TSXsurf

How many people would buy 18 inch factory wheels if that was an option? Or, would you just wait and buy aftermarket wheels instead? I personally would like to have some 18 in. Acura wheels as an option on the TSX. Am I the only one?

dzuy

nope. even tho i think the optional wheels are from the tl aspec, the tsx aspec are 17 inchers.

and yes, i would recommend buying aftermarkey wheels since the amount you pay for the acura wheels will be more than a set of nice aftermarket wheels i.e. volk racing or advans.

in fact, there are other members selling 18" rims, such as dabuda and jate in the black market.

so hold on to your money.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Plus, you can get lighter and stronger aftermarket wheels for the price that you would be paying for the factory wheels. It's not worth the price.

Dan Martin

I'm all for the OEM look but OEM wheels are generally quite expensive and heavy. I think a nice set of aftermarket wheels would be a much better value in the end. You might even be able to get some Acura centercaps to put on the aftermarket wheels to give it the OEM look.

LannyM

You are not the only one. I guess there's two of us ........

I wish Acura would commision Enkei to make some 18" rims for our car. Specs would be 18" x 7.5", 55 offset.

There is nothing available aftermarket that fits the TSX correctly. Advan does 18" x 7.5" 50 offset, which is okay, but I've never seen a set of 18" Advans (or Volks for that matter) for $980, which is the current Acura of Escondido price for the 18" TL A-Spec. I know many people run lower offsets; it's all personal preference. I don't want wheels that stick out past my fenders, I don't want additional stress on my wheel bearings, I don't like dealing with centering rings, and while factory rims typically are heavier than aftermarket, you can't knock Enkei OEM for strength.

Duzy refered to the TL A-Spec rims, which last year was an 18" x 8.5" 45 offset, and this year an 18" x 8" 45 offset, and it just looks silly on a TSX unless it's lowered quite a bit. And I am a big fan of suspension travel, so I do not want to slam my car to the pavement.......

xizor

kinda picky there aren't you... i think a lot of your complaints are just in your head There's no problem with hubrings and even a offset as low as +40 doesn't pass the fender. I have +42 on 18x7.5 and it looks marvelous. And lower offsets don't put stress on the wheel bearings AFAIK, only spacers do. Offset has no affect where the wheel bolts on, only how far the rim is in/out.

LannyM

Ummm.....yeah, I'm really picky, I admit it.

Hubrings are the least of my nitpicks; I would consider aftermarket in spite of them. I just like stuff that's designed to fit, not rigged somehow. I don't like struts and springs that are designed for multiple applications, I don't like wheels that are drilled for multiple bolt patterns, and wrong offset rims are just one more thing......just my opinion.

But if the rim is further out, that will put more stress on the wheel bearings. Adding a 13mm spacer to a stock TSX wheel is effectively changing its offset to 42, which is what you're running. Of course, your rim is 1/4" further inboard than that setup because of the extra width, which does give more support.

Your car looks great, but keep in mind that you're lowered. Your setup on a stock height TSX does not look good. And the 18" TL A-Spec rim is still going to stick out more than yours.......

xizor

I agree, no aftermarket wheels look good w/o lowering on the TSX. You might look into the RonJon wheels, Honda hub fitment, +55 offset, seems like everything you want. the 2005 TL A-Spec wheels will barely stick out more as they have a higher offset for that wider wheel. I think they'd look excellent.

And as far as spacers, if you add a spacer the wheel bolts on farther down on the lugs, putting pressure farther out. An aftermarket wheel w/ a lower offset but no spacers will put the same pressure on the lugs as the stock wheels, it meets right up w/ the hub.

sleeper

i think 17s are fine, especially if you're dropping your car. 18s would be better to decrease the major wheel gap w/o suspension mods though. in terms of offset, it really depends on the width of the rim as well, but i like seeing the tire flushed with the sides (it gives it a cleaner/seamless look). right now i'm running 235s on 17x8 rims. they're almost flushed with the fenders. i think i might be able to fit 245s and not have it stick out past the fender. i'll have to take some pics when i change out the tires.

