14 inch rims on stock?

[ezioauditore]

Is it safe to use 14 inch rims on a stock Festiva? I just found a set of 14 inch steelies, for $80, that I would like to buy. If it makes sense.

Thanks

[TominMO]

Is it safe to use 14 inch rims on a stock Festiva? I just found a set of 14 inch steelies, for $80, that I would like to buy. If it makes sense.

Thanks

Lots of people have 14" rims on their Festys. Usually aluminum rims, tho--14" steelies are likely to be pretty heavy, and stock Festiva brakes are not fantastic. Heavier wheels/tires will increase stopping distance.

Also, do you know the bolt pattern, width and wheel offset of these rims? You don't want them and whatever tires you will put on them to be interfering with your struts (usually more of an issue on the rear). Might want to go there with your Festiva and pull a stock rear wheel off, so you can test-fit the ones you want to buy.

Festiva bolt pattern is 4x114mm (4.5"), just in case you didn't know.

[ezioauditore]

Bolt pattern is 4x100 and 4x144.3. They're 14x5.5. I didn't think about the weight. Oy vey. I was under the impression the the Festiva bolt pattern was 4x114.3 but I was mistaken. My main thing is the lack of tire choices for the 12 inch rims. As every body knows.

[Advancedynamix]

Yes, as long as you put appropriate size tires on the wheels. With 165 55 14 tires you will have very close the same outer diameter as the stock 12 wheels, but you'll have a much more stable wheel and tire combination.

[Team Lightning]

Stock Festiva IS 4x114.3. Aspires are 4x100. I'd try to get a set of aluminum wheels for the weight savings. It really helps.

[TominMO]

Yes, as long as you put appropriate size tires on the wheels. With 165 55 14 tires you will have very close the same outer diameter as the stock 12 wheels, but you'll have a much more stable wheel and tire combination.

Ezio, this tire size will easily fit on the rear, because they are short and narrow enough to not cause any rubbing issues, either with the strut or the fender. Here is a good tire from tires-easy.com: Achilles ATR-K Economist. Charlie/Advancedynamix recommended them, and I am very happy with them. For this light a car, you do not want to go wide. A 165 width is perfect, and these are nice and sticky. The car will handle far better with 165/55-14 tires

[Advancedynamix]

Also, one thing I've observed from my testing is that wheel weight is not as critical as overall diameter and tread width of the tire. I've put heavy wheels on these cars, but with tires that were a slightly smaller o.d. and had a stiffer sidewall and the cars braking and acceleration actually improved noticeably. In the same respect, I've put extremely lightweight wheels on these cars with larger outside diameter and both power and braking ability were reduced. Also, too wide of a tire will increase fuel consumption and reduce the cars ability to accelerate.

One thing that is often overlooked in the automotive world is that tires often weigh more than the wheels they are mounted on. The wider the tire and the higher it's profile, the heavier that tire will be. I've seen a lot of people "over tire" small cars and explain that the wheel weight is the culprit of their reduced performance. Matching the tire to the vehicle is critical. We are lucky, we have good choices now that we've never had before. I hope the supply of these tires continues.

[harpon]

I like the ads that include the overall diameter- then you can tell what you're getting. A lot of people aren't aware that the 'r" designation is a RATIO of the WIDTH. And so that affects the profile and overall diameter. A 70r designation may mean a lot of sidewall difference between a 155 and 185 width simply because 70 percent of 185 is a lot more than 70 percent of 155. With the smaller tires- 155 especially, 70R is still a fairly small- albeit stock , for our cars years, profile. I use 80 r, especially on 12" because I'm more concerned about slow leaks . Small profiles may be good for acceleration weight and handling in larger rim sizes, but then there simply isn't as much air if a slow leak develops. A smaller profile on the drive wheels is like having a lower gear- better for starts and in town maybe, but higher motor revs and lower MPG on the road.

As an old fart, I just don't want to mess with the tires and tend to stay near stock, where I've driven many carefree miles- and that's what Festys and Aspires are about to me.
My aspire suddenly handled like a Festy in my own mind when I went from the steelies and 175 width to alloy wheels and 155- and almost like adding power steering without adding it really. Jaclsonvilles parking lots get crowded this time of year.

tires pictured below:http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-NEW-155-80...3D191848690524

155 80r 13 on Honda wheels

[FestYboy]

.... Wow.

Actually, "R" stands for radial, which all DOT tires are now, and it's just a hang over from the days when biased ply were still being manufactured for the street.

Also the slow leak bit... Having a 70 or 80 series sidewall with a slow leak presents more of a hazard on 2 fronts, first is the leak goes unnoticed longer which means the sidewall is put through more flex cycles. Second is the increased sidewall deflection in turns (sidewall rollover). This makes the car less stable and predictable, not to mention the increased wear on the outside tread edges. It's a snowball effect.

[Advancedynamix]

I moved the tire slashing to a thread in the Arena named "burning rubber" for those that want to keep hashing that out.
Let's keep this thread useful and helpful.

[TominMO]

I moved the tire slashing to a thread in the Arena named "burning rubber" for those that want to keep hashing that out.
Let's keep this thread useful and helpful.

Thank you!

[Advancedynamix]

Back on track. There is a 155/55/14 size that is also available in both the Federal Formoza and the Achilles ATR-K economist. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm going to order a set for some 14x6 wheels that I've got. 155 is a great width tire for a street driven Festiva. It's a bit narrow if you really like to go hot into corners, but should handle most "spirited" driving well. TominMo pointed out to me that the economist is H rated in this size, but the Formoza is still V rated. I'm interested in what they changed. In my own tests, I've favored the Achilles Econimist over the Federal Formoza (it's not a huge difference, and is mostly due to the Economist lasting longer under extreme abuse, and wet traction) but this may not hold true in this size. The Federal tire seems to be a tad cheaper through most sources. It's a hard call.

[ryanprins13]

There is also a kumho tire in that size, on tirerack i believe.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[TominMO]

^ And at these prices, you can't go too wrong.

[TominMO]

There is also a kumho tire in that size, on tirerack i believe.

I checked Tire Rack and Kumhousa.com, didn't find it.