Hey guys, I'm getting the usual "don't do that to your car" etc. stuff from my dad, and was just wondering if any of you could let my dad know about any dangers of having 18" rims on my magna

EDIT: sorry, didn't mean to post yet.
Yeah, he says that they'll get buckled by potholes etc...

Is that a real risk that's going to happen often?
Thanks guys

None, I have 18s on superlows... have much more problems with the springs then I do with the wheels. anything from 15-19 is fine, 20 is pushing it a little. I also have very thick spokes too though, so buckling is a bit harder :P I've hit some big ones pretty ****ing hard though.

Other than a slighly bumpy ride there are no problems that I know of. In my opinion its not worth investing in wheels for a 3rd Gen if they are smaller than 18s unless the car is lowered.

Ive got 18s and take my car to all kinds of remote and wonderful places, ive travelled the east coast of Australia and regulary go on corrigated, gravel roads!

The only issue is the extra ongoing cost of tyres... :cool:

Just get the 18's and not say anything to your folks, thats what i did with my blower anyways, 6 months and they still dont know.

EDIT: so long as they are decent rims not cheap chinese crap, they wont buckle, you will smash tyres before the rim in most cases

Other than a slighly bumpy ride there are no problems that I know of. In my opinion its not worth investing in wheels for a 3rd Gen if they are smaller than 18s unless the car is lowered.

Ive got 18s and take my car to all kinds of remote and wonderful places, ive travelled the east coast of Australia and regulary go on corrigated, gravel roads!

The only issue is the extra ongoing cost of tyres... :cool:

Exactly what I'm thinking, I need new tyres, so the perfect time to get rims, dad agrees, but doesn't want me to get 18s :nuts:.

If I was looking at 20's I could see his concern.. but it's just that he's older than me and has worked on more cars and bikes so of course.. he knows best.

Eh, as soon as I save up the cash, I'm buying them, I don't care who's name the rego/insurance is in :gtfo:.

Just get the 18's and not say anything to your folks, thats what i did with my blower anyways, 6 months and they still dont know.
Bahaha yeah, a blower would be alright, but it sits in their driveway 80% of it's life.. I think they'd notice 18s :P

Bahaha yeah, a blower would be alright, but it sits in their driveway 80% of it's life.. I think they'd notice 18s :P

Dude, theres Diamante's rolling on 22s - I hardly think 18s would be an issue :P

Just get the 18's and not say anything to your folks, thats what i did with my blower anyways, 6 months and they still dont know.

still dont know after six months thats awesome my old man would pick it just by the way id look at him
and then id get the its only a magna talk then you should buy a v8 monaro talk

still dont know after six months thats awesome my old man would pick it just by the way id look at him
and then id get the its only a magna talk then you should buy a v8 monaro talk

Yeah, even when we moved house and had it idling while i packed it to keep the AC on, all i got was, "that noise the Fuel pump?" to which i reply, "yeah i think it is, ill look at it later"

Yeah, even when we moved house and had it idling while i packed it to keep the AC on, all i got was, "that noise the Fuel pump?" to which i reply, "yeah i think it is, ill look at it later"

Rofl nice - What will he say when he finds out?

Rofl nice - What will he say when he finds out?

Probably the same as what he said when i rocked up home with a new car, the typical crap about wasting money. Will be funny when i show up a few months later with it pushing 800hp heh.

Cars are coming standard with 20s these days, that should be enough to sway your dad. Plus if your rims get damaged from potholes the council is liable to pay for damages.

Mate I've got 19's on mine and of all the cars I've owned I have only damaged 1 rim, that is my current set.
That happened along the bruce hwy north bound and 120km/h hitting a rather large pothole.

Any rim regardless of size, be it 15, 16, 17" etc can be damaged, buckled or split.

As said before anything 20 and over and I think your pushing it.

Yeah, even when we moved house and had it idling while i packed it to keep the AC on, all i got was, "that noise the Fuel pump?" to which i reply, "yeah i think it is, ill look at it later"

your blower is rather quiet but, theres no way i could get away with that, mine screams.

also, i replaced my tyres today, i have 19s, and no cheap crap either, HUGE buckle on 1 rim, i think from a trip to forster over the weekend. even with evasive driving, sometimes you just hit potholes.

