[Boltar]

A little frustrated with the lack of wheel options STILL as I'm a wheel and tire guy. Very few companies make 18x6.5 except Hyundai, who use a different bolt pattern (adapters are available, but then that would push the wheel out further anyway).

Using an 18x8 wheel with a 40 or greater offset would push it out about .75"+the offset difference from stock, not sure if this would look strange or stocky. Not looking for ghetto. Anyone done it yet? Do we really only have two guys who've changed out their wheels so far? (The second I just became aware of today).

 

[EldRick]

Tire Rack is supposed to be due to release their wheel offerings for the Bolt sometime in April.

 

[DaV8or]

Tire Rack is supposed to be due to release their wheel offerings for the Bolt sometime in April.

Good. It's April. I'm ready. I'd like different wheels, but I have no interest in experimenting.

 

[EldRick]

Likewise. I'll buy a set of wider summer wheels and use the OEM for winter tires.

 

[Boltar]

Likewise. I'll buy a set of wider summer wheels and use the OEM for winter tires.

That's what I'm thinking too, but they've done a decent job of not tucking the wheels in too much, which means a 1.5" wider wheel (8") will stick out another .75" + any additional offset width. Not sure how that will look, and there really aren't that many 18 x 7.5" or narrower wheels out there. How are those Raptors doing? They're heavy, but may do the trick until the wheel selections come around.

 

[Boltar]

That's what I'm thinking too, but they've done a decent job of not tucking the wheels in too much, which means a 1.5" wider wheel (8") will stick out another .75" + any additional offset width. Not sure how that will look, and there really aren't that many 18 x 7.5" or narrower wheels out there. How are those Raptors doing? They're heavy, but may do the trick until the wheel selections come around.

 

[Bolt]

The Buick Encore wheels are 18s.
Also, some Chevy Cruze have 18s

 

[Boltar]

The Buick Encore wheels are 18s.
Also, some Chevy Cruze have 18s

I've been looking at those for a while, there are many to be had around the internet. Trouble is, while the Encore wheels look decent, they're pretty heavy, as are the Cruze 18s, and while they have a certain OEM appeal, they're not the look I was going for. I've been trying to search for other wheels that would fit those makes. I think many would probably fit, but the question is, how far would they stick out, and would it look studly or ghetto? : )

Depends on wheel offset and width, of course. Haven't seen any pics of 18x8s on the Bolt yet.

May be stuck with some "emergency" use of the stock no seasons so I can get my winter tires off, until a summer wheel is sorted.

 

[kammiz]

Guys, ive thought a lot about this.

Factory wheels are 6,5x17 ET44 with 215/50-17 on them. Ive ordered 8,5x19 ET40with 215/35-19 on them. That means the rims are about an inch more to each side, but 4MM longer out because of ET.

BUT, heres the thing. The tire width is the same. And 215 is about exactly the width of the rims. So the only noticable difference will be that the wheels will sit about half a cm longer out in the wheel arches.
You cant forget about tires when thinking about rims. Tires protude way more than rims on original wheels. Going for wider rims up to the width of the original tires is not a problem.

 

[EldRick]

I was interested in going to a 17x7, perhaps with a 225x45, but for now the Raptor ZRs in 215x50 are working well on stock wheels.
They are pretty impressive street tires for the price. On the Bolt, they basically eliminate wheel-slip on straight-line acceleration, and are quiet, for performance tires. The ride with that setup is BMW-like.
kammiz: The width of an 8.5" wheel is measured across the inside of the rim, not the outside. The net is that 8.5" wheels would stick out past the tire by more than 1/2", look ridiculous, and give poor handling. Have fun.

 

[phil0909]

I was interested in going to a 17x7, perhaps with a 225x45, but for now the Raptor ZRs in 215x50 are working well on stock wheels.
They are pretty impressive street tires for the price. On the Bolt, they basically eliminate wheel-slip on straight-line acceleration, and are quiet, for performance tires. The ride with that setup is BMW-like.

How do the Raptor ZR tires impact your range?

 

[EldRick]

Hard to say, because my range has been around 135 miles, because I'm a naughty boy and use the heater in 50-degree weather.
I can't see why they would cost much range though, aside from the energy I scrub off by going faster through the corners.

