advice chrome rims and size for 03 solara

[knightbird123]

I want to get bigger rims in chrome, for style not performance, but I dont want to lose the smooth ride feeling that I currently get with my stock 15 inch rims. How does the 03 solara feel with 17 or 18 inch rims when driving?

Also which chrome wheels do u think would look good on the solara, post any size chrome rim that u think looks nice on a solara.

If I get bigger rims must I upgrade anything, like springs or.....

[Mole]

17 will be the better route. where do you live?

[M_ABILLONES]

I will be upgrading my solara wheels soon with a set of stern st1 wheels...19s in the back 18s in the front...I expect the ride to be stiffer than stock since I'm upgrading the suspension too...but stiff is good...prevents your ride from being to mushy!

[BlKSo|aRa]

i got 17s with low profile tire n its kind of rough.

[EMBSikorsky]

I own a 2002, and when I had my Gen 2 17" rims (with decent Toyo tires, I think they were all-season) I was really shocked by how rough the ride was compared to stock.

That being said, I did really like the much sportier look a 17-inch, five-spoke rim lent the car - even the stock rims off of a 2006 Solara, which are styled fairly conservatively. If the 17" rims weren't in need of new tires, and I didn't still have my 15" stockies laying around with brand new tires already on them, I'd probably still be riding on those 17s today, even with the rougher ride. The bigger, sportier rims really made such a huge difference in the curb appeal of the vehicle.

We get spoiled riding on 15 inch rims because there's simply a lot of air and rubber between you and all those bumps in the road. The qualities of the standard 15-inchers really complement our softly sprung suspension, and I don't expect you would have much luck preserving your ride quality when upsizing beyond 16 inches.

If you go into the upgrade with an open mind and listen to the advice and experiences of some of the other guys on this great forum, you should be able to reach a decision that meets your needs - but if a comfortable ride is high on your list of priorities, and my observations are valid, I can't recommend upsizing past 17 inches at most.

Best of luck!

[Chinky420]

^^ x2

17" is probably the upper end limit of what you can put on w/o losing ride quality. anything after that and your kidneys will be feeling it.

right now i just bought some 18x7.5" +42, and they're supposed to fit. check out http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?t=36986 for a listing of what people have on their rides.

i found that it's hard to go w/ a bigger rim than 18x7.5 +42, without rolling your fenders. do you plan on upgrading your suspension along with the rims, or are you just doing the wheels?

hope this helps

[xan16]

Comfortable ride aside, you said anything past 18x7.5 would generally involve rolling or shaving fenders, what if you were on stock suspension? Would that still be an issue. I am having a similar dilemma and thinking of going with 18x8.5.

[Chinky420]

^^ i don't know with stock suspension. it looks like it could be an issue, but it depends on the offset of the rims. when i was searching for sizes for me, i was looking in terms of the tein/tokico suspension setup.

check the link i posted above, and if it's not there, maybe PM someone in that thread with specific questions (i think there were a couple ppl that did aftermarket rims with their stock suspension).

that's all i can think of