16 vs 17 inch wheel replacement - Help, please!

[SusieQ]

Hey there ~

I have a 2003 PT 2.4 L turbo which came with 17 inch wheels. Have had major problems maintaining tire pressure, apparently due to corrosion of the alloy wheels, and have also recently picked up a rip in one of the tires.

The cost of the replacement wheels and tires is more than I want to spend, so would like to change to 16 inch wheels and new tires. Can anyone confirm if 16 inch wheels will fit over the brake calipers? If so can you give me a specific wheel model/dimensions that I can pass on to my mechanic?

I live in Massachusetts so I'm looking for wheels that can stand up to bad weather and tires that will be reliable through the winter months. They don't have to be "high performance"... just safe and reliable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

-SusieQ

[notadodge]

I got a great looking inexpensive set at sears they were ssc wheels the whole set was $360 they are powder coated so they will not corode like the factory ones.. If you have conditions that promote corosion try to avoid the chrome plated rims like the factory rims I had the same problems with mine

You can also cure the leaky rims with bead sealer it is a black glue that the tire shop puts on the bead of the rim and it seals the coroded rim or sell them on ebay just be honest about the corosion so you dont screw somebody but you will still do prety well selling them since they are still in demand.

as for the 16 or 17 they should fit either since the gt uses the same brakes as the touring

[CREWZIN]

Originally Posted by notadodge

as for the 16 or 17 they should fit either since the gt uses the same brakes as the touring

notadodge, are you positive about that? I've read on numerous posts that the GT has larger calipers than all the other models and therefore anyone (myself included) can upgrade to the 17 inch GT wheels but the GT can't go down in size without having the proper offset on the smaller size to clear the calipers. Sorry, don't know off hand what exact offset is needed.

[Teekypt]

Originally Posted by SusieQ

Hey there ~

I have a 2003 PT 2.4 L turbo which came with 17 inch wheels. Have had major problems maintaining tire pressure, apparently due to corrosion of the alloy wheels, and have also recently picked up a rip in one of the tires.

The cost of the replacement wheels and tires is more than I want to spend, so would like to change to 16 inch wheels and new tires. Can anyone confirm if 16 inch wheels will fit over the brake calipers? If so can you give me a specific wheel model/dimensions that I can pass on to my mechanic?

I live in Massachusetts so I'm looking for wheels that can stand up to bad weather and tires that will be reliable through the winter months. They don't have to be "high performance"... just safe and reliable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

-SusieQ

Susie,

I also have the alloys...but not corrosive probs...how is this affecting your tires again?

[Heavy]

Originally Posted by SusieQ

Hey there ~

I have a 2003 PT 2.4 L turbo which came with 17 inch wheels. Have had major problems maintaining tire pressure, apparently due to corrosion of the alloy wheels, and have also recently picked up a rip in one of the tires.

The cost of the replacement wheels and tires is more than I want to spend, so would like to change to 16 inch wheels and new tires. Can anyone confirm if 16 inch wheels will fit over the brake calipers? If so can you give me a specific wheel model/dimensions that I can pass on to my mechanic?

I live in Massachusetts so I'm looking for wheels that can stand up to bad weather and tires that will be reliable through the winter months. They don't have to be "high performance"... just safe and reliable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

-SusieQ

I can understand corrosion on the surface being a cosmetic issue, but if your wheels are corroding to the point that you are losing the seal and leaking air, you definitely want to get them off. I wouldn't even feel right about selling them if they were that bad. Are you sure there is corrosion under the seal, and not just on the surface of the rim?

As for using bead seal compound, I found that stuff to be a rip-off that crappy tire shops use to charge extra money when they are really too lazy to mount the tire properly. A good tire shop will clean the inside of the rim properly until it is clean and smooth in order to get a air-tight seal. Bead seal "tar" is sold as an "extra" when it isn't needed when the rim is cleaned properly.

[quicksilverdon]

Welcome, Susie.
You do have to worry about the brake clearance.
Tire Rack, for example, knows this - go to "winter tire packages" - select 16" or 15" for a GT, otherwise, they just show you 17" wheels.
The stock 15" steel wheels will fit on a GT.
The smaller wheels are cheaper, smaller tires are cheaper, and more rubber between rim and road - but handling is poorer.

