Iceman52489

I'm looking into rims and did a little research myself but still came across a few unanswered questions. I know I'm definitely looking for 19" rims..more specifically the Volk Progressiv ME Face-1 (I prefer Face-2 but they only come in 20").

Now my existing (stock) rims are 17" and have a bolt pattern of 5x120 from what I've figured out. The keylocks that came with the car should be compatible with the new rims as long as I get 5x120 right?

I think..the offset would be +40 if I get 19"..the problem I guess I see is that the Progressiv line only comes in +37, +22, +30, and +45. Does this mean I can't get the Progressiv line?

Also what's this I see about cars have different offsets in the front and rear? Is the 4G +40 in both the front and the rear?

I've looked at Konig (Are they good? They seem to be priced pretty cheap compared to other companies) but I'm not sure of reputable wheel companies. I know Volks is good but what else out there that I can look at?

Thanks for all your time guys!

rehab_pain

i'll try to answer some of your questions from my own experiences as i have purchased about 10 sets of rims for about every car i have owned.

1)the wheel locks may or may not fit depending on the rims you get. sometimes you have to get specialized aftermarket lugs just so that the lugs will seat right, this happened with some ssr gt3 i had on a lexus i owned. The stock lugs were to big for the little holes on the rims, you do get a key for those lugs, but it is a universal key and every shop probably has one. if you don't use these lugs, sometimes you get vibration at speeds >55mph.

2)offsets as well can be very tricky, a lower offset means the wheels will be pushed out more making a more aggressive look. pushed out to much then you start to stick out past the fender wells and that to me looks ghetto. I personally like the flush look where the wheel face is in line with the fender. some people like the tucked look where the tires tuck in just under the fender, that is just preference. Since our car is so new, nobody probably has tried to pushh the limits with offset yet, but i wouldn't go any higher then 30 all around. I personally went 37 all around, but we will see how it looks. here is a good offset calculator.
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

3) the stockk offsets for the awd are 55 i think, someone correct me if i'm wrong. Staggered offset is what Your talking about when the offsets are different. this lets the rear wheels stick out a little more. This can also increase the lip size of your rear wheel for those that like that style. The problem with these type of rims is that they usually don't come in same widths. for example i had an audi s4 that i had staggered rims on. the fronts were 19x8.5 and the rears were 19x10. Iff you have the fwd tl this is not a problem, with an awd car you have to match the rolling diameter of the tires as close as possible so i went 225/35/19 fronts and 265/30/19 rears. the staggered offset can be a hassle to figure out, but done correctly it looks phenominal. her is a good tire calculator. most transmissions allow a 3% variance for tire wear and tire pressure, so don't go past that.
http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

4) rims should always be a preference thing. if you like the rim and it is inexpensive get it, but remember you get what you pay for. the cheaper the rim probably means its cast instead of forged and means that there is a higher probability that it will bend or crack. the cheaper rims are usually heavier as well and can increase unsprung weight which can decrease your gas mileage. that being said i would get the volks over the konigs, but also look at some of the bmw replica wheels they look great too, miro has a nice line here is the link.
http://www.mirowheels.com/product.html

5) if you get rims for the acura tl with 5x 120 bolt pattern most of them are not made for our car because it is so new. if they are made for bmw's you will need to get hub centric rings. bmw center bore for their wheels is 72.6 and center bore for our wheels is 64.1. this means your hub centric spacer should be 72.6 outer diameter and 64.1 inner diameter. here is a link to a site that has hubcentric rings.
http://www.justforwheels.com/index.jsp?cat=hubcentric


hopefully i was able to answer some of your questions without confusing you further. anyone please feel free to correct, simplify or add on to anything i have listed here. hope this helps you.

Iceman52489

rehab - that was a phenomenal response! A mod should sticky this as I'm sure I'm not the only one with these questions.

A few other questions:

1.) Do you have any examples of staggered offsets?

2.) Can someone confirm the offset of the 2wd to be +40?

3.) I'm actually really liking those Miro wheels and would actually inquire about price. Doesn't seem like the site has any, are these sold elsewhere?

4.) Any other good rim companies?

rehab_pain

1) Go to ebay and type rims staggered offset 19 and it will give you over two hundred different examples. usually the front rim is flush, or has a small lip and the rear rim has a deeper lip 2-4 inches depending on what fits.

2) can't confirm offset of 2wd

3)jlevisw.com has some nice options as well as ebay, just type in the miro model number.

4) I have never tried ron jon's, but they are an acurazine sponsor and they have a good rep. if you want to go high end you can get two or three piece forged wheels like hre, iforged, dpe, or dtm. maya's i don't like the style, but they also make decent rims. bbs has several options in the 5x120 bolt pattern as well. work t1s rims i absolutely love, make sure you check out the work rims selection. I have never purchased volks, but here good things from people who have them. Asanti's are a little to chrome for me, but again if thats your style go for it. some other options are mrr's, axis, and stern rims, but these are clearly third tier options.

rehab_pain

You know what i forgot to mention is TPMS. Always make sure your rims are tpms compatible. if not you will have to live with an annoying red light on your dash, and your wife yells at you for messing up the car. If the rims are not compatible there is an adapter that they cell on ebay. you can also get them from iforged for like 80 dollars. these adapters work on most rims, but always email the seller to make sure. I always get a spare set of tpms for my new rims, because i'm going to change back and forth from winter to summer rims, the winter being my stock rims. you may have to go to the dealer to calibrate the new tpms sensors to your car.

Iceman52489

Oh that rises another question..I guess I would have get a spare tire since the its a new set of different sized wheels right -_-.

rehab_pain

the spare should be fine for short term use as long as you are within the alloted 3% variance of the rolling diameter of the stock tires. I also meant to mention that if you are over or under the the stock tire size by 3% it changes the braking distance and can lead to caliper failure. It also wreaks havoc with your speedometer readings.

Iceman52489

So stock tire size is 50, with 19" rims it would be 40..thats less than 3%..is that what you were referring to?

Iceman52489

Oh were you referring to the whole wheel size 3%?

rehab_pain

i was referring to the rolling diameter of the tire when mounted. from on end straight across the center of the rim to the other.

RavSpec

1. The Key Lock questions , yes and no. Some will fit and some won't. We always recommend purchasing new tuner lugs w/ locking.

2. Differences between 40mm offset and 45mm offset are 5mm. If you already have 45mm, putting a 40mm wheel will push the wheel out about 5mm from 40mm. It's a + and - thing. Going from low offset to high offset (move wheel in), going from high offset to low offset, move wheel out.

2. if the offset are within + or - 5mm of the stock offset, most of the time it's okay if the width of the wheel stay the same.

3. Konig is not bad but not the best. Mainly because they have limited offset, style and also it's not make in JAPAN. If you like the style they have and don't care it's not make in Japan and on a budget, great wheels to get.

Mark.
RavSpec
www.ravspeconline.com

Iceman52489

Whats a good japanese company to look into between the price range of $400-$600? I want quality, style is usually easier to find.

Iceman52489

Could someone do a quick photoshop of the TL with those DPEs?

Iceman52489

Sorry just realized this thread didn't have a picture of the DPEs..