Wheels Make the Car

autotransgression · Post by **autotransgression** » Thu May 21, 2015 3:05 pm

mounted my new 14x7.5 (edit: oops...i meant 15x7.5) Monza wheels (thanks, mark) yesterday. i not only LOVE the look, but it feels like a whole new car. corners where the stock size wheel/tire combination would start squealing and breaking loose are no problem now, plus i can get on the gas a little earlier in the corner.

looking forward to installing the big brake kit and compensator bypass, which have been sitting in the garage, waiting for appropriate wheels.

SunnySideUp · Post by **SunnySideUp** » Thu May 21, 2015 8:28 pm

Congratulations - looks great!

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Thu May 21, 2015 11:14 pm

great choice on color! What tires did you choose?

autotransgression · Post by **autotransgression** » Fri May 22, 2015 2:10 am

thanks, you guys.

on the white car, i kind of wanted the contrast of the gloss black, but they were unfortunately out of stock. so, i went with the gunmetal. i liked the way they looked on the website, but absolutely love them in person.

as for the tires, i (as a web dev) have a minor issue with tirerack. after doing a lot of reading about 205 50/15s, i looked through tirerack.com for extreme performance summer tires, priced low to high. i really liked the dunlop direzza dz102. lots and lots of glowing reviews there and elsewhere, and they were $66 per tire. after i selected four and made the purchase with paypal, i noticed in the confirmation email that the order was 'on stock hold'. huh? i called them up, and apparently they only had one in stock. i was rather annoyed that the dropdown allowed me to choose more than they had in stock.

anyhow, after a nice chat with a very knowledgable customer service guy, i went with the yokohama s.drive for an additional $15 each. first impressions are obviously good, but i am a little bummed that they are not as universally loved as the dz102s. sounds like the wet traction is not quite the same, but then again, i have to assume that the people writing those reviews are beating on them pretty hard. i have no plans to destroy my car or killing myself or my daughter by being aggressive in the rain.

spidernut · Post by **spidernut** » Sat May 23, 2015 11:03 pm

Looks fantastic! It is totally amazing what a difference they make with handling, isn't it?

autotransgression · Post by **autotransgression** » Mon May 25, 2015 3:39 am

spidernut wrote:Looks fantastic! It is totally amazing what a difference they make with handling, isn't it?

thank you. i agree, on the handling. seriously, there are some corners where i have been amazed how easily the car would understeer when it is wet, and any power in the turn is instant oversteer. but with these 205s, i would really have to drive like an idiot to get that same 'uh-oh...' feeling.

i love how knowing i have so much more traction frees up part of my consciousness, to pay more attention to some of the other important things going on. same thing i noticed many years ago on motocycles; when i ride (even in the hottest weather) with quality gear, it quiets a part of the nagging voice inside, and allows me more concentration on the road.

azruss · Post by **azruss** » Mon May 25, 2015 12:10 pm

I bought 195/55x15 S-drives. I looked at Tireracks testing. When reading the testing, you have to look at the kind of car that was the test vehicle to see if the results are valid for your car. I also knew my car would not spend time in the rain. There are other issues that don't come up in these test. How quiet are the tires on different surfaces, how well do the tires track on worn roads, especially ones with studded tire grooves. I have found these tires are quiet and track great even on problem roads. I do run my tires on the soft side to help with the harsh ride. Running 28 in front and 27 in back. If I had 205s, I might consider running them softer yet.

royn · Post by **royn** » Mon May 25, 2015 2:37 pm

That is some really nice wheels, i just ordered a set of 15x7 Rota Gunmetal wheels myself from Mark ! I have very good experience with Yokohama S-drive tires and that is what I will put on my new Rotas !

autotransgression · Post by **autotransgression** » Tue May 26, 2015 1:37 am

cool. good to hear that some other spider drivers like the yokohamas.

to be fair, i didn't really look TOO closely at the tirerack reviews; i based my choice on a car and driver tire test, as well as reading through several threads on a miata forum. everyone seemed to love these there.

since our spiders weigh (on average) a few hundred pounds less than miatas, i am hoping that we can expect even better tire life.

kenncarp · Post by **kenncarp** » Fri May 29, 2015 5:28 pm

Hey Guys! Im rebuilding my fiat right now and have some cromadoras on it right now i dont even know the specifications to. What performance wheels would you recommend? there are some on vick auto that are cool, but i dont know what im looking for yet. Looking forward to see what you guys think!

courtenay · Post by **courtenay** » Fri May 29, 2015 7:14 pm

Check out the selection that Mark Allison carries at Allison's Automotive. I have a set of his Rota's on my car and I think they look great.

autotransgression · Post by **autotransgression** » Sat May 30, 2015 12:16 am

i will second going with http://allisonsautomotive.com/. i am really impressed with the build and finish on these wheels, and greg (who is most likely to answer the phone if you call in with any questions) is incredibly informative and just a generally nice guy to chat with.

the price is great, and my car feels SO much more confident to drive.

kenncarp · Post by **kenncarp** » Sat May 30, 2015 12:34 am

autotransgression wrote:mounted my new 14x7.5 Monza wheels (thanks, mark) yesterday. i not only LOVE the look, but it feels like a whole new car. corners where the stock size wheel/tire combination would start squealing and breaking loose are no problem now, plus i can get on the gas a little earlier in the corner.

looking forward to installing the big brake kit and compensator bypass, which have been sitting in the garage, waiting for appropriate wheels.

You said they were 14 x 7.5's? On the website the only monzas i see are 15 x 7.5 and 15 x 6.5. Am i looking at the wrong wheel? Also would you happen to know if there is a big color difference between the gunmetal and the hyper blacks? Thanks!

-Kenneth Carper

autotransgression · Post by **autotransgression** » Sat May 30, 2015 12:44 am

well, that would be because i am an idiot.

sorry, yes, they are 15". oops.

on the site, it does look like the gunmetal and the hyper blacks are pretty similar. i didn't ask greg about the hyper black, because something about the gunmetal just caught my eye.

now, to see if i can edit my original post...

kenncarp · Post by **kenncarp** » Sat May 30, 2015 12:48 am

autotransgression wrote:well, that would be because i am an idiot.

sorry, yes, they are 15". oops.

on the site, it does look like the gunmetal and the hyper blacks are pretty similar. i didn't ask greg about the hyper black, because something about the gunmetal just caught my eye.

now, to see if i can edit my original post...

Hahaha! Im starting to look at those gloss black 6.5 inchers, they are quite sexy. You think the performance and look difference between the 6.5 and 7.5 are significant? All the monzas look good period.

Wheels Make the Car

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