[gkkid808]

so first off... YES i searched the forums and got a lot of info and insight, but i just wanted some friendly advice from other 2nd gen scion xb owners. Im coming form a is300 to a scion xb now so its really new to me. I had Work Emotion XD7 on my is300 and i know of ssr, bbs and weds. But i wanted to get some insight on of i should go with Rota, xxr, tsw or just look for a set of used trd wheels. also not sure about the off set cause i will be staying at stock height. again any help would be great.

 

[phobic]

dont stay stock height. at the very least get some TRD or NF210s to get rid of that rake.

I had a set of SSR Vienna Schalks on my xB and loved them. Still have them even though I sold the car. Id sell them for the right price.

Rota, XXR, and TSW are all decent looking wheels and will get you what you want though. I have a set of XXRs that are nice enough for the cost.

Just find what fits your style and what you like. that's what it's all about.

 

[Rolya]

im in love with ROTA Wheel Grid Racing. trying to save up some money to get these. i hope one day i will get it. Wht color is ur XB though?

 

[Meeko]

I've had both Rotas and XXR's in the past, and now I'm running on MB Battles. I've had good experience with all 3 and pricing is fairly comparable. Personaly, I feel XXR makes a great wheel for the price. They have some great looking wheels with some aggressive offset if you wanted to go that route. My buddy just tossed some XXR's on his xB in chromium black and they look amazing. Another friend sold his xB but also had some chromium black XXR's on his too. Good prices for XXR's can be found at www.nlmotoring.com Here's a pic of my old RS 1.0 with XXR's and my buddy's old xB with is 17" XXR's.

 

[gkkid808]

my xb is silver 2012. i was looking at xxr 522 or 527 prob in the hyper black. do you guys have any rec on where to buy online? im in hawaii so shipping is nuts. i saw the above link and checked it out but i figured better to have more than 1 place to shop lol. u guys got any input on size/off set. i was thinking 18x8.5 and 38 or 40's of set? any advice?

 

[Cmudge26]

Not going to lie, I been going back and forth on this also.

I have 08' Sand Black Pearl - I been debating on Gunmetal, All Black, Bronze, Red Wheels but I'm picky when it comes to putting on shoes on my ride so it has to have a Lip & reasonable price & looking into 17" maybe 18"

Im stuck on what to get? What you guys suggest?

 

[markio]

I can only speak to the appearance.

I think spokes look really good on the xB, I chose the TSW Nurburgrings in 18" x 8" wide. I have a Black Sand Pearl and I've always been a fan of the darker colored wheels trend.

When these arrived they were way lighter in color than I imagined and pictured online. The color scale goes Gunmetal (lightest), Athracite, Charcoal, Black. All of these colors look good in my opinion, but with black, someone made the point that it could be confused for steelies without hubcaps. Silver cars look particularly good with dark wheels, and the newest trend I've seen is bright color cars with white wheels. I'll admit I like that look a lot too. For black cars, gold is an option, I'm not sure about other colors. For an example of gunmetal, see my wheels, for an example of athracite see BrickPig's (I think - not sure), and for an example of charcoal wheels, see Ronin's. Those are just kind of my take on the three colors, not official or anything.

If I had to do it again, I would take a more serious look at the "mirror face" gunmetal wheels - they're trippy, they seem like chrome unless viewed at an angle, then they're grey. I would also look at wheels with a chrome lip because that can look pretty classy. Lastly I really like these BBS wheels, any color:

 

[BrickPig]

...for an example of athracite see BrickPig's (I think - not sure...

Mine are Drag 34 16x7" wheels with 40mm offset (cheapest initial costs compared to larger wheels, plus I wanted to keep the OEM ride quality and keep tire replacement costs low). Drag calls the inside color "Gunmetal". These wheels have a shiny machined lip (because I like that accent).

Compared to the original 16" size: bigger wheels tend to weigh and cost more, and larger tires to fit those larger wheels tend to cost more when it comes time to replace. Also to keep the speedometer accurate, larger tires mean a lower profile which hurts ride quality. However larger wheels and lower profile tires look cool and improve cornering slightly.

I looked at various wheels using the tool at discounttiredirect.com to visualize them on my xB. I think I spent 2 weeks looking before deciding. I guess I made the right choice because my wheels still make me smile, two years later. And that's the main point: make sure you get something that you like (within your budget) and be aware that whatever choice you make, there will be some compromises.

Have fun shopping!

 

[BrickPig]

Lastly I really like these BBS wheels, any color:

I had that look, but on non-BBS wheels with a shiny rim and a painted gold center, on my dark brown 1980 Corolla SR5. Looked great against the dark brown color, but lots of crevices in the wheel to keep clean...

 

[Cmudge26]

Mine are Drag 34 16x7" wheels with 40mm offset (cheapest initial costs compared to larger wheels, plus I wanted to keep the OEM ride quality and keep tire replacement costs low). Drag calls the inside color "Gunmetal". These wheels have a shiny machined lip (because I like that accent).