Kighter

I agree with the points about aftermarket rims generally being a better value.

One big thing - if you buy OEM wheels with the car your warranty will cover them (well more like covering your suspension), AND you can finance them with the car. I would never have bought my TL rims after the fact.

When I finally get around to having the A-Spec suspension installed I think it'll look great (wasn't released yet when I got the car). I might look into swapping my '04 TL rims for the '05s but that will be super pricey. At that point I'd probably go aftermarket.

dzuy

dude if you cant afford to pay for the wheels at once, you shouldn't be buying them. financing the wheels ( what like 2k?) is not worth it.

and what kind of warranty do you expect w/ the wheels? optional wheels are a waste of money imo. good forged aftermarket wheels are the way to go.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Wheels, like tires and brakes, are a wearable commodity and thus don't get covered under warranty unless there is a catastrophic failure. Optional wheels are usually at least as expensive as aftermarket wheels, if not more. Plus the installation cost that a dealership will usually charge if they aren't already on the car, you could probably buy a decent set of aftermarket wheels and tires.

Kighter

My post:
"your warranty will cover them (well more like covering your suspension)"

If something goes wrong with anything on any corner of my car, I am covered because THEY put them on - even being oversized. And yes I know that the wheels themselves are unlikely to ever have any kind of failure that would be covered by a warranty.

Now if I had put on some aftermarket set of whatever, you KNOW the first thing you'd hear from a dealer is "Not a covered suspension failure because your wheels aren't stock." Could you fight it? Sure. Even if you won - a hassle.

Oh and financing them is not always a bad idea dzuy. Down payments on cars are for suckers. Especially when you got my interest rate.

dzuy

not true. my dealer already said that they have to prove that what you did messed whatever you are trying to mess up.

i mean obviously, if you change your wheels, then you bring in a stock factoy rim, they wont do anything about it well actually, they wont do anything about it anyway.

unless you got 0% financing, they suckered you. if you cant afford to buy something that little in value, you shouldn't be buying it. i dont understand why you would say it is not always a bad idea. if you finance something, even if you have a small interest rate - let's just say 3.9, you'll be paying that interest rate over your payment period. which will make that wheel purchase def more than what you would have paid if you paid it off in cash.

explain to me if i'm missing your point, i'm all ears.

Kighter

Your point about warranty is valid. But isn't it a much easier question when you can say "Ummm my wheels are the cause? You guys put them on the car."

Remember I said that I agreed that aftermarket wheels are a much much better value (cost:performance). I'm just trying to point out *some* of the benefits of OEM equipment.

The large point about financing is that you should never buy a car if you can't afford the payments - and putting something down doesn't do anything but lower the payment. Leases are the same way - never never lease if you want to keep your money.

Yes I am paying interest on the wheel cost (as well as everything else on it like Nav and floor mats etc etc). But I can make a helluva lot more in interest on the same amount if I don't put it in the car. Cars are not for equity. That said obviously the best would be to pay cash outright if you can.

Example: 2k towards wheels (down payment)

I pay your example of 3.9%/yr for say 4 years. Or I can invest that amount and get much better returns than that 3.9%. It's a net gain for me.

It does of course become an issue if you total your car early in it's life and you can't recoup the value. But then again I can always take the wheels with me.

dzuy

ok i see where you are coming from now

at the same time, you could look at if you have a lower monthly payment, you could invest more money per month.

but i'm gonna stop here b/c i have a feeling this is going to go around in circles.

but i totally agree w/ you - cars and related parts are not investments. if people think they are, they are in trouble.

Kighter

lol - yes that is true and a point I did not include. Personally it came down to a choice between Honda financing or my Credit Union. Honda wanted $4k down for a higher interest rate than I got from my C.U. Needless to say I kept it and it's worth considerably more than $4k now.

Either way, I'm sure at some point I'm gonna end up with a new set of wheels and they will not be OEM because once you've bought the car, none of the advantages I've mentioned apply.