Alrighty,
So I swapped out the stock 17" low profile tires, and rims, and man, were they in a bad shape!
Just did a few rides on the interstate, and paint chipped off, scratches everywhere, even dents in them; and of course the famous crack in the rim making it utterly useless.
So I had the option of swapping out the bad one with a $217 second hand rim, or just buy $50 steelies with $50 hankook tires, and $39 tpms system,
So I chose for the latter.
The stock steel reserve tires are lighter in weight than the alloy rims, but the 16" rims we're about the same weight.
I also equipped them with Hankook Ventus V2 205/55R16 tires.
My initial impressions are,
It's a bit harder to start from a dead stop, due to the tires being a bit heavier on the edges, than the alloy rims (who were more center heavy).
The tires also are about 1 inch taller than stock, so I got 1 inch more tire, and 1inch less rim. That's 2 inch more meaty fat tubes on my rims!
I chose for the 205 55 rather than a smaller version, because they were a bit meatier, fatter looking, and were the cheapest ones online.
Didn't buy Chinese.
The Hankook Ventuses are Korean made, and has become a reputable brand now. Steel braided tires, and man, the ride is now so soft and comfy!
No real perceivable MPG loss, perhaps within 1MPG, but nearly all road noise is gone, and the car feels like it's gliding over the road, where as before, I would feel every pebble.
I used 5mm spacers, to bring out the tire a bit more, makes it meaner looking.
On the con side, some people don't like steel rims.
I don't particularly mind, as most cars around here are now alloy, steel rims stand out a bit more.
Aside from acceleration, first gear feels better. No longer hopelessly undergeared, but .. kind of normal. Second gear did lose some pull, even in sports mode.
Third gear... Well... It feels like a normal car. Less peppy.
Fixing that, would work when boosting hp a bit to 225 or 250HP.
So I lose some of the peppyness, but gain more ride quality!
And I just love the black rims under the sunset orange! Much better than the boring silver color.
Plus, less worry about cracking inferior quality rims!