Compared to the original 16" size: bigger wheels tend to weigh and cost more, and larger tires to fit those larger wheels tend to cost more when it comes time to replace. Also to keep the speedometer accurate, larger tires mean a lower profile which hurts ride quality. However larger wheels and lower profile tires look cool and improve cornering slightly.

I looked at various wheels using the tool at discounttiredirect.com to visualize them on my xB. I think I spent 2 weeks looking before deciding. I guess I made the right choice because my wheels still make me smile, two years later. And that's the main point: make sure you get something that you like (within your budget) and be aware that whatever choice you make, there will be some compromises.

Have fun shopping!

Funny cause those Drag DR-34 Gunmetal caught my eye too! LOL

But this is good to keep in mind about the cost of tires and overall performance. I wonder how much of difference the ride is if I went 17"??

 

[box monkey]

I've got a set of 17 inch Drag DR-38's in my garage waiting for tires (waiting to be able to afford tires I should say). Though they're still in the box, I've been able to inspect them and I'm really happy with the quality. 17's are usually not much more than 16's as far as tire prices and to me they're a great compromise in comfort an style. My xb originally had the scion 17's on it when it was originally sold but when I bought it it had steeled. I can tell because it has the sticker recommending size on the door jam. As long as you stay with the 225/45/17 size then it doesn't affect the speedo really.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[BrickPig]

...this is good to keep in mind about the cost of tires and overall performance. I wonder how much of difference the ride is if I went 17"??

I can't speak from experience but I would suspect the ride degradation between 16" and 17" to be "small/moderate" and rapidly increasing if you go to 18" or 19". (Some on this forum have 20" wheels, but IMHO that's too big.) It's a subjective, personal thing. Some on this forum say there is a big difference, while others shrug and say it's no big deal. Maybe those who went to bigger wheels can chime in here with their own experiences.

Another big reason I went with 16" was that I could use the OEM tires on my new alloys. I replaced my steelies with alloy wheels at only 160 miles (the wheel guy had to check my odometer twice ) and sold the almost new steelies and wheel covers on CL for cheap (but I got ca$h for it). So it worked out to an initial hit of about $400, then another $400 hit (both after rebates) for a set of new 225/50-16 tires two years later.

If you go bigger: you can move to a bigger size wheel now by selling your 16" steel wheels, covers, and relatively new 16" tires as a set now, and replacing everything. Or wait about 2 years for the OEM tires to wear out, and move to something bigger then (but then the steelies and covers are also 2 years old and perhaps show signs of wear, so may be less appealing to a potential buyer). Either way, it's about a $1100-$1800 hit to your wallet, depending on how big/expensive your wheels/tires are. Wheels can vary tremendously in price. 18x8 wheels seem very popular on this forum, about 40mm offset seems best for fender clearance. Tires would be 225/40-18.

Have fun shopping!

 

[BrickPig]

Regarding my previous post: sorry Cmudge I forgot you have a 2008 in Black Sand Pearl, so my comment about selling your relatively new steelies and OEM tires doesn't apply to you.

Funny cause those Drag DR-34 Gunmetal caught my eye too!

I also like the Drag DR-9 (available from discounttiredirect.com in 16", 17" or 18") all have 40mm offset and are 7" wide.

 

[zinger]

I went with 17's for the summer. I'm very happy with the ride quality still. I use my steelies in the winter. I'm always watching CL for a ridiculously cheap set of alloys that I can use for the winter and won't care if the salt tears them up.

 

[BrickPig]

I use my steelies in the winter...use for the winter and won't care if the salt tears them up.

gkkid808 (original poster) is in Hawaii, Cmudge26 is in Southern California, and I'm in the San Francisco Bay area. We're all wondering, what is this "winter" and "salt" that you are talking about? And why do you change wheels in this "winter"? :biggrin:

Just kidding! I'm spoiled. I was born in the SF CA area, educated and have only had jobs here. I have never lived anywhere else...

But there is a serious side to this post: if you don't have winter to worry about, you don't have to worry about TPMS sensors, you can just transfer the OEM TPMS sensors to the new wheels. Also you have the option to sell the steelies and wheel covers and never look back.

zinger, thanks for posting your experience with 17" wheels versus 16" wheels.

 

[cductn]

I've had 3 different sets of 18s on the Rukus first set where 18x8 +40 and sat like this

Front

Rear

Haven't got any pics of when the Rukus had the 18x10 +20 cos there was just to much poke for my liking

But now running xxr527 18x8.75 +20

Still need to roll the guards and camber the rear...

 

[markio]

Nice ruckus. Is there a camber 'value' that you would use?

 

[cductn]

Nice ruckus. Is there a camber 'value' that you would use?

Fronts are already -2 for the rear I'm aiming for -3.... Should sit nice then

 

[BrickPig]

Should note that cductn is on air. So his tire/fender clearance is/can be much tighter than a conventional spring suspension.

 

[gkkid808]

so i finally grab some wheels of of my local c list. Axis Decades 18x8 off set was a bit weak 43. so i have stock look with no flush. but im on nf210 tanabe springs now too so i like the ride. BUT for 800 for the Axis decades and new tires 235/35/18 = deals. its not work wheels, ssr, tsw or xxr, but it works for now.