Wheel choices, I know, I know! I did search and read but mind blown!!

[Pete McCue]

Ok, can someone please give me the low down on wheel sizing please.
I'm picking up that changing from 15" to 16" will be detrimental to the car's handling, but why?
If the 16" wheels are fitted with 45 profile tyres then the rolling circumference is about the same so if tyre widths are not changed why would that change the handling?
Also, offset? Searching for, supposedly, suitable wheels I'm getting various offsets coming up.
The standard 15" wheels do look a wee bit puny so toying with the idea of going with 16's but not if it's going to mess the car up. Cheers.
I should add that the car is just for normal road use.

[Carolyn]

For the best ride and handling the OEM set up is hard to beat.  Everyone I know who's gone with larger wheels likes the look but also thinks the ride and handling are best with stock sizes.  One of our members ( @Ardent ) has even gone down to 15s on the rear of a Facelift car and loves the result, and he's got a lovely TTE turbo car.

Plus the OEM wheels are very hard to beat for weight.

[Gaz mr-s]

"I'm picking up that changing from 15" to 16" will be detrimental to the car's handling, but why?"

That's not something I've read before.
As Carolyn says, the O/E wheels are light, especially 15's.  The 16" rears are a fair bit heavier.  If you want to know wheel weights google it.....Spyderchat is the likliest source.

I buy aftermarket because the o/e are just too plain for my taste......

You'll get best results if you have deep pockets.  Forged wheels are generally lightest.  Enkei RPF1 will cost over £1k.

Japan Racing (Polish company....lol)  replicas around half, - but they are heavier than stock, but lighter than a set of Rota I have, for instance.

A fair number of aftermarket wheels start at 7J width.  A 185 tyre on a 7J doesn't look good (IMO) & is vulnerable to kerbing. Next tyre size up is a 195/50,  & they work fine.  I have read that a 205 on the front doesn't have 'feel'.

Standard offset is 45. With a sensible-width tyre like 195 the wheel offset can go to 38 without problem, I believe.
There are lots of wheels made within the 45-38 range.

[Ardent]

@Pete McCue

For a moment I thought you were going to suggest 17s. Phew!

Just for clarity, same hymn sheet etc.
Mr. T only went 16s on the rear not all round.

I think Mr T got it right first time with the 15s all round. Feels friskier to me. But the 15/16 oem setup was also fine. The same but different.

Either way, stock in either flavour is hard to beat without many (£) wine tokens.

Edit. If the Enkei RPF1 came in oem sizes (widths) I would be tempted. (£) But they don't.

[Pete McCue]

Stock it is. 👍

[Alex Knight]

I did a LOT of research when it came to replacing the OEM wheels for me.

I wanted to stick with 15" wheels due to much better tyre availability and keeping the unsprung mass down.

I wanted a slightly more filling offset for the arches, so I went with ET35 (as opposed to ET45 stock).

I also knew that I would be using 195/50/R15 front and 205/50/R15 rear tyres (again, due to good availability and choice), and the most appropriate wheel width for that is a 7J.

So I ended up with 7J, ET35 15" wheels.

Everything I've listed above I think are things to consider when choosing new wheels.

I think it's the perfect fitment for these cars:

[tets]

I went 7x15's with ET28 and 205/50 F and 225/45 R
Brilliant on track but probably wouldn't want to drive it too far on the road (I do have quite a bit of negative camber aswell)
Standard PFL size Rainsports on stock wheels for the wet stuff

[Pete McCue]

Right, so I'm thinking that I might get the standard wheels refurbed, (although they are in really great nick), and finished in satin black or gunmetal. I also have a really good set of Ronal 5 spoke wheels due to be delivered today that came with the car, all standard size, so I'll fit them first and see which I prefer. Either way they will finish up satin black or gunmetal.

[Beachbum957]

OK, here is a slightly different view.  I agree, Toyota got the OEM sizes about right with the PFL 15" wheels and tires and they are a good compromise. The OEM wheels are fairly light, and tire selection is still decent. One issue with the OEM sizes is the 185/55 front.  The original Bridgestones were rather wide for a 185, and some available options still are, but some brands are very narrow in that size.  A common option already mentioned is 195/50-R15.  Here in the US, options for the FL rear in 215/45-16 are pretty much non-existent and many owners have gone back to 15" rear.

