V1 Wheel options (4 lug/non-ss)

[Adam]

Tirerack doesn't make it easy to search for wheels for custom cars. This is understandable because they don't want to deal with customers ending up with improperly sized equipment for their cars. I wanted to make it easier to see the options without jumping through hoops so I made the following spreadsheet. This sheet is only for 4 lug Goblins.

After considering the options, we've decided that the best tire combo to start with is 195/50-15 front and 225/45-16 rear. This is a good combo to match the front to rear weight distribution of the Goblin and puts a lot of rubber on the ground (keep in mind the stock Cobalt weighed twice as much and only had 195 all the way around). When you go turbo or supercharged, 245/45-16 will be the rear tire of choice and you'll need a little bit wider rear wheel.

With these tires sizes in mind, we need wheels that are 15 diameter x 5.5 to 7 inches wide in the front and 16 diameter x 7 to 8.5 in the rear. This is where it gets hard to search on Tirerack. They aren't too keen on different wheel sizes front to rear. So I went through and scraped data from their site for wheels that match our requirements. I've included columns for color, size (for width), weight and cost. You can sort by any of the columns by clicking the arrow that appears when you hover over the letter above each column.

Let me know what you guys think. The sheet might take a moment to load while it gathers the data from Tirerack.

Also, it is probably best to view the sheet on a computer or tablet. It might be too wide to easily view on a phone.

Wheels for F195-15, R225-16

 

[Adam]

There are two other wheel options I did not discuss.

Base model Cobalt steel wheel - The base model Cobalt came with 15 x 6 steel wheels. For an absolute lowest possible budget car, these wheels can work straight off the donor (if they weren't damaged before you got it). We used the steel wheels on prototype 1 and they looked better than expected with the hubcaps installed. We like the earlier model 5 spoke hubcaps more than the later model hubcaps.

Recommended tires for steel wheels: 195/50-15 front and 225/50-15 rear.

Aluminum 4 lug Cobalt Wheel - The 4 lug aluminum wheel that was available on the Cobalt was 16 x 6. It had 5 wide spokes with a machined aluminum face.

Recommended tires for aluminum 4 lug wheels: 195/50-16 front and 225/50-16.

 

[DanPerryy]

I think I am going to use 15's front and back. I would have liked to had a higher ratio final drive - slower top speed quicker acceleration and I don't think that is likely - maybe only option is to use HHR automatic. I decided to get smallest diameter rear tires / wheels. 225 45 R15's for the rear.

 

[Adam]

I think I am going to use 15's front and back. I would have liked to had a higher ratio final drive - slower top speed quicker acceleration and I don't think that is likely - maybe only option is to use HHR automatic. I decided to get smallest diameter rear tires / wheels. 225 45 R15's for the rear.

Make sure the wheel you get for that tire is at least 7 inches wide.

 

[DanPerryy]

I think I am going to use 15's front and back. I would have liked to had a higher ratio final drive - slower top speed quicker acceleration and I don't think that is likely - maybe only option is to use HHR automatic. I decided to get smallest diameter rear tires / wheels. 225 45 R15's for the rear.

Make sure the wheel you get for that tire is at least 7 inches wide.

Yep 7" Wheels - http://www.ebay.com/itm/310901767238?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT - I just need to get the offset right. The color of these matches the red in the SS seat.

 

[Adam]

We replaced the base model wheels and hubcaps on P1 rebuild with Drag DR-31 wheels with gun metal finish. They are 15x6.5 with a 40 offset on all four corners. We are still using the Federal 595 RS-R tires: 195/50-15 front and 205/50-15 rear. When we get new tires for P1 we are going to be replacing the rears with 225/50-15.

 

[BAR-AIR]

Adam,
The new rims look good are you still using 1" (26mm) spacers front and rear? I ended up going with 20 offset in the front and 0 offset in the rear trying to eliminate the need for the spacers.

 

[Adam]

are you still using 1" (26mm) spacers front and rear? I ended up going with 20 offset in the front and 0 offset in the rear trying to eliminate the need for the spacers.

We are still running the spacers on P2 but don't have them on the new P1. Your car will be similar to P2 (wider than P1).

 

[BAR-AIR]

Just to give a quick heads up to everyone in the building process with regards to rims and tires. I just purchased and mounted a set of Rota V rims for my build. I went with 15x7 (20 offset) and 15x8 (0 offset) also went with Kumho tires 195/50 and 225/50's. The rims have a very nice finish and trim they also were well balanced. The problem I was running into was the very limited selection of tires for the 15x8 rim (there are a couple of race only and a couple of DOT approved tires). Ended up going with the Kumho tires (I'm building a street version Goblin). The tires look really good and aggressive but the balance on them was terrible. Just something to look out for. With hind sight being 20/20 I probably would have gone with 16x8 rims in the back. There is just so many more choices with regards to tires.
BAR