Question on wheels and tires

[CHollman82]

My 96 GA came with 14" wheels, I was thinking of replacing them with 15" or 16" wheels and some of those real thin tires, I think Yokahoma or Toyo makes them, not sure still have to do some research. My question is if I make it so that the diameter gained due to larger wheels matches the diameter lost due to the smaller tires will I still have problems with my speedometer/odometer or anything else I am not thinking of?

[sunrunner_pei]

You have to upsize your tires properly in order to keep the same diameter as stock. Post your factory tire size, and I'll give you some size options in 15" or 16" tires.

[CHollman82]

Is there a way to recalibrate the sensor so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping the same diameter as stock?

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by CHollman82
Is there a way to recalibrate the sensor so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping the same diameter as stock?

... not sure if this is possible in a Grand AM (or in your specific model year) but I know from personal experience that it can be done to my Blazer :)

[sunrunner_pei]

Keep in mind that there are other 'issues' surrounding changing the tire diameter from stock besides just the speedo. Changing the tire size effectivly changes the final drive ratio of the car, which will have an impact on accelleration, top speed, fuel mileage, etc. Just something to consider, especially when it's not hard to upsize your tires properly to keep the same diameter.

[akalar32]

Here's a site where you put in the stock tire size and what you want to get and it will tell you how far off your calibration will be.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[BBT]

Try tire rack and discount tire. They have charts for 'Plus' sizing your tires, and how to do it properly.

Many tire manufacturers also have charts for their tires that include the all important overall diameter that affects the speedo. They will also tell you the minimum rim width for tires you might be considering.

Going from a 14" to a 15" or even 16" should not be a real problem. It will really make your car look better too. Good luck.

[ferran586]

Originally posted by akalar32
Here's a site where you put in the stock tire size and what you want to get and it will tell you how far off your calibration will be.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

That is a great site!! Thank you for that one. It will come in handy when I buy my wheels.

[Greed4Speed]

Tirerack.com is a great site for this. You can chose your car and it'll show you how different rims will look on it, it'll tell you what size to run, and you can compare different tires and get some consumer feedback from people who have used the tires.

It'll take all the guess work out of it.