs? Long years of very good
experience with assorted BFGs, reviews by other drivers with millions of miles experience,
longevity, quietness, ride, wet handling.

Here's an example of a previous discussion: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=98697

Enjoy your box, and good luck!

xA_Factor

I'll give the 16's a nod, with a 205/50 tire.

Itgb

I used 215/40/17 tires on my lowered mercedes as a daily driver and I wouldn't do it again. Although the handling was great, the ride was rough and inherrent camber problems wore out my performance tires pretty quickly. I think 16's would be a really nice compromise between ride quality/looks/handling. However I couldn't find any 16's(for the xB) that I liked & in my price range. Since I am now using my xB as a daily driver, I'm getting some 15's installed this weekend.

XBRachel

Wow Tomas thanks

what do you think of 16's .....

and what tire would you use if you went with 16"

but I think you still lean 15"....

xox

iyzmi

I think as a daily driver 16s are the best. 17s will make your fuel economy go down and cost more while 15s look to small in my opinion. I'd say, along with the majority here, go with 16s .

RTon20s

Statements about reduced fuel economy, additional weight etc. should not be used as a blanket statement based solely on wheel size. I can show you wheels all the way up to 19" that would weigh in right at the weight of a stock wheel and tire combo. So that argument can be thrown right out the window until we start talking about specific wheels.

If you are looking to make a big change from stock, I would look into jumping up into some 17s. But I will qualify that statement by saying that I would also wait until I wore out the stock tires. If you want a different look in the meen time, get your self some chrome rings and lug nuts for the stock steelies. That is a great look on the xB.

Or if you live in a colder weather climate get the 17s for the spring and summer and save your stock wheels and tires for the winter months.

As for your question about 16" wheels...

Depending on the width I would be looking at 205/50/16, 215/45/16, or 215/50/16.

UnFocused

Statements about reduced fuel economy, additional weight etc. should not be used as a blanket statement based solely on wheel size. I can show you wheels all the way up to 19" that would weigh in right at the weight of a stock wheel and tire combo. So that argument can be thrown right out the window until we start talking about specific wheels.

VERY TRUE!! My TRD 18" wheels with Falken tires wiegh 40 LBS each- 3 LBS more than stock!

tn_05_camo_xb

I agree.

iyzmi

True, bigger size dosen't meen they weigh more, but if your comparing the same wheel in different sizes, the bigger sizes will weigh more.

designed24

show me a 19 inch wheel with a 5.5 width. Weight is not the only factor effecting fuel economy. Why do you think speed cyclists use such narrow tires?? less friction on the road!!! That is a large factor. I personally got 17x7 and i feel my hard acceleration iin first and second gear is a little worse. But it drives better and feels more stable than steelies, hwy is much better too.

ASC

I just ordered my 15x7 bronze Falken Hanabi's from Edge Racing. They're 11lbs each, which is extremely light. I was also looking at the bronze Konig Heliums, but they're backordered 8 weeks. Apparently, this wheel is a favorite among autocrossers for both strength and weight. Here's a picture of the Hanabi's:



I too was debating whether to go for the 16" or 17", but for my xA daily driver, the 15" made more sense. Tires are less costly, overall weight is lighter, and if I take my xA on dirt roads for mountain biking or car camping, the higher sidewall will not only protect the wheel, but also give a better ride. Admittedly, the 17" would look more "stylish" (i.e. bling), but my ride is harsh enough with 15's as a daily driver. Good tires will make all the difference in the handling, and once I wear out my stock Potenza's, I'll be putting on some stickier rubber.

FWIW, the Hanabi's are on sale at Edge Racing for only $89 per wheel (15"). The total came to $395 shipped to my door, which will include hubcentric rings and lugnuts.

- Al