Of course you all realise that if the wheels are outside state/fed regs you can be written off by your insurance company if you have a prang.

Not to mention getting booked for unroadworthy car.

I think the regs state, 2" bigger than what the tyre placard says provided the rolling diameter stays within certain tolerances is the max.

Thay may look cool but if you go up the **** of a ferrari dont be surprised if your insurance company (legally) says "sorry, yur on yur own" (unless its on yur policy).

Of course you all realise that if the wheels are outside state/fed regs you can be written off by your insurance company if you have a prang.

Not to mention getting booked for unroadworthy car.

I think the regs state, 2" bigger than what the tyre placard says provided the rolling diameter stays within certain tolerances is the max.

Thay may look cool but if you go up the **** of a ferrari dont be surprised if your insurance company (legally) says "sorry, yur on yur own" (unless its on yur policy).

you really are an old fart lol

you really are an old fart lol

Whats yur point?????? :P lol :D

Just point out the factory cars that run them,that might bring him around.

Its all good just tell your dad that if you get a buckled rim because you hit a pot hole all you have to do is send the bill to your local council and they send you a chq for the amount as its there job to maintain the roads i know a few members who have done this.

Factory cars with larger rolling Diameters, larger wheels on their base models too.
Also consider, Tyre costs, Fixed excesses on insurance added to age excess added to your normal excess.
Ride comfort due to a smaller tyre wall.
I'm with ol'Fart on this one.
Plus driving experience, nothing against you Sycrat, experience says you'll scratch big rims before too long.
I've got 16's on my TW at 150.00 a corner for the michelins you have now. XM1Plus's. Someone pays attention.
17's on my 380 at 200.00 a corner. Tho, these run a 16" steel rim as standard equipment, 15" for magna's.
You can usually scrounge around a wreckers and get Factory rims for 100-200 without tyres, and if you know of a tyre place near a car yard. Leave your name and you'll never know what'll turn up. Ford AU wheels suit our 3rd gens too.

You can do what you like, but its cheaper and more comfortable to leave the big Rims alone...

Tho, these run a 16" steel rim as standard equipment, 15" for magna's.
You can usually scrounge around a wreckers and get Factory rims for 100-200 without tyres, and if you know of a tyre place near a car yard. Leave your name and you'll never know what'll turn up. Ford AU wheels suit our 3rd gens too.

I haven't tried 15" AU wheels but the 16" wheels require you to shave about 2-3mm off the outside of the front brake caliper for celarance.

If you want some hard hitting evidence that he is wrong take him down to your local Holden dealership and point out the 20" rims on the new model SS and HSV range.

Factory cars with larger rolling Diameters, larger wheels on their base models too.
Also consider, Tyre costs, Fixed excesses on insurance added to age excess added to your normal excess.
Ride comfort due to a smaller tyre wall.
I'm with ol'Fart on this one.
Plus driving experience, nothing against you Sycrat, experience says you'll scratch big rims before too long.
I've got 16's on my TW at 150.00 a corner for the michelins you have now. XM1Plus's. Someone pays attention.
17's on my 380 at 200.00 a corner. Tho, these run a 16" steel rim as standard equipment, 15" for magna's.
You can usually scrounge around a wreckers and get Factory rims for 100-200 without tyres, and if you know of a tyre place near a car yard. Leave your name and you'll never know what'll turn up. Ford AU wheels suit our 3rd gens too.

You can do what you like, but its cheaper and more comfortable to leave the big Rims alone...
:bowrofl: Nice one, I didn't even know what my tyres are :P.
Anyway yeah, another nice opinion to have, at least you explain yourself, and don't just say it's risky and then tell me to shove off :nuts:.

Your 17s look quite nice anyway, haven't seen the TW though. Maybe some nice 17's might be alright too.

Mind you, I love the look of BIG wheels, but they come at a price, if I want to look cool, I'll brush my hair:bowrofl:

I like the size of Davo!'s wheels.

My next mod will be suspension. I rather it handle than appease my vanity, probably cheaper too.

Maybe some nice 17's might be alright too.

I'd go for a set of 18x8s. 17"s look pretty chunky with the height of the rubber, and they're often only 7" wide - when the car's lowered, you really want 8" wide rims to fill the guards.

Yes, pot holes are a risk, but as pointed out, many new cars have 18-20" rims on them standard. 18"s on a Magna will still leave a reasonable amount of tyre. If you had 20s I could understand your apprehension, but 18s aren't going to be significantly worse than a set of 17"s.

With regaards to pot holes, it's down to luck a lot of the time anyway. I remember QMD//801 saying that he drove to Canberra and back on his 20s fine, yet he damaged a rim along the Gateway Motorway, even though it's arguably the busiest road in Queensland :doubt:

mate big rims are fine... 99% of the time, my 20"s are legal... my tyres are questionable...

rules are as long as the rolling diamater stays within 15mm either way and the load rating is correct than its fine...

so you can legally go as big as 20's if u want to.. however for your ride your probably lookin at 450 a corner for legal tyres in that size... 18s will be fine, im a fan of nankang rubber i know its cheap but hey when your on your p's you don't need awesom tyres, you should only be driving at 5/10ths tops....

go the 18s get something nice don't go chrome there is a guy on here with a red tl on 18s and his rims are pure porn......

Cars are coming standard with 20s these days, that should be enough to sway your dad. Plus if your rims get damaged from potholes the council is liable to pay for damages.


To an extent. if the pothole is a known problem that hasnt been fixed, they are liable, but if its freshly created in a storm or whatnot and no one has even had a chance to be notified, they are not liable. i recently had a council pay out around $2000 for damage to mine and my mates cars for a stupidly massive pothole in some roadworks that a pile of other people had been reporting for the 2 previous days.

and yes, my 18's buckled quite badly in that pothole.. repair cost to roll the rim was $100, and the new tyre was $200 :)

rollin on 20ies man, have not looked back, love em to bits

18s are legal and ride just fine dude.

18's are perfect (for me anyway) for looks/comfort. Size of rim means nothing on how it's going to buckle, its the quality of the rim. A poor quality 15 inch rim will buckle quicker than a good quality 20 inch rim. When you're looking at rims make sure you get one with a lifetime guarrantee.

+ 1 for 20's...

tyres..... cheapest i can find is $235 (with the recent price hike from the economy) which is for Kumho Ecsta SPT's pretty decent if you ask me.. load ratings................. hrrrmmm.................

+ 1 for 20's...

tyres..... cheapest i can find is $235 (with the recent price hike from the economy) which is for Kumho Ecsta SPT's pretty decent if you ask me.. load ratings................. hrrrmmm.................

i paid $420 a wheel yesterday for 19/235/35 bridgestone potenza adrenalin RE001, rediculously expensive, but truly a great rim, i tried them out last night in the rain and they really impressed me.

http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/Adrenalin.aspx

i paid $420 a wheel yesterday for 19/235/35 bridgestone potenza adrenalin RE001, rediculously expensive, but truly a great rim, i tried them out last night in the rain and they really impressed me.

http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/Adrenalin.aspx
They are a great tyre. Came in first place in latest tyre comparison in one of the magazines. The MAXXIS i-Pro came in second with the expensive Pirelli and Goodyear Eagle F1 performing dismally compared to it's competition.

As long as you get a decent quality brand you shouldn't have to worry about buckling at all. I've got 18" ROH rims, they definately weren't the cheapest but im sooo glad I spent the extra.

Drove out to my mate's farm in the middle of NSW a couple months back, about 100kms each way of unsealed roads with some mad corrugation happening in sections and from the way some of the bumps felt I thought for sure that i'd ****ed a rim. When I got home, cleaned them up and they were good as new apart from a couple little chips on one of the rims from the rocks.

And also 18s just look so damn sexy on a magna :D

Oh and by the way, since we all have not many points on our Licences, which if any meet the rating specified by the tyre plaquard on the door of his car????
I'm sure that after following the helpful advice here, at least he's making a roadworthy and legal decision.

Are 18s too big?
Two words...

Hell No! :dancin:


To elaborate - I think 18's are the smallest size you would want to nicely fill the guards on a Magna/Verada.
I myself went with 19's - ride is a little bumpy, but damn it looks hot! :D

Trust me, you get anything smaller than 18's, you'll kick urself after a week!

"Dammit, why didn't i go bigger?!" :tantrum:

Oh and by the way, since we all have not many points on our Licences, which if any meet the rating specified by the tyre plaquard on the door of his car????
I'm sure that after following the helpful advice here, at least he's making a roadworthy and legal decision.


mine certainly don't.. in fact there 90.. and i should have 94 - have i ever been pulled over with the cop specifically going OHHHHHH WHAT load rating is on the tyre.. NO.. will i ever.. don't know, don't really care.. the reality of the situation is i never tow, or do anything that would warrent a extra 70kg per tyre rating..

how ever.. if you are the person at fault in the accident, and it was deemed that your tyres 'failed' or were the cause of the accident, your insurance claim may be declined.. just depends on who your with, and how the claim is settled.. if the tyre has nothing to do with the accident they have no grounds to decline your claim.. eg - you get run up the **** at a set of lights, or you brake suddenly and someone hits you up the backside.. - the most common claim i see in insurance.. you (say your car A the ones stopped at the lights) yourself have nothing to worry about could have 22's and a twin turbo setup under tha bonnet..

if you were car B 'rollin on 22's' with the incorrect load rating etc.. and you had pinned the brakes.. and your tyre failed OR they could reasonably prove that if you had the correct load rating tyres on it your stopping disance would have been earlier and you wouldn't have hit the car in front if you have the correct tyres on it, you better pray you have not made a claim ever, and they settle your claim on an Ex-gratia (act of grace) basis..

dunno if that clears anything up for ppl...

but i like to call it the common sense rule in the Insurance Contract Act.. as in..

i was driving normally through a green light.. how does me having 5% tint and 20" rims on my starlet have anything to do with the other car running the red light.. the illegal modifications contributed nothing to the accident..

mine certainly don't.. in fact there 90.. and i should have 94 - have i ever been pulled over with the cop specifically going OHHHHHH WHAT load rating is on the tyre.. NO.. will i ever.. don't know, don't really care.. the reality of the situation is i never tow, or do anything that would warrent a extra 70kg per tyre rating..

how ever.. if you are the person at fault in the accident, and it was deemed that your tyres 'failed' or were the cause of the accident, your insurance claim may be declined.. just depends on who your with, and how the claim is settled.. if the tyre has nothing to do with the accident they have no grounds to decline your claim.. eg - you get run up the **** at a set of lights, or you brake suddenly and someone hits you up the backside.. - the most common claim i see in insurance.. you (say your car A the ones stopped at the lights) yourself have nothing to worry about could have 22's and a twin turbo setup under tha bonnet..

if you were car B 'rollin on 22's' with the incorrect load rating etc.. and you had pinned the brakes.. and your tyre failed OR they could reasonably prove that if you had the correct load rating tyres on it your stopping disance would have been earlier and you wouldn't have hit the car in front if you have the correct tyres on it, you better pray you have not made a claim ever, and they settle your claim on an Ex-gratia (act of grace) basis..

dunno if that clears anything up for ppl...

but i like to call it the common sense rule in the Insurance Contract Act.. as in..

i was driving normally through a green light.. how does me having 5% tint and 20" rims on my starlet have anything to do with the other car running the red light.. the illegal modifications contributed nothing to the accident..
That's all well and good and very pretty. But the fact is, your insurance company CAN decline a claim and void your insurance if you have illegal load rating tyres. That simple fact alone is enough to put me off, and I'm sure 90% of people on here. Take your little example and your tyres do fail and you run up the ass a brand new Ferrari F430. Insurance denies claim and you're left with a bill for $300,000. Have fun paying that off.

on this topic, is the place that fitted you tyres liable for any damages or anything like that if they didn't advise you that the tyres they fitted don't have the correct load rating?

That's all well and good and very pretty. But the fact is, your insurance company CAN decline a claim and void your insurance if you have illegal load rating tyres. That simple fact alone is enough to put me off, and I'm sure 90% of people on here. Take your little example and your tyres do fail and you run up the ass a brand new Ferrari F430. Insurance denies claim and you're left with a bill for $300,000. Have fun paying that off.

i'm sure i will have fun paying that off :)

i was driving normally through a green light.. how does me having 5% tint and 20" rims on my starlet have anything to do with the other car running the red light.. the illegal modifications contributed nothing to the accident..


Thats a simple one.

Your car has illegal modifications, the car itself is not registerable. Therefore you should not be on the road. If you weren't on the road, you would not have been in the accident.

18's are perfect (for me anyway) for looks/comfort. Size of rim means nothing on how it's going to buckle, its the quality of the rim. A poor quality 15 inch rim will buckle quicker than a good quality 20 inch rim. When you're looking at rims make sure you get one with a lifetime guarrantee.

size does indeed have a lot to do with buckling. less tyre wall to absorb impact = higher chance of buckling

Hey guys, thanks for all of your help and advice, I'll have another long read when I get the money.
But while we're on the subject, has anyone seen these rims on a car, and do you think they'd go alright with my red TE.. I really like them, and it'd be good to see a picture of them on a magna if anyone's got one or if someone feels like doing a chop I'll post a pic when I get downstairs.

http://www.tempetyres.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=1861

Thanks guys

Oh and by the way, since we all have not many points on our Licences, which if any meet the rating specified by the tyre plaquard on the door of his car????
I'm sure that after following the helpful advice here, at least he's making a roadworthy and legal decision.

As far as I'm aware, it's not too hard to find an 18" tyre that meets the size and load rating requirements to maintain legality. I think its a bit harder in 19s though to find one that meets the load rating.


That's all well and good and very pretty. But the fact is, your insurance company CAN decline a claim and void your insurance if you have illegal load rating tyres.

Indeed, it's a stipulation of the agreement between you and your insurer that you keep your car in a roadworthy condition at all times. This means that, technically speaking, they could cancel your insurance or deny a claim even if the modifications didn't contribute to an accident.


on this topic, is the place that fitted you tyres liable for any damages or anything like that if they didn't advise you that the tyres they fitted don't have the correct load rating?

I reckon it'd depend. If you just asked for "tyres" to suit your rims, they'd be obliged to provide you with something roadworthy (and hence the correct load rating). If you specified exactly what you wanted (xxx rims and zzz tyres), they might not liable - they could always counter-argue that they were simply providing exactly what you specified, and that it could even be for 'off road' use. I'm no lawyer though (not yet anyway) so its just my opinion.

Hey guys, thanks for all of your help and advice, I'll have another long read when I get the money.
But while we're on the subject, has anyone seen these rims on a car, and do you think they'd go alright with my red TE.. I really like them, and it'd be good to see a picture of them on a magna if anyone's got one or if someone feels like doing a chop I'll post a pic when I get downstairs.

http://www.tempetyres.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=1861

Thanks guys

VERY similar to mine mate, i got mine from Tempe tyres too:

http://www.tempetyres.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=400

I think this style of wheel would look good on yours. have you thought about something like this:

http://www.tempetyres.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=303

white wheels on red can look sweet

VERY similar to mine mate, i got mine from Tempe tyres too:

http://www.tempetyres.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=400

I think this style of wheel would look good on yours. have you thought about something like this:

http://www.tempetyres.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=303

white wheels on red can look sweet

imo they are a little racy for his car.... and you need a really strong red to pull of white wheels well.

i think something identical to your rims davo.... i love yours...

your blower is rather quiet but, theres no way i could get away with that, mine screams.

also, i replaced my tyres today, i have 19s, and no cheap crap either, HUGE buckle on 1 rim, i think from a trip to forster over the weekend. even with evasive driving, sometimes you just hit potholes.
Shoulda told me you were coming up here, i wanna see your car!
I got a wheel balance done a few weeks back, guy told me i have a slight buckle in my front left wheel, nothing to worry about but, probably from a pothole in the crappy Forster roads.

Just get 18's man, dont listen to the crap on here. KE's came in 16's yea? Then under the "2 inch rule" your fine to go for 18's (2 inchs bigger then the largest on the placard). It won't be hard to find the properly tyre rating on 18's, since their common as all hell.

Potholes are a fact of life, and at the end of the day, drive safely and pay attention to the road and you can avoid most of them. If you stuff a rim, take photos and details (date, location etc) and send the council the bill for rim and tyre. Easy!