Quote:
Originally Posted by Anju  Secondly thanks for Michelin XM1 suggestion and Neo wheel link(Aura link is not working). During next week's long weekend, I plan to visit to understand/feel Neo/aura alloys and tyres.
But I need to know,
Which is the tyre for "optimum rim width" I should choose from Michelin Link and which is the corresponding Neo alloy wheel which suits that tyre ?
Please help, I am confused. |
First you have to fix the tyre size that you want. If you go for 195/60 R14 as suggested here, then you can see from the Michelin website that for this tyre size, the minimum rim width is 5.5 inches (which we denote as 5.5J), the optimal rim width is 6J and the maximum rim width is 7J. I suggest you go for 6J X 14" alloy wheels, meaning they will have the optimal width of 6" suggested by Michelin for this tyre size, and 14" diameter. There are other technical specifications that you have to worry about when choosing aftermarket alloy wheels, namely the wheel offset and the pitch circle diameter (PCD). The offset of the alloy wheels should be close to that of the stock wheel's offset (within 10 mm) and the PCD should match that of the stock wheel. I suggest you read this website carefully to familiarize yourself with these terms:
Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 1 of 2
If you choose 6J alloys, then if you want to go back to the stock size tyres, there is no problem, as you will still have a rim width that is close to optimal.
Make sure that after the alloy wheels are fitted, you check that there is no fouling problem, i.e., the wheels/tyres should not touch the car's wheel arch or anywhere else upon turning the car or driving on rough roads. The correct wheel offset is important in this respect; low offset will make the wheel jut out of the wheel arch and may cause a fouling problem upon turning. Too high an offset means that the wheel will go in too much into the wheel arch and the wheel/tyre may foul with suspension/steering components. Incorrect offset can also cause high speed vibrations in the steering or the wheels, and may cause premature wear of wheel bearings and/or steering/suspension components. All this is explained in the above website.
If you want to be safe, you can go for the alloy wheels recommended by Hyundai, which may be more costly. But then you may not be able to upsize the tyres if these alloys are only 5J width (you need at least 5.5J to go to 195/60 R14 tyres).