Anyone have any pics of their with Element with 17 inch rims on it?

I'm somewhat interested in seeing what it looks like, how it affects ride quality and any affect to off road capability.


Thanks!

Me too. Not interested in 20" bling-bling rims and actually think 18's will really affect ride quality, but going "one-up" with 17's might be a nice compromise between function and style.

Baldy,

Well said!

how about www.tirerack.com ?!?! they have lots of wheels and none are 20s or anything that big

[quote:4b24302037=" "]how about www.tirerack.com ?!?! they have lots of wheels and none are 20s or anything that big[/quote:4b24302037]

Been lookin', been lookin'. I went from 16's to 17's on a previous vehicle, but that was with 50 to 45 series tires...which though kind of harsh, fit the ride. Don't want to give up that much of the comfort factor wth the E.

http://publish.hometown.aol.com/mh2ke/images/rear%20view.jpg

Buying from Tire Rack was a great experience. Nice wheels, good price, mounted and balanced...just bolt 'em on. Will probably go back for a package for the Element.

Is there room to just put a bigger tire in? I've seen a lot of custom wheels on E's and it seems like quite a few of them end up with a larger outside diameter, and the wheel wells seem to be able to handle it (have to get the speedometer recalibrated though). That way you can get the 17s without losing the cushy ride.

Might also be worth noting that lower sidewlls, though less compliant, will actually improve cornering. All a tradeoff...

Since I can't afford to do anything at the moment, I'd pretty much forgotten about the wheel/tire upgrade for mine, but do recall when I was thinking about it that 17's seemed like a nice "in-between" thing to do with an Element. The wheels are much lower priced than 18's, but I suspect the tire selection may be a little more limited. Still, with a slightly taller sidewall and the increase in wheel diameter, the resulting look could be kinda nice. I'm hoping so. (For that magical day in the future when I can just do it.) And, yeah, I've also been totally happy with any dealings I've had with TireRack in the past!

I found a painted E on CarDomain that has 17" rims

Thought I would follow up.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/554880

I like the look of those 17"s, but had to laugh. The owner thinks the tires look "too big" when I think he really meant to say "tall" or "high-profile". I actually think the taller sidewall looks fine. A lower sidewall with the 17"s would leave entirely too much empty wheelwell showing. To have the low profile tire look requires going up to 18"s or even more.

I also find the "air" space on the 17"s far more proportionate to the size of the brake disk viewed through the wheels. The disks look kinda puny seen through an 18* wheel with the same amount of "air" between the spokes.

Just my take - I don't require agreement. :wink:

Paying to go 17's is pretty pointless IMO. "off road ability"??? The E doesn't have any, lol. Dirt roads are not "off road". The price point between 17's and 18's is minimal, the ride quality trade off is also minimal, but the handling is huge. GO 18's+ or don't go at all.

Personally i prefer the look of 17's over 18's. Just my opinion but i dont like the look of too short of a sidewall on a truck.

As for "GO 18's+ or don't go at all" thats your opinion and are certainly intitled to it.

I put 17's on mine. I does little difference to ride quality. I have no pics at this point, but it looks sharp. Off road? I wouldn't dare take it off road with those on there, so I can swap them out with the stock tires and wheels on the lift at my shop. No fuss, no muss

I used 18X8's with 245/55 ZR 18's (not that any element needs a Z rated tire, but what the heck thats how it came) and this size has a good sized side wall and fills out the wheel well nicely. Also ride quality is very good. It does "track" a little bit but any tire that wide will do that.
http://www.oklahoma.net/~shintze/element/e20.JPG
Steve

hey steve,
have you done any suspension mods? I like your rim/tire combo, and painted panels, hopefully that setup will look just as good on silver.

Suspension. Well I planned to lower the car, but I have been getting a lot of conflicting information about what is necessary to lower the car and then to restore the alignment to true.

After the installation of the new rims and the bit larger side wall tires, I have decided that I like the car withs current stance. It rides well and now that I have had the tires re-balanced, it rolls true too.

:D

Just spotted these pics at cardomain.com: E with 17s

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/554000-554999/554880_25_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/554000-554999/554880_22_full.jpg

More pics here (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/554880)

How does all of that effect the turning radius? Have you noticed it get any bigger :?: I love the look! I do want to get into a great set of rims and tires but wanted a little feedback on the turning radius and braking effects. Like does the abs still function....stuff like that.

Thanks
:)
Michael