[joemader]

Hi guys, its been a while!

My 2008 Scion xB is finally due for its second pair of tires. When I got the car new from the dealer, it came with nice Goodyear 'Racing' Tires. I wanted to use those up before ordering new wheels, but now is finally that time!

I have a Blackberry Crush Metallic with tinted windows. I'm sure I want dark gray/'gunmetal' color...probably size 17 to balance between style and comfort. I'm not super worried about performance improvements, though I don't think I want wheels that are heavier than the steelies.

I don't know much about wheels, what about these:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...lse&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Brand

 

[joemader]

I also really like the 18" TRD Scion wheels, but I hear they're not the best quality for the price? (and they're 18s)

And if anyone's wondering - my Scion is NOT lowered

 

[5zero4]

http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/wheels_brand/wheel_detail.php?id=10847


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[isk1tz]

Never ordered from here but they seem to have decent prices and you can get wheel tire packages. Although I figure most online retailers are about the same.

Wheel Products By Vehicle - Discount Tire Direct

 

[Slorocket]

The xB trds are 19s matte and gloss black.. And tire selection for then is thin. The other scion option was a 17" spoked rim similar to tsw nurburgrings. Another nice option would be to look for tC2 wheels. They are 18s.

 

[5zero4]

The xB trds are 19s matte and gloss black.. And tire selection for then is thin. The other scion option was a 17" spoked rim similar to tsw nurburgrings. Another nice option would be to look for tC2 wheels. They are 18s.

The link I posted to was the tc1 trd wheel in silver 18". Made by team dynamics.


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[Slorocket]

The link I posted to was the tc1 trd wheel in silver 18". Made by team dynamics.


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And its a good lookin wheel too. But, make sure to get our bolt pattern, 5 x114.3. Tc1s are 5x100.

 

[BrickPig]

I don't think I want wheels that are heavier than the steelies.

...but if you get bigger diameter wheels, metal weighs more that air and rubber so bigger wheels will tend to weigh more than smaller ones.

I don't know much about wheels...

Some links for your education:

• Custom rims, wheel tire packages for your ride - RIMSnTIRES.com has a really handy tool to compare wheel and tire sizes. On the left hand side, click on Shop Rims by car, enter your car, then on the left hand side click on Size Comparer. Using this tool will enable you to put lower profile tires on your larger wheels yet be close to stock rolling radius.
• Home - Discount Tire Direct has a tool to help you visualize the wheels they carry on your car. If you enter in your car info, many of their wheels have a "See It On Your Car" link. Even if you don't buy wheels from them, you can get an idea of what a certain wheel might look like before you buy it.

Have fun shopping!

 

[hikingmike]

Cool. Those Axis wheels look pretty good on the Blackberry Crush. They are slick wheels.

Discount Tire Direct does have great prices on wheels and tires, and you can often get a $70 VISA card or a big discount when you buy 4 wheels or 4 tires. It looks like right now it's $50 Instant Savings on 4 wheels. Check out the Drag wheels there. I like the Drag DR-31 (charcoal grey) myself. BrickPig has the DR-34s I believe. Unfortunately their "See It On Your Car" seems to have an odd color for Blackberry Crush.

I found some interesting Craigslist wheels by me... probably nobody else around here though.

Scion tC1 wheels, 4 new in box $400 (cheapest I've seen)
Scion TC wheels

These look pretty good, $350
5x114.3 17 inch gunmetal gray wheels

Wheels and tires, black with red lip $700
Konig- Maxxim Maze 17 inch wheels x4 with tires

 

[BrickPig]

Never ordered from here but they seem to have decent prices and you can get wheel tire packages. Although I figure most online retailers are about the same.

Wheel Products By Vehicle - Discount Tire Direct

I got my wheels from them. They also had some discounts active at that time.

 

[BrickPig]

Scion tC1 wheels, 4 new in box $400 (cheapest I've seen)

Scion tC1 (6 spoke) wheels won't fit on our xB2s because the tC1 has a smaller bolt circle.

Scion tC2 (7 spoke) wheels will fit fine, some on this forum have them on their xB2s.

 

[hikingmike]

Scion tC1 (6 spoke) wheels won't fit on our xB2s because the tC1 has a smaller bolt circle.

Scion tC2 (7 spoke) wheels will fit fine, some on this forum have them on their xB2s.

Ah good to know. Yeah the tC2 wheels I've seen look very nice on xBs.

What do you think about the DiscountTireDirect deal? I think they've had $100 off 4 wheels or 4 tires before (instead of just the $50 I see now).

