Looking at upgrading my stock rimms and tires on my 96 Eclipse. Can anyone recommend the size to prevent rubbing but maximize performance but with cost in mind. Any recommendations on were I can get the best deal.

it all depends on what you want / what kind of cash you have.

If you want them to look nice, Get 18s. As far as I know, thats as big as you can go without having rubbing issues (depends on your drop if you have one)

If you want a little better performance, get 17s or even 16s. The smaller diameter wheel is easier to spin. You will also have a little more meat in the tire if you maintain the correct aspect ratio.

Did you have anything in mind?
______________
Chris
96 ESI 5 spd
Milwaukee, WI

My purpose is to increase handling and to look good. Was leaning to the 17X7 rimms and a 245/40R17 tire. Would this cause any rubbing and if not do you have any suggestion on a reliable source at a decent price?

Originally posted by Geronamo
My purpose is to increase handling and to look good. Was leaning to the 17X7 rimms and a 245/40R17 tire. Would this cause any rubbing and if not do you have any suggestion on a reliable source at a decent price?

I'm dropped pretty low, I've got 205/55 16s.. which is 2 plus sizes larger than the stock 195/70 14s... No rubbing here..

for the best in handling you'll want 16*8's or 17*8's. either way ideal rubber would be 225's. 225 50 for the 16's and 225 45 for the 17's. for 18's, incase you're not seeing the pattern, would be 225 40's. in each case you ARE getting a wider tire even though the cross section is the same. this is because in each case the aspect ratio decreases. since aspect ratio is the percent of the cross section that is in the sidewall having lower aspect ratio means having more contact patch. 18's will improve handling but are much heavier in comparison to stock, will slow you down in drag racing, and use more expensive tires.

i would recommend looking for 16*8's. they're hard to find if you shop for eclipse rims but if you goto tirerack.com and search for rims for a 93 RX7 you'll be able to get alot of 16*8 rims to choose from. if you do go that route you'll have to get hubcentric spacers. not a big deal and not illegal. tirerack should be able to hook you up with those as well.

I recommend 17" wheels but 245 tires wont fit on a 7" wide wheel. 225s should be good for grip unless you really want some wider tires. Then look for some wider wheels, will probably cost a little more and adds weight.