Going from 15" to 14" rims on a Civic worth it?

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by cackalak

I'm sure this has been discussed, but have any of you run 7th gen Civic hybrid wheels?

Nope. It's a 14" 4x100 wheel that fits right onto our cars but how heavy is it? The eighth gen Civic hybrid wheels have a great aero surface and are 15", but they don't fit our cars. Sigh.

[2000mc]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Whatever setup you go with, the most important letters are: LRR.

+1
i'd stay with 15s for all the LRR tire options

to quote capriracer - Careful selection of tires (make and model) will have much, much more affect than a change in tire size.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by 2000mc

i'd stay with 15s for all the LRR tire options

to quote capriracer - Careful selection of tires (make and model) will have much, much more affect than a change in tire size.

Going LRR bears repeating.

The 14 inch OEM Honda Insight spec LRR Bridgestone Potenza RE92 is still available. Last Insight was produced for the '06 model year, so they're not too dead.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...eet-19126.html

[TedV]

I will repeat just stick to the 15" tires and get LRR. My girlfriends civic has factory steel 15" rims just beggin for pizza pan hub caps. Your local pull a part should have plenty of donor civics to get rims.

When it was time for tires on my TDi the only round rims I had were 14". I couldn't get the LRR tires I wanted in 14 so I went with Yok Avid TRZ. My milage went down. New tire, full tread depth etc. etc. so I am waiting a while to see if milage comes back. A few people mentioned that happend with them with the TRZ. There are a few LRR 14" like the Michelin Defender now, but there are a LOT more options in 15". You probably want to stay with original outside diameter for gearing or a little larger if you want to gear up.

My VW came with 14" OEM and I am looking to go to 15". Have found a round set of 15" rims since last tire purchase so that is what I will try next. The slightly taller sidewall on 14" will soak up bumps a little easier than the 15". Out of round rims are more annoying than ocasional bumps.

[turbovr41991]

I was stuck with a very similar decision.
The car came stock with 14 inch wheels with Steel wheels.
I had 3 choices.
1) 13 inch VX wheels 9 lbs
2) 14 inch HX wheels 10 lbs (I think. Could have been low 11’s)
3) 15 inch Enkei RPF1 10 lbs.
I really liked the 13 inch VX because of their small footprint, light in weight, and a “stock” Honda wheel. Yes, I know VX and HX wheels are really Enkei with Honda badging, but that is besides the point…) I really disliked tires size options and lack of LRR tires. Also, with the tires I liked most, my speedo would be off in the “going faster” direction. Not the direction I wanted.
The 14 inch HX wheels were still a good option. Larger footprint, but still light in weight and was a “stock” Honda wheel. I also could find some nice LRR’s in this size as well. So really the only downside was slightly larger footprint than a 13 inch.
The 15 inch Enkei RPF1 are very light for what they are. 15x7! Come on. That is crazy light… Also many other good LRR tire options including the Energy Saver A/S which seems to get really good results. The cost of this setup was more and the footprint was bigger than the previous 13 and 14 inch comparables.
So what did I do? I knew these 15 inch RPF1 wheels are quite popular and I sold them with wider autocross tires (from my old MR2 ) for $800. Then I went out and got Michelin Defenders (90k mile LRR tire) with the money for the 14 inch HX wheels. I don’t have one bad thing to say about this wheel and tire setup!

[TedV]

How has your mpg been with the defender comparing to other tires you have had? You know, since it's on my short list.

[turbovr41991]

I would say it is slightly better, but I have done so many mods at the same time to really say for sure. I will say they are quiet, have 90k of tread life and handle amazing. From my understanding they area good all around tire. Not the best LRR tire for mpg, but one of the best LRR tire for traction and handling. I was able to get them at a really good price with a free alignment voucher which really sold me on them over other brands/models.

[PaleMelanesian]

I just got a set of Defenders on mine. They actually make them in 13"! Compared to my old worn-out Michelin Destiny's, they are: smoother, quieter, softer. Of course, they're new tires. They also squish around more (deeper tread), don't corner quite as well, and don't roll quite as well. After 1000 miles they're closer, but still not as good as the old ones for rolling or for handling. Michelin says they're better at both, so I'm still waiting to see if it's true.

They're heavy-duty tires, though. 5 cap plies (steel, steel, polyamide, polyester, polyester)!

[cackalak]

I'm going to keep an eye out for HX rims to test out some 14" tires. I mounted up 185/60/15 Yoko AVID Touring, but not enough data to post MPG figures.

For those with 6th Gen Civics, which tire size are you going with? Stock? One problem with HX rims is that since I have an EX, I have to shave down the front calipers. Not too happy about that.

[hawk2100n]

Conversely, I have 13" steelies on my Civic. Is it worth it to upgrade to 15" from a tire selection/investment/availability standpoint. I'm 22k into cheap prime well 40k mile tires which are very loud.