 

[phil0909]

Hard to say, because my range has been around 135 miles, because I'm a naughty boy and use the heater in 50-degree weather.
I can't see why they would cost much range though, aside from the energy I scrub off by going faster through the corners.

OK, thanks. I gather regular tires typically reduce fuel economy by 2%-4%, vs LRR tires like the Bolt's Michelins. If so, I'd rather have better performance and lose the little bit of range.

 

[kammiz]

I was interested in going to a 17x7, perhaps with a 225x45, but for now the Raptor ZRs in 215x50 are working well on stock wheels.
They are pretty impressive street tires for the price. On the Bolt, they basically eliminate wheel-slip on straight-line acceleration, and are quiet, for performance tires. The ride with that setup is BMW-like.
kammiz: The width of an 8.5" wheel is measured across the inside of the rim, not the outside. The net is that 8.5" wheels would stick out past the tire by more than 1/2", look ridiculous, and give poor handling. Have fun.

please elaborate on the handling part.

 

[EldRick]

With a much-larger wheel and tire like that, the car will be adversely affected by:

- Additional rotational mass, which will slow acceleration and lengthen braking distances. I'm guessing you will be adding around 3-4 lbs. per corner.

- More unsprung (attached by the suspension) weight, which transmits more jolt to the frame for a lousy ride, and keeps the tires from being in good contact with rough pavement (the springs can't move the heavy wheels fast enough to comply with the bumps), thus reducing cornering adhesion, and making handling on real roads less predictable.

- Less sidewall on the tires, which cannot comply with the road and isolate the car body motion as well, thus also giving less cornering adhesion - it will break loose more abruptly.

For these performance and handling reasons, the desirable strategy in replacing OEM wheels is to go lighter, not heavier.

If you proceed with this, get an appropriately-sized wider tire (Minimum 225 on an 8.5" wheel). It will still have the problems due to increased weight, but at least it won't look silly, and might increase cornering grip slightly.

 

[Bazinga]

So the best route to go would be to get new tires and keep the wheels?

 

[EldRick]

A good low-cost option would be a set of inexpensive sporty summer tires in stock size. I'm using Riken Raptor ZR, and very happy with them - they don't slip on straight-line acceleration.

My current plan is to get nice light 17x7" wheels (which should fit without interference) and stock size tires for summer. That should shave a couple of pounds per corner, and add some lateral grip. Alternate plan for me is a 17x7.5" with 225x45, if I can find really light wheels at a good price. I don't want to spend huge amounts of money on wheels/tires, as it would be wasted on the Bolt - it's not really a sports car.

Because of the poor wheel selection for the Chevy 5x105 lug bolt pattern, I may wind up with lug-centric wheels rather than hub-centric. I'm presently waiting to see what Tire Rack will offer for the Bolt.

 

[Boltar]

I was going to get the Raptors until I found out how much heavier they are than similar tires. Glad they're working well though. They definitely seem to hit that cost/performance ratio hard! Well worth the cost for better performance over the all seasons. In my searching, I've found some 18x8s that are lighter than the stock 17s, so they'd compare favorably with the stock wheel with stock tire or Raptors. Some of the tires are 4-5lb less per tire than the Raptors, for example, so should be a pretty good setup with an 18" wheel that is also lighter than stock. Scrub radius and speedo might be affected slightly, but not enough to make much practical difference. Question remains though, because there's a lot more 18x8s out there than 18x7.5s, and certainly 18x6.5s...still wondering if anyone's fitted an 18" wheel, as I don't want it sticking out much further than stock.

 

[EldRick]

I just took a look at the front wheels on the Bolt, and I doubt you will be able to fit anything wider than a 7" wheel for street use.

There is only about 1/2" between the stock 6" wheel and the shock, so you can't move the wheel inward more than 1/4" or so.

That would mean that an 8" wheel would protrude out 1-3/4" further than the stock wheel, and no way will that clear the wheel arch and fender liner.

 

[DaV8or]

I just took a look at the front wheels on the Bolt, and I doubt you will be able to fit anything wider than a 7" wheel for street use.

There is only about 1/2" between the stock 6" wheel and the shock, so you can't move the wheel inward more than 1/4" or so.

That would mean that an 8" wheel would protrude out 1-3/4" further than the stock wheel, and no way will that clear the wheel arch and fender liner.

So... great big fender flares are in order! :laugh: