I can't say I'm a fan of the styling of the '06 aerodynamic rims. I'd be willing to sacrifice a few mpg's for a different style of rims. Do "low resistance" tires accomodate larger rims? Also, in the Los Angeles area, where's the best place to get rims and wheels?


thanks,

- Frank

 

I'm not sure if there are 16 and 17" LRR tires (I've never checked) but a good place to check out wheels is www.tirerack.com

 

I know that the Michelin Energy series tires (which are LRR) come in lower profile sizes (16 or 17"). Also, Sumitomo 200-somethings are supposed to be LRR, and they come in a variety of sizes also.

If you google "low rolling resistance" you may find some others, but those are the only ones I'm aware of.

 

ps: You will possibility get roasted for even suggesting changing tires and rims merely for aesthetic purposes; do your best to ignore those comments, and just enjoy your HCH in the manner of your own choosing.

 

Hi Chuck; interesting comment, you must have been around this Forum for awhile.

Terry

 

I know I'm repeating this story in a number of different threads - sorry to those that have heard this. I'm with you on that 06 - if I were to buy one, I'd definitely replace the wheels.

I just finished the adventure of replacing my 03 HCH wheels and tires, along with several months of research. They go on this week. I'll spare you the journey and offer some final observations.

Obviously, if you don't want to impact FE be conscious of wheel and tire weight. My goal was to update the look and match or reduce wheel weight, and I believe I succeeded. It's been debated back and forth how much unsprung weight reduction really matters. I won't know for several months until the new tires wear in. I do agree with going with what you like - just be aware you risk an FE loss with heavy chrome wheels.

Tires I considered were from the GreanSeal's LRR tire report (Google search will find it). BTW - yes, LRR tires come in all sizes (in fact, GreanSeal tested a number of 205/50 series tires). The report is a bit dated (2003), however I could not find any additional data on LRR tires. I contacted a number of manufacturers - most do not carry this data either. I considered the Sumitomo HTR200, Michelin Energy MXV4, Continental ContitouringContact CV95 (the CH95 is on the GreanSeal list, CV is just the V rated version). I called Dunlop - no data (other than the SP 20 FE OEM tire for the 2003-5 HCH, which only comes in an 185/70R14). Toyo also had no data (was considering the Proxis). I went with the Continentals in the end, although had a hard time finding them. 195/60/R15, 18.3 lbs, take 51 psi. The were ~$100 each. Sumitomos were the cheapest.

Wheels were interesting. I was unable to get the wheel weight for my OEM wheels from Honda (strange), so I won't know if I did better until I take them off and weigh them. I stuck with 15" because there are a number of offerings in the 10lb range (Motegi, SRR, OZ, Kosei). Go up to 16" or 17" and you run the risk of maybe getting a heavier setup (wheels and tires weigh more). Also the cost of lightweight 17" rims go WAY up compared to 15" (expect to pay 100 more per wheel). I'd speculate you'd struggle to find a 17" setup that was weight equivalent to what you have. The web sites are good (TireRack and 1010Tires). I also looked in racing magazines and found other manufacturers to consider.

In the end I bought Kosei K-1 TS 15" rims (10.8 lbs, verified on a scale - BTW TireRack incorrectly reports the weight of these at 12.6 lbs, so I'd rely on multiple sources of weights if you can. Kosei site lists them at 4.9kg (10.78 lbs)).