Replaced Wheels/Spare Tire

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 2003 Protege5 on CL. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't do a whole lot of checking before I bought -- I drove it, and looked around (in the dark) to make sure, like, the headlights worked. I liked that it was manual, that it had a sunroof, and that it was a hatchback, and that plus a good price was enough for me.

Anyway, the guy was kind of a gearhead and did his own modifications on the car, a fact which I didn't really realize at first. The mechanic I took it to after buying said that the car was lowered and that it has new wheels. Because I'm so ignorant about cars and which mods are good/bad/etc., I would rather have had an un-modded car, but whatever. Besides a worn engine mount the car seems fine for now.

On to the question-- I have the factory spare in the trunk, and some kind of fancy 19 inch wheels on the car (Konig -- I'm almost sure the whole wheels, not just the caps, on which I can see the logo). Will the donut built for the original wheels (which were 16 inch, right?) work for the modified ones? And are there donuts for bigger wheels or would I have to just buy a full sized tire?

And also, separately, is there anything I need to know about having bigger wheels, and having a modified suspension, good or bad? The guy said the brand/type of suspension was something-something (sounded japanese?) blue.

Thanks in advance!

Im not really clear on the question you are asking... car has 19" wheels you say. are you asking if the tires would fit stock wheels, or stock tire size fits the 19's? cause no. you would need the correct size.. its weirdly worded.
you prob not gonna want to have 19s on this car for long periods if you daily drive it. most people think 18s are about the limit with 17 being the overwhelming favorite.
you prob have tokiko blue suspension which isn't bad. comes stock on an msp.

post pics.

"car has 19" wheels you say. are you asking if the tires would fit stock wheels, or stock tire size fits the 19's? cause no. you would need the correct size.. its weirdly worded.
you prob not gonna want to have 19s on this car for long periods if you daily drive it. most people think 18s are about the limit with 17 being the overwhelming favorite. "

Thanks...I'm sure it's weirdly worded, because I really don't know what I'm talking about! I don't even know the simplest things: yes, I WAS asking whether a stock spare would fit these new tires. I guess the answer is obvious now that I think about it -- the size refers to the diameter, right? Which means of course the smaller ones won't fit the bigger wheels.

I don't really daily drive. More, 2-3 times a week (I walk/bike/take bus to work, this is really for errands, trips to the beach, etc.). Would you mind saying why wheels larger than 17/18 shouldn't be driven on?

Thanks again.

Ok I just saw you said post pics. I will shortly. Thanks

lckoc said:

"car has 19" wheels you say. are you asking if the tires would fit stock wheels, or stock tire size fits the 19's? cause no. you would need the correct size.. its weirdly worded.
you prob not gonna want to have 19s on this car for long periods if you daily drive it. most people think 18s are about the limit with 17 being the overwhelming favorite. "

Thanks...I'm sure it's weirdly worded, because I really don't know what I'm talking about! I don't even know the simplest things: yes, I WAS asking whether a stock spare would fit these new tires. I guess the answer is obvious now that I think about it -- the size refers to the diameter, right? Which means of course the smaller ones won't fit the bigger wheels.

I don't really daily drive. More, 2-3 times a week (I walk/bike/take bus to work, this is really for errands, trips to the beach, etc.). Would you mind saying why wheels larger than 17/18 shouldn't be driven on?

Thanks again.

