redpoint

I've had my eye on the Kosei K4R wheels for a while, and primarily want to see what it's like to drive with lighter wheels. However, the 16" wheels are $160 cheaper for a set, and 2lbs lighter apiece. On top of that, tires tend to be cheaper for smaller diameter wheels.

How would the car handle differently with 16" wheels instead of 17"? What would be some reasons for keeping with the 17" wheel size?

I would think with taller sidewall, the car could absorb the bumps more easily, and cornering stiffness might be maintained by inflating slightly higher than normal.

What do you think?

Simba91102

First, on my 05, my winter set up was a set of 16x7 MSW wheels with Semperit snow tires that performed more like all season tires. That was a great match, and I often thought that if I was willing to sacrifice some performance, they would have made a good year round choice. That said, I don't think it's quite as clear cut as just weight and cost. You'd be pretty limited on tire size choice, if for no other reason than the wheel that you're interested is only 6.5" wide. Basically, just 205/60x16 or 215/55x16, with the latter size being almost a 1/4" (.2") shorter than the OE size, and probably heavier. All three tires (the two 16" sizes, and the 17" OE size) are in the same ball park weight wise, though like wheels, same size tire weights vary considerably from one particular brand and tire model to the next, so you can't really generalize about that (plus, I don't trust the published weights). Like any mod, the success of it would most likely depend on what you'd be trying to accomplish. My own opinion is that you wouldn't notice much difference, pro or con, on the street. Using 16" wheels could definitely get you into a tire/wheel set up, using your choice of wheels, for less than the 17" wheel though, so that's a definite pro.

1Louder

Before my TSX, I owned a Civic where I upgraded to a lighter wheel/tire setup (about 2.5 lb reduction per wheel) and I didn't notice a single difference - not in performance, handling or gas mileage. My Civic wasn't exactly high-performance (it was a stock EX), but then again the TSX isn't going to be winning any drag-races either. So I agree with Simba that it's questionable that you'd notice much difference due to weight reduction.

As for the size - and this is purely subjective because I've never gone with a smaller wheel - I'd be nervous about a larger sidewall if handling was on my list of things I wanted to maintain. Increasing the pressure won't offset the size increase if you are taking hard corners. The forces acting on your sidewall are much greater than a few psi can offset.

Boulder TSX

Like Simba did with his previous car, I change from the 17" OEM wheels over to 16" X 7" wheels for winter on my 06. (It helps to have a smaller footprint with traction.) But one other issue not being discussed here is the net effect of the smaller tire/wheel size upon gauge measured speed and gas mileage.

The car does not "know" that you are no longer using the OEM set up when calculating speed and gas mileage.

The outer diameter is close with thicker sidewalls on the 16" set up, but there is a difference. My apparent gas mileage and speed is not the same with the 16" wheels...so keep that in mind when using your dash gauges to measure any differences in times, etc.

Simba91102

I guess I feel the need to take issue with this only because otherwise, the uninformed may stay.... uninformed. The proper -1 size tire for the 1st gen TSX is 205/60x16. The diameter of this tire is actually slightly larger than OE, but the difference is less then 1% (approx .2"). Trust me, any electronic aids, gauges, etc., won't know the difference (especially since the accuracy of 1st gen. TSX speedometers tends to consistently be off by around 2%). The size difference is pretty much a wash, though the smaller footprint and larger circumference can potentially result is slightly higher highway MPG (all things being equal). Any mileage decrease with the use of this size snow tire is most likely due to higher rolling resistance attributed to the more aggressive M&S tread design, and lower temps (decrease in fuel mileage due to lower temperatures is another post though).

Boulder TSX

Simba: Yes, of course, you're right; using 205/60X16 tires delivers numbers that are close. (.9%) That's the size I have for winter use, too.

But...I have seen many TSX owners, (in this 'Tires forum', and others), using other sizes -- either by choice, (buying used Civic or Accord wheels on Craiglist), or by being given a different size by a tire store based upon what was "in stock"...say, 215/50X16 for example, thinking the sizes sound close to the 215/50X17 OEM.

Here's a chart that shows the sizes and their effect on revolutions per mile. (All using new tires).

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/1st-ge...ter-guide.html

El-Baz

Here's a handy calculator...

http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-calculator/

Hugh_Jorgens

Lighter wheels or not, there is no way that a 16" wheel will improve the performance of a TSX over a 17" wheel.

17" tire sizing advantageous as far as sidewall heights compared to widths.