Quite some time ago, we went to 16" wheels.  At the time the tire selection was pretty good and we ended with 195/45-16 front and now a 205/45-16 rear in Yokohama Fleva, which has about the same OD as OEM and about the same width. Originally, we used OEM 16x7 rear wheels on the front of a 2003 FL car, but have switched to light Enkei wheels in 16x7 43 offset that are actually lighter than OEM 15".  We didn't see much change, if any, in ride but initial turn in was improved, most likely from the wider wheels and slightly lower tire profile.

The biggest differences we observed were not in tire size, but in tire brand and construction.  Wheel weight made a difference as well, as the OEM 16" rear wheels are a bit heavier than the 15".   Some aftermarket wheels in 16" and especially 17" are much heavier than OEM. 

[Ardent]

Right, so I'm thinking that I might get the standard wheels refurbed, (although they are in really great nick), and finished in satin black or gunmetal. I also have a really good set of Ronal 5 spoke wheels due to be delivered today that came with the car, all standard size, so I'll fit them first and see which I prefer. Either way they will finish up satin black or gunmetal.

Curiosity etc. Would you mind weighing the ronals.

[Pete McCue]

Curiosity etc. Would you mind weighing the ronals.

Will do. They are certainly chunkier.
They should be here soon.

[Ardent]

@Pete McCue
Just spotted your signature.

Your just showing off now.

[Pete McCue]

@Pete McCue
Just spotted your signature.

Your just showing off now.

  Yes, short, bald and 60 years old, probably not Toyotas original target demographic!

[Pete McCue]

Curiosity etc. Would you mind weighing the ronals.

The Ronals are 15x6 & 15x7 in this style:

The 15x7 with a 205mm TOYO tyre weighs 17kg

[SuperArt]

Some TTE optional wheels came recommended in 16" all round albeit with staggered tyre widths.

I'm running 16" all round and honestly don't prefer this to the original FL sizes.
In fact I have to try very hard to convince myself it's not simply worse than stock FL.

[Ardent]

The Ronals are 15x6 & 15x7 in this style:

The 15x7 with a 205mm TOYO tyre weighs 17kg

Thank you.

[McMr2]

Some TTE optional wheels came recommended in 16" all round albeit with staggered tyre widths.

I'm running 16" all round and honestly don't prefer this to the original FL sizes.
In fact I have to try very hard to convince myself it's not simply worse than stock FL.

Same here. I'm running 16*7 all round with et30. Like the looks and you can reeeeally lean on the front end but the car tramlines and pulls along every rut or join.

The stock wheels just work, almost like these Toyota people knew what they were doing...

[Craigjm]

Gonna hijack here. I am thinking of colouring my stock wheels but I wouldnt want to then use the chrome centre cap. Is there any other option of case of just getting them wrapped?

[Iain]

Gonna hijack here. I am thinking of colouring my stock wheels but I wouldnt want to then use the chrome centre cap. Is there any other option of case of just getting them wrapped?

Paint the centre cap aswell. Just rub it down and prime an paint.

[Craigjm]

On a facelift car the standard wheels are 16x7 at the rear, how wide are the 15s at the front?

[Gaz mr-s]

6"  for both versions.

[Craigjm]

Thought so. I'm looking at some Japan racing 29 and thinking would probably have to go 7 on the front as they don't do a 6 and 8 on the rear.

Offset is 45 and PCD 4x100 right?

[Gaz mr-s]

It's very difficult to get a 6 or 6.5j wheel for the car.   In my opinion it needs a 195 tyre.  A 185 on a 7" doesn't look good & there's no tyre rim protection.

4x100 & o/e offset is 45, but to fill the wheelarch you can go to a lower number.  38 gets talked about, but I think that's the minimum if fitting wider. 

..........just had a look 28 offset for 15" - might be iffy.  16" 40mm

[Craigjm]

I had 195 50 tyres on the front of my last one so I could fit Michelin pilot sport tyres all round so would probably stick with that

[Gaz mr-s]

Yes.   The pilot sport is a really old tyre. When I was picking my tyres from tyre tests it was beaten.  Last I looked it was also still prrretty expensive.