Expensive light Rims+Expensive light Tires or Suspension+Cheaper Rims+Cheaper Tires?

[Toyobaru808]

What kind of negative effects can i expect to have if my wheel and tire weight is 44lbs?

Would i even notice it in daily driving and spirited runs?

[MmmHamSandwich]

Depends on what you want out of the car. If you are truly after performance, such as wanting to be competitive at an autocross (whether this is a good car to be competitive is another question...) it's tires, tires, tires. Everything comes down to what your car is using to connect to the road. Braking, acceleration, stability, feedback, heatsoak, and lateral grip will all be positively impacted.

That said, good tires can be expensive and depending on your suspension settings can be gone in very little time. My old Si never got more than 12k miles out of any set of tires. Oh my god did that thing hang on but looking back oh my god did I sink a lot of money in tires. Is grip fun, yeah it sure can be! Especially in a FF car.

In this car though going with a high grip tire setup can start to take away from its character. Sure you'll pull a lot of lateral G's but unless you go with bigger power, going with significantly fatter and stickier tires may not make things as enjoyable.

My personal advice would be to save money by sticking with the 16 configuration or maybe going to 215/45-17 (this size tends to be good value, going up to 18's will increase the price drastically for many models) and get some well rated tires whether you want all seasons or summers. Unless you are in serious regional competition suspension is not going to help you much. Tires always will though.

On the other hand if you want a really sharp looking car and want a small drop and slick wheels while rolling on more economical tires, by all means go for it. You'll still have a blast and will look good doing it.

When shaving seconds actually matters though, tires first. Always.

As far as the OZ wheels, personally I go meh. They don't have the baller status of lots of other brands but are priced like they do. I shy away from expensive wheels, especially on a car like this and especially if it is daily driven. OZ seem like a poor value.

[makesdrivingfunagain]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

To get the most performance for the least amount of money: sticky tires + stock wheels (reuse)

If you can afford them, add quality coilovers to the list.

Agree. Well said! It almost seems to good to be true, however, it can be that simple...