Will they fit? 15" Konig Theory

[TheresGabe]

I can get a SCREAMING deal on a set of 15X6.5 Konig theory rims locally. (I remember that FestivaMotorsports used to sell the 13" Theories) I just picked up my latest Festiva, and they would look great... I just don't know if they will fit. Anybody?

[gauge_half_inch]

What is the offset? Stock or aspire struts? What size tire?

[deathrace2000]

I'm almost sure they will fit. You'll need small tires though.

[russian]

I was rubbing with my 205/50 r15 - had to modify front fenders & use spacers on the back (tire was touching the strut)

[Movin]

I was rubbing with my 205/50 r15 - had to modify front fenders & use spacers on the back (tire was touching the strut)

The spring seat or the cartridge ? One of the two would see some disk grinder
adjustments!

[deathrace2000]

205/50 seems huge for a Festiva.

[TheresGabe]

Stock everything on the festiva. The tires on it are 195's.

Worth the hassle?

[htchbck]

195/??? ... ... ... that "?" is a big one...

Like this...

?

Also need to know the offset as that can make a big difference too.

[loknlode]

not to mention your mileage will suffer to the tune of 20+% (compared to the 12's)

[htchbck]

Not necessarily, that will depend on driving style and terrain, and also whether you are going by actual miles traveled, or miles clocked by the OD. Your car is looking more and more like an EFI now BTW, just taking more wiring than I originally thought.

[TheresGabe]

How would a bigger tire on a light aluminum rim kill my mileage that bad?

[Aaronbrook37]

How would a bigger tire on a light aluminum rim kill my mileage that bad?

Well, it depends... a 12" rim is pretty light from the get-go. Of course, upgrading the tire width has two effects... one being a heavier tire typically, and the other being higher rolling resistance. 30psi of a bigger tire weighs more than 30psi of a smaller one. Upgrading the contact patch is lovely for everything but inertia... think about a road bike's 23mm tires vs a bigger mountain bike's.

Further, the main issue for fuel economy junkies is unsprung weight - that is, weight not supported by the springs of the car. Supposedly, it is said that sprung weight has a multiplier effect of 4x when changing speed... meaning that reducing your wheel/tire/brake/etc weight by 10lbs would have the impact of 40lbs when zipping around town, which is considerable. It's also a popular reason not to opt for the Aspire swap, as many people feel the weight increase of larger rotors could harm economy.

On the highway, the impact is likely to be negligible because constant speeds without hills on freeways are not heavily impacted at all by wheel weights at all. It's mainly just in the city where the weight is a concern. Obviously, tire width could theoretically impact mileage anywhere depending on just how much wider one opts to go.

Ultimately though, you have to consider your priorities and ensure that you're doing the best you can with the setup you have before sweating bullets over a few pounds of wheel weight. Inflated tires, tuned up motors, careful driving, and so on. Personally, I'm on 185/60-14's and may opt for 195 when upgrading to 15" tires to compliment a fairly large break swap I'm planning.

TL;DR - Personally, I doubt it's as high as 20% in and of itself. Definitely consider it though.

[TheresGabe]

Just found out they are +40mm offset... Is that good or bad?

[gauge_half_inch]

With a 195/50/15 you may rub a little bit on the front fender on a big bump or corner, but that's a good number. Typically with a 6" wide wheel are cars do ok in the 35-40mm range.

[Bert]

The way I look at wheels is: does it only make the car look faster or is it something of real use. People that deliberately pass you on the road at traffic lights and in merge lanes and such are going to be laughing at trick wheels on a slug. If rather than toss all that gold at expensive wheels (15 inch low profile tires ain't gonna be cheap) you thought to try to bolt in a B6 or B8 instead then you'd turn some heads, even with Festy wheels. I have an unused set of Festy alloys you can have cheap, or free if you actually show me you completed such a stunt.