[notadodge]

About the crack about the reputable shop I did the work my self and how reputable is the shop that cannot fix the leak and is trying to sell her new rims

unless you have personally taken apart a chrome plated rim you havent seen the damage that is caused by corosion. It isnt somthing that can be easily cleaned off.

as for the bead sealer I personally scrubbed the beads with a wire brush on a grinder and they still leaked there is no way you can make a smooth surface on the rim when the corosion gets bad because the chrome starts to peel and the more you buff the more chrome comes off then you have to worry if you get too close to the out side of the rim and make it look like crap and possibly ruining the rim

I guess in my opinion the black tar is the lesser of the two evils also check the seal by the valve stem to the rim I have had it leak there too

Not everybody can afford new rims for there car it was only a suggestion to help her get by I personally kept my chrome rims for my winter tires and use the aftermarket ones for summer tires.

sears .com also lists a 16x7 wheel for a 2004 turbo gt so i would think they would fit...

[Mean Green]

Originally Posted by CREWZIN

notadodge, are you positive about that? I've read on numerous posts that the GT has larger calipers than all the other models and therefore anyone (myself included) can upgrade to the 17 inch GT wheels but the GT can't go down in size without having the proper offset on the smaller size to clear the calipers. Sorry, don't know off hand what exact offset is needed.

35 mm offset

[Heavy]

notadodge, I don't mean to offend you or your work, but I was using my own personal experience when I posted regarding the bead seal. In your specific case, bead sealant might have enabled you to use the tire on the corroded rims, and there is nothing wrong with that, as you say, it is the lesser of two evils. Personally, I have had wheels/tires with "bead seal" applied to them by a tire shop leak constantly and have had the leak go away permanently with a proper "cleaned" wheel mount(this was also on alloy wheels, with no chrome surface).

The key with this specific wheel may well be what you pointed out, and that is the difficulty in getting a proper smooth surface when the chrome is uneven. A little searching has revealed that a lot of original equipment wheels were replaced on warantee for problems like this, and as you also noted, the valve stems came up often as a weak point.

I can't speak for SuzieQ's tire shop, but if the wheel polishing/cleaning is as ugly a problem as you say yours was, notadodge, I would imagine they would be reluctant to rely on bead sealant to guarantee their work. If there is a concern that they are trying to just make a wheel sale, she should try another store. I would also suggest that she shop around someplace online like tirerack and they will set her up with the correct sizing/offset. I recently looked up a winter wheel set for my GT and they were pretty reasonably priced, and they offered fitments down to 15 inches for the GT.

Edit for additional info: Leaky wheels?<br>Something I did <i>not</i> think of... -- a think piece on the auto industry, its products, and/or this website.

Possible cheap fixes: from Edmunds.com

YOUR WHEELS ARE CAUSING THIS [LEAKING PROBLEM]...OURS DO THE SAME THING. DISCOUNT TIRES SAND THEM AND SPRAY CLEAR EPOXY ON THE EDGES..IT WILL FIX THEM FOREVER.

this one is for you, notadodge!

I've had to deal with the air leak on my wife's 03 GT Cruiser with chrome wheels. NTB ended up sanding the rim bead area and adding a sealer along the bead. This solved the problem for three of the wheels.

The other one was so bad from the chrome flaking off the wheel had to be replaced.

Sounds like some wheels can be salvaged.

[raytoombs]

I have a 2004 GT Turbo and also had the problems with the wheels corroding and leaking. I also went to Tirerack.com, looked up their winter package and after putting my car specs in, was able to choose, 15, 16, 17 or 18 wheels. I went to my local tire place and showed them tireracks pricing and my selection. They actually beat the price by about $50. I drive my car daily in my work, so did not need the harsh ride and do not drive over 100+ so don't need that also. I chose to go to General 195/65/15's and am very happy with them. They are smooth, handle nice and quiet. Also the 205/50/17's were not covered under warranty and cost $130+ each, the new ones are warranteed for 55,000 miles and are aboutd $70 each.

I have the old ones 17 inch chrome over alloys and Goodyear F! all season tires for someone with the best offer.

Cruzin is right, the brakes are bigger on the GT, mine clear the brakes fine, I think my wheels (HPD TA) hae a .40 offset. Your tire place should be able to figure which one you need. If they put the wrong ones on it will not fit.

As I said I am very happy with my choice.