These are the wheels I've been coveting lately
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...lse&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Brand

Here they are 18" on a '09 xB, only one I've seen with those wheels
2009 Scion XB | Serious Autosport

Nobody get them because I'm going to... sometime

These are badass too and look good on the Blackberry Crush. Hmm not enough in stock though.
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whe...rue&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Brand

Another, in stock, closeout price
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whe...rue&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Price

 

[BrickPig]

Me personally, I don't like all black wheels because they are too close to painted wheel covers. (But they will hide brake dust very well.) I prefer some bright spot on the wheel, like the rim and/or the spokes. But that's just me.

I used DiscountTireDirect's "See Them On Your Car" tool and stared at different wheels for a week, and got the wheels that still caught my eye at the end of the week. The wheels I picked still make me smile, over 2 years later.

 

[joemader]

Thanks for all of your help guys! One of my tires just recently exposed the wire support inside, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Axis in 17"! It was tough bc the 18"s were on sale for LESS than the 17s, but overall I think I'll be happier with the 17s.

I'm really excited. I think these wheels are nice but subtle, the xb profile isn't super busy, so I like that this wheel isn't either.

 

[hikingmike]

Cool! Those Axis are clean and crisp, sporty and a little beefy looking. Good luck Joe, and I expect to see pictures up here!

Yeah, Brick, definitely the "Matte Graphite Silver" version like in my first link. That's kind of the color I've been wanting with my silver xB, and it's dark enough gray to contrast with the silver. I don't want too close to the silver of the car, but definitely a gray. I don't favor black wheels for my silver xB (and some other colors like your stingray) but they can look cool on the right color car, maybe a white or something. I don't like when I see black wheels on a car and they're shiny, just looks odd to me. Flat black is better - don't know how hard to keep clean though. But anyway, definitely a gray for me. And I don't need any shiny like a machined lip. I kind of like the "dirty" feel of darker wheels, don't really know how to put it.

I think I've passed you up on the "see it on you car" and google image searching usage, lol! It would have been great to get the wheels on my car loan, but I had no idea back then and the Scion choices weren't what I was looking for. Now I know a lot more what I want and have a folder of screenshots and wheel photos to go with it. I'll just plan to do it like Joe when I need tires or slightly earlier.

These are just my wheel tastes, hah

 

[joemader]

They came in! They're going on later this week.

Question: What does everybody do with their steelies? I'm not super inclined to keep up with them...are they worth anything to anyone?

 

[isk1tz]

You can usually sell stock wheels for at least $25 a piece. Most people keep them for winter though so their good rims don't get eaten up with salt and ice.

 

[hikingmike]

They came in! They're going on later this week.

Question: What does everybody do with their steelies? I'm not super inclined to keep up with them...are they worth anything to anyone?

Well I know what one person in STL did - they put them on Craigslist. I know this because I bought them when I bent the lip on one of my front wheels! It was cheaper to buy 4 wheels, basically new, with all 4 hub caps, nuts, etc. from him on Craigslist than a single wheel from the dealer.

I will do the same whenever I get wheels! Pay it forward, lol.

I also wonder why I hear lots of people using winter wheels and switching for the seasons. Is this just because they have bad tires for bad weather on their summer wheels (I suspect that's mostly it), or are they trying to protect the wheels? Wheels are supposed to stand up to all the snow and salt and stuff, right? I wonder this because I definitely wouldn't switch mine out.

 

[joemader]

Yeah, I'm not going to be switching mine out, most likely. I currently live in SC and am moving soon to Charlotte...but I think once I dodge the snow forecast that's scheduled this week we probably won't see snow again for another few years

Ok perhaps I'll list them here and/or craigslist soon!

 

[Damaged]

I also wonder why I hear lots of people using winter wheels and switching for the seasons. Is this just because they have bad tires for bad weather on their summer wheels (I suspect that's mostly it), or are they trying to protect the wheels? Wheels are supposed to stand up to all the snow and salt and stuff, right? I wonder this because I definitely wouldn't switch mine out.

I switch mine for the winter almost entirely for the tires. Most rims or (summer wheels) up here have summer tires or at most all season, when winter comes they are useless. Lots of people including myself have 2 sets of wheels, my steelies have winter tires with better tread for ice. My lancer before my xB had studded tires, which would wear out faster if I drove them in summer.
I do also like switching them for the salt and sand though, as they cover our roads with sand and all it does is nick and take paint and chrome off everything.

by the way joemader congrats on the purchase, hope they are exactly what you hoped to get!