Topic: Your thoughts on me putting a 17" wheel on a grand caravan

[Sandrock]

Hi everybody.  I am planning to keep my stock allow wheels mounted to my current winter tire and get a new set of wheels and all season tires for my 05 grand caravan.  My van's color is so common that I sometimes mistake another van of the same color as mine, so that sort of justifies my decision to get some custom wheels.  I am kinda leaning towards getting this 17"  Evo 10 that I saw.  I am going to get it in gun metal because I am kinda leaning towards that style.  It is a 17 x 7, and the tire size that will come with it is a 255/50R17 "HR" Falken Ziex S/TZ 01.  I only chose the wheel and these matching tire specs were given to me by the store personnel.  I was close to pulling the trigger and getting them, but after reading some of the posts here and some reviews elsewhere, I am suddenly having second thoughts.

My question is, will I be doing the right thing? Or will I be committing a big mistake?  I have read here somewhere that maybe a 16" will be a better plus size option than a 17". I am kind of a newbie to this customization thing and would appreciate some expert advice and recommendations.

[mdxtasy]

Use this to determine how much larger your new custom wheel/tire combo will be.

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

Then consider that a larger rim, and a wider and lower profile tire will mean a decrease in ride quality and a tendency for the vehicle to wander with the ruts in the road.  You can add big rims for looks and performance, but they do come at a cost.  Larger wheels, particularly the less expensive ones, will add unsprung weight, which means that it will affect performance (braking, acceleration, ride quality etc).....like everything in life, there's a cost.

[morty]

I dont see anything wrong with going to 17" on your Caravan. You just want to be certain you like a little firmer ride and that you choose a 17" tire that has the same overall diameter as the stock size. Also make sure the tire you choose has the same or higher load rating. 255/50/17 seems awefully aggressive and I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up with rubbing issues on the front. On the OE optional 17" for the Caravan it is recommended to go with a 215/60/17, there are a lot of good high mileage tires in this size. If you want a little wider, more performance oriented, but same OD then I would look at the 235/55/17 as an option.

[Sandrock]

Wow, thanks for that link, MdX5!  That sure cleared up some questions for me.  I am playing around with the sizes, and so far I am going by what I am being recommended at this moment.

Your recommendations are great, Morty, thanks.  I guess it's a matter of finding out if these tire sizes (215/60/17, conservative and 235/55/17, a bit more aggressive) are available for the wheel (17 x 7) that I have my eyes on. I am kind of looking for a tire with a lip guard to protect the side of my wheels because I am prone to scratching them when I sometimes turn too sharply at curbs.  The tires that I was recommended, the Falken Ziek S/TZ 1, had them, but the reviews I have read sorta scared me from getting them.

[safristi]

How good are they on the Spring/Summer crossover SANDS of the Canadian Desert???

[morty]

Pretty much every tire now has the sidewall protector. No need to pick the S/TZ01. Dont expect the sidewall protector to be a huge savior. It is only rubber and if you hit something hard enough it flexes and wheels still get  damaged

You can run either the 215/60/17 or 235/55/17 on the 17x7.

[Sandrock]

Finally pulled the trigger and settled for the Nokian WRs.  235/55/17 on 17 x 7 EVO 10 in gunmetal.  My wallets a lot lighter now and I will probably be using candles for lighting for some time  .  They will be mounted and installed soon.  I will report my impressions once they are on.  I don't know but I am probably the only one who ever thought of putting some 17s on his grand caravan  .

I was either going for the Michelin Hydroedge (215/60/17) or the Falken STZ 01 (235/55/17).  I am not a spirited driver and I drive in a casual manner.  More importantly, I am kinda newbie when it comes to this winter season, so I feel safer with the WRs, meaning I can keep them over the summer and I don't have to be worried in case mother nature suddenly dumps some snow during early spring of early fall.  I have a spare Nokian RSI that I will swap into come deep snow.

Thanks for everyone's tips and advice!

[mdxtasy]

Throw some pics of the new shoes when you slap them on. 

[inco]

Pix for sure and don't forget to throw in your address so that some of our Calgary people can go see what mounted rims look like. 

One in particular comes to mind and he might like to see first hand what your tires look like too and also he soon will be needing a van also with his family expansion plans. 

[Sandrock]

Well, after almost a week on my new 17"s and Nokian WRs,  I can say I am very pleased with them.  The change in ride comfort is almost imperceptible, though a lot more of the road rumble can be felt slightly.  And it is only slightly less noisy as my Nokian RSIs.  I can't tell if there is a change in acceleration and braking because I am basically a laid back driver and do not drive in a spirited manner that much.  There is a slight improvement in cornering, though, but what can you expect from a grand caravan but lots of body roll.  I am just after the looks and the ride comfort and so far these two criterias were met.

I will post pix as soon as I am allowed to.

[initial_D]

Just one more post to 10, can you just tell us you had Timmies' coffee from the drive thru to make up that number? 

[Sandrock]

Actually, I just had the van washed, but missed out getting a cuppa.

[Sandrock]

Well, without further ado, here is my baby with her new set of boots.  Pardon the angle of the shot, I should have chosen a better angle.  Again, Nokian WR 235/55/17 on gunmetal Evo 7s 17 x 7.5.



Nothing much, but I am pretty happy with how it looks.  And my father-in-law never mistakes another van as mine anymore!

[UmroAyyar]

Adds character to your van. Have fun. 

[safristi]

COOL...it need a BIG WING and 3 sets of ROLL BARS   fer Auto_CROSS..... ....ALMOST    ALMOST.....enuf fer us olde farts ta think of breeding again....

[mrthompson]

Looks good...a definite improvement.   

As for the angle of your photo, tell people you're learning from the Larry Yap school of automotive photography.   

[safristi]

Nice ta see yer back on YER FEET MR.T after that BENDER!!!!

[Arthur Dent]

Looks pretty good. Definitely makes it stand out a bit more.

[safristi]

That's wot Wifey said on my honey_swoon.............

[2latecrew]

Looks great all you need now are some drop springs to reduce the wheel well gap.