Upgrading my Ikon 1.6 to 15" rims... advice?

[ghostrider]

Hi all.
The stock equipment on my 1.6 Ikon is 175/65 R14 Bridgestone S322s, no alloys. I'm planning on upgrading the rims and tyres to alloys, and some nicer (fatter) rubber. What I have in mind is 15" rims, with 195/55 Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber.

Ive spoken to a couple of gurus on this board (Shan2nu), and he says that as long as I'm not driving on badly potholed roads, the lower profile rubber wont be a detriment to the car.
The other option I have is 195/60 on 14" rims, but it just doesnt look as good.

So... my questions....

1. Anybody using this config on their Ikons? If yes, what's your experience?
2. Anyone using Eagle F1s on their rides? What's your experience with tyre noise, grip, tyre endurance and performance?
3. Anyone know for sure whether I can or can't upgrade to 15" rims on the Ikon? (I dont think it should be a problem, especially considering stock wheels are 14")
4. Know anywhere in Mumbai where I can get a good deal on tyres and rims? (my guy is quoting 18K for 5 Bridgestone Potenza GIIIs).

Thanks, all.

[mura]

I had 195/55/15 on my Ikon. Ride not a lot worse when compared with 195/60/14.

Go with Potenza G3's , I had Eagle F1's in my Camry and only Plus is they look good other than that they tramline badly and are noisey.

BTW that was 3 years ago don't know if the F1 has been updated. Try getting a ride with someone who has them fitted, need not be the same car as yous, just for an idea.

[WasavaTyres]

I've fit 15" alloys onto a Ikon last week.The tyres are Maxxis 195/55/R15 MA-Z1. The customer had initially planned 195/50/R15 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 , but had to settle for Maxxis 'coz of price issues. Will try and post pictures here by this evening.

[ghostrider]

Thanks Wasava... so in your experience the 195/55 R15s dont cause any problems to the car?

According to my calculations, the specs change as follows from stock to upsize:

STOCK (175/65 R14)
Overall Diamater (OD): 583mm
Sidewall height: 113.75mm
RIDE HEIGHT: Standard / Stock

UPSIZE (195/55 R15)
New Overall Diamater: 596mm (+13mm from Stock, +2.23%)
New Sidewall height: 107.25mm (-6.5mm from Stock, -5.7%)
New Ride Height: 6mm higher than Stock ride height

Is this going to far, or is this acceptable without:
(a) Damaging the car?
(b) Adversely affecting ride and handling?

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

I've fit 15" alloys onto a Ikon last week.The tyres are Maxxis 195/55/R15 MA-Z1. The customer had initially planned 195/50/R15 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 , but had to settle for Maxxis 'coz of price issues. Will try and post pictures here by this evening.

Thanks Mura.

You're the 2nd person who's told me that the F1s are noisy. The first one was a Bridgestone dealer, so I took what he was saying with a dose of salt... , but I believe you.
Still seems strange though, because normally, 'unidirectional' tyres like the Goodyear Eagle F1s are supposed to be less noisy than 'conventional' tread patterns.
Also seems strange that they would tramline on your Camry? Even when new?

Originally Posted by mura

I had 195/55/15 on my Ikon. Ride not a lot worse when compared with 195/60/14.

Go with Potenza G3's , I had Eagle F1's in my Camry and only Plus is they look good other than that they tramline badly and are noisey.

BTW that was 3 years ago don't know if the F1 has been updated. Try getting a ride with someone who has them fitted, need not be the same car as yous, just for an idea.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Staff : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 15 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[GTO]

Ghostrider, search within the forum for Eagle F1 reviews. There is an unhappy one by me too. This tyre is best avoided.

[iraghava]

Wasava - Did fitting 195/55 require any mods to the arches?? 195/60 R14 does tend to foul with the arches.

[WasavaTyres]

No mods required for this fitment iraghava,will have to wait for customer feedback on real road conditions. There is another Ikon here running 215/40/R17, but it tends to scrape at the rear wheel arches while going over speedbreakers.

[ghostrider]

iraghava thanks for sharing some of your experiences.
215/40 R17 seems really excessive for a car like the Ikon... I think that might be overdoing it.

Did you hear from your Ikon client for whom you fitted the 195/55 R15s? Any feedback or pics?

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

No mods required for this fitment iraghava,will have to wait for customer feedback on real road conditions. There is another Ikon here running 215/40/R17, but it tends to scrape at the rear wheel arches while going over speedbreakers.

[mura]

195/55/15 Fronts no Problem , in the rear with a fully loaded car they sometimes rub the wheel arches when going over big bumps, speedbrakers ect.

[sanju.sreekumar]

A big NO to Goodyear Eagle F1s. I have a friend of mine who uses it on his swift. And believe it is showing sign of wearing off after 25k km. Also, the noise is too much for me to handle atleast.
I have seen one fitted on an Ikon in on the galleries in Team-bhp but dont remember whom it belongs to. You can check it out with owner of that (if you find him)

Cheers
Sanju

[ghostrider]

Thanks Sanju. You've sealed the fate of the Eagle F1s with your post. Now it's either Potenza GIIIs or Michelin Energy XM1s.

Originally Posted by sanju.sreekumar

A big NO to Goodyear Eagle F1s. I have a friend of mine who uses it on his swift. And believe it is showing sign of wearing off after 25k km. Also, the noise is too much for me to handle atleast.
I have seen one fitted on an Ikon in on the galleries in Team-bhp but dont remember whom it belongs to. You can check it out with owner of that (if you find him)

Cheers
Sanju

Thanks Mura. You've made my day with your posts. My car is rarely fully loaded in the back, so I can now get the 195/55 R15s with confidence.

Next step after the new rims and rubber.... K&N Filter (for sure) and Iridium Spark plugs (maybe)!!!

Originally Posted by mura

195/55/15 Fronts no Problem , in the rear with a fully loaded car they sometimes rub the wheel arches when going over big bumps, speedbrakers ect.

[mura]

Potenza G3 is a better tire than the XM1+.

IMHO the Iridium Plugs are not worth the money.If your car has clocked 50k+ km get a set of OE Motorcraft Plugs. They are about 150 rupees a Plug.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by sanju.sreekumar

I have seen one fitted on an Ikon in on the galleries in Team-bhp but dont remember whom it belongs to. You can check it out with owner of that (if you find him)

I believe that would be our member 1100D. Check out his garage.

[Ford Rocam]

Ikon, my earlier car had 195 50 R15, it used to touch rear arches with 2 passenger sitting in rear, front no problem. Alloy Wheel offset will play an important factor w.r.t tyre scraping in rear, do check with your dealer to try out with different offset alloys combination.

[nitrous]

185/55/R15 should be the best size,IMO.