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hey dude no need to be ashamed, everyones a n00b at something before they're writin the books on how its done, otherwise what progress could you make without ever starting.atleast you're wise enough to ask the 'dumb' questions to figure s*** out rather then tool yourself into a corner being a dumbass.haha

so im trying to figure out if you mean the spare tire/dummy tire that youd use to replace a flat/damaged wheel from the trunk like emergency style spare. If so then i would assume the stock 14 or 15 inch pizza cutter could cause a definate balance issue with 2inch larger rims, even if they are on ultra low profile tires you are right with the outside diameter most likely being different from the stock 17inch four corners. However it wouldnt be crazy to atleast try it out before writing it off. Weather youre on stock rims, steelies, or donka 28s you want to make sure that little spare mini-wheel goes on the rear. Even if you need to replace one of the two front DRIVE wheels, youll have to double swap by putting the spare on back wheel and moving the good wheel(same outside diameter as other drive wheel) to the front. Its a pain but it prevents any damage to the differential. Even if its a car not equipped with a limited slip diff its safer and smarter to do the same. Two different diamteres will cause steering and tracking issues, especially when applying power to the wheels. As they spin at different ratios it simulates a loss of traction forcing the differential to go into non-stop overtime burning it out and costing money.
That being said itll still be damaging if it causes too much difference on the rear just due to twisting and teetering possibly when corner(rollin california for the lowrider). Id say do a test fit of the spare on the back axel just to familiarize yourself with the process under youre control. One practice run on a nice day somewhere flat and quiet without cars whizzing past, bad weather, darkness, or whatever can save you the hassle of learning in the fly under stress. Then once its fitted and you've TORQUED your lug nuts on take it for a low speed drive around a parking lot and kinda mess around with turning and acceleration/deceleration to see if its severely unbalanced(lookup/learn/google torque specs for every car you change a wheel or take a lug nut off of, torque once on tightening. Then again after youre first drive over say 5-10 minutes, then just cuz you prolly like to play it safe one more time after 50-100miles.you dont wanna hear that high pitched metal failure sound as your lug nuts fly off and studs break and s*** ***** up!!)
If you arent sure post pics/vids and post em up and ask what some more experienced eyes see. Its kinda common sense too once its on even a nOob will know if its a retarded difference.hell take a pic of the spare next to your ballin rims it could make this alot clearer. Im sure theres some magic number you shouldnt go beyond in size difference for the spare, but **** that. The spare should only really make one drive anyways, at low speed either home or to the shop thats replacing the busted rim/tire.

now in regards to why most dont go beyond 18, and more stick to 17s. Its ride quality. Ask a few of my vertibrae how much fun rollin a stiff suspension on no cushiony rubber sidewall over potholes, speedbumps, elevation changes, cracks, toothpicks and never ending construction zones is. To boot theres comes some issues with clearance in the wheel well when lowered, cost of rubber(which tends need more replacing when wheels get damaged again no cushion/buffer). It looks sick as all hell, especially with the right suspension, but on a daily driver its a pain in the ass(figuratively and literally). If its not your primary transport, your meal ticket(work and getting there) or something you live out of between sleeps then i say keep looking dope if it doesnt set you back. Especially cruisin them beaches.

YES that's what i mean -- the emergency spare -- and that's what i was wondering about the balance issue. i will try it out for sure and thank you so much for the tip about the back wheel; it's definitely worth it to take the time to save the differential (which i will now google!).

i live in orange county, which is really densely populated, so i will only very rarely be more than 5 miles away from a mechanic.

and what you *really* are giving me relief about is the reason for having smaller wheels. it sounds like it's not something i'll need to worry about much (though that's a pain about the rubber wearing out quicker). but one last thing -- is the clearance issue a safety thing? or something that could total the car?

i haven't been home since i posted so i can't take a picture yet, but i will and if you feel like looking then, let me know if this all still applies.

anyway, thanks for being so welcoming. as a female i'm, like, culturally conditioned to be afraid of mechanical car stuff, and also of asking groups of knowledgeable guys about it. but you're right, how else am i supposed to learn?

Im kinda in the same boat. Bought a car a few months ago, and it had 18" rims on it with the low profile tires. I can feel EVERY bump in the road. I commute 40 miles a day 5-6days/week. I really need some stock rims/tires. My car was also lowered a little bit. Im working on getting that back to stock as well, I like dirt roads and stuff like that, lowered cars dont tend to like dirt roads as much...