Dublin Honda Geek
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Based on the weather where I live, I decided to do a more winter friendly set up, for NOV-MAR.
I love the stock wheels and tires, I made the change for driving, not aesthetics, and the stocks will go back as soon as temps get warm.
These are the first after-market wheels I have ever bought. I wanted to provide some info so that someone thinking about doing this themselves will learn how easy it is, with just some minimal equipment.
I did learn a valuable lesson, when you receive your wheels open one up and measure the lug distance. Factory is 5X120, and obviously no matter which wheel you go with, the lug pattern must be the same. The first set I received was incorrect. So I had to start the whole ordering process over, and then pack up the incorrect ones and ship back. This delayed my swap by almost a month. In summary, it sucked.
Stock FL5 Type R: Wheels: 19” X 9.5” ET 60
Stock Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, 265/30/19 (Overall height 26.3” or 66.8cm), not directional
Weight, best estimate: Wheel 27 lbs (12.24 Kg) Tire 24.5 lbs (11.11 Kg), Combined 51.5 lbs (23.36 Kg)
New Wheels: Enkei TR6 Matte Bronze, 18”X 9.5” ET 45
New Tire: Continental Extreme Contact DWS06, 255/40ZR18 (Overall height 27” or 68.58cm), tires are not directional, but do have an “outside”.
Weight, best estimate: Wheel 22.5 lbs (10.2 Kg) Tire 25.5 lbs (11.56 Kg), Combined 48 lbs (21.77 Kg)
Because the stock wheels are Black, I wanted to change it up and go Matte Bronze. If it looks bad, it was my son’s idea. I was not intending to go for a more aggressive offset, these were the wheels I found on the distributor site. The tires came mounted and balanced.
If money wasn’t an object, I would have bought some Volk/Rays TE37s.
With the offset going from ET 60 to ET 45, this should bring the rims further to the outside of the wheel well. This wasn’t my goal, just happened to be the wheels I found. Also, going from a 265 to 255 width, might mildly negate that offset??
Also, the tires are slightly taller, and could affect the speedometer slightly. With an increase in sidewall, I should get a little more compliancy over potholes.
Tools needed:
Flat space, and tire chocks, I just used bricks, and placed them on the opposite side of the vehicle from where I was working.
Breaker bar or larger socket wrench
2-3 ton jack, easily borrowed or just use one from another car. If you do buy a jack, make sure it’s low profile, the front jack point can be tricky because of how low the car sits.
22mm socket
Torque wrench, not necessary, but a good idea
Steps
Chock the car, so it won’t roll. And make space clear for Jack.
Pick a wheel, using the 22mm socket and breaker bar, while the car is grounded, begin to loosen the 5 lug nuts.
Once the lugs are slightly loosened, raise the car. Use jack stands, or just keep the car up on the jack, being careful maneuvering around it.
If you feel safer, use jack stands.
Make sure the tire is well clear of the ground, remove the lug nuts and the wheel.
Make sure to mark which wheel you are removing, ex “Front Driver” wheel. If you mark them now, when it comes time to put them back on, you will know which position to rotate that tire to.
Place new wheel on lugs and start to finger tighten all the lugs. Then, using the 22 mm socket begin to tighten them down, using a crossing pattern. Do not overly tighten.
Lower the car, and finish tightening in the same cross pattern method.
If Torque wrench is available, torque to the specific specs required, I did 93lbft.
After a few days, check the lugs again to make sure none of them have loosened.
Notes: My wheels came with specific, narrower lugs than the stock, but it also came with an accessory socket that fit right onto my 22mm. Also, check with a more knowledgeable source than me, but I have seen different thoughts on storage of the Michelin tires, based on Temps.
I decided to do this process myself. I had to buy a few tools for the process, but I like the idea of saving money and the time it would take to go to the local garage. Also, I am not a mechanic, this was designed to be a simple guide. It’s never a bad idea to watch a video on doing this, safety first!
Hopefully you find this helpful if doing it on your own.
I love the stock wheels and tires, I made the change for driving, not aesthetics, and the stocks will go back as soon as temps get warm.
These are the first after-market wheels I have ever bought. I wanted to provide some info so that someone thinking about doing this themselves will learn how easy it is, with just some minimal equipment.
I did learn a valuable lesson, when you receive your wheels open one up and measure the lug distance. Factory is 5X120, and obviously no matter which wheel you go with, the lug pattern must be the same. The first set I received was incorrect. So I had to start the whole ordering process over, and then pack up the incorrect ones and ship back. This delayed my swap by almost a month. In summary, it sucked.
Stock FL5 Type R: Wheels: 19” X 9.5” ET 60
Stock Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, 265/30/19 (Overall height 26.3” or 66.8cm), not directional
Weight, best estimate: Wheel 27 lbs (12.24 Kg) Tire 24.5 lbs (11.11 Kg), Combined 51.5 lbs (23.36 Kg)
New Wheels: Enkei TR6 Matte Bronze, 18”X 9.5” ET 45
New Tire: Continental Extreme Contact DWS06, 255/40ZR18 (Overall height 27” or 68.58cm), tires are not directional, but do have an “outside”.
Weight, best estimate: Wheel 22.5 lbs (10.2 Kg) Tire 25.5 lbs (11.56 Kg), Combined 48 lbs (21.77 Kg)
Because the stock wheels are Black, I wanted to change it up and go Matte Bronze. If it looks bad, it was my son’s idea. I was not intending to go for a more aggressive offset, these were the wheels I found on the distributor site. The tires came mounted and balanced.
If money wasn’t an object, I would have bought some Volk/Rays TE37s.
With the offset going from ET 60 to ET 45, this should bring the rims further to the outside of the wheel well. This wasn’t my goal, just happened to be the wheels I found. Also, going from a 265 to 255 width, might mildly negate that offset??
Also, the tires are slightly taller, and could affect the speedometer slightly. With an increase in sidewall, I should get a little more compliancy over potholes.
Tools needed:
Flat space, and tire chocks, I just used bricks, and placed them on the opposite side of the vehicle from where I was working.
Breaker bar or larger socket wrench
2-3 ton jack, easily borrowed or just use one from another car. If you do buy a jack, make sure it’s low profile, the front jack point can be tricky because of how low the car sits.
22mm socket
Torque wrench, not necessary, but a good idea
Steps
Chock the car, so it won’t roll. And make space clear for Jack.
Pick a wheel, using the 22mm socket and breaker bar, while the car is grounded, begin to loosen the 5 lug nuts.
Once the lugs are slightly loosened, raise the car. Use jack stands, or just keep the car up on the jack, being careful maneuvering around it.
If you feel safer, use jack stands.
Make sure the tire is well clear of the ground, remove the lug nuts and the wheel.
Make sure to mark which wheel you are removing, ex “Front Driver” wheel. If you mark them now, when it comes time to put them back on, you will know which position to rotate that tire to.
Place new wheel on lugs and start to finger tighten all the lugs. Then, using the 22 mm socket begin to tighten them down, using a crossing pattern. Do not overly tighten.
Lower the car, and finish tightening in the same cross pattern method.
If Torque wrench is available, torque to the specific specs required, I did 93lbft.
After a few days, check the lugs again to make sure none of them have loosened.
Notes: My wheels came with specific, narrower lugs than the stock, but it also came with an accessory socket that fit right onto my 22mm. Also, check with a more knowledgeable source than me, but I have seen different thoughts on storage of the Michelin tires, based on Temps.
I decided to do this process myself. I had to buy a few tools for the process, but I like the idea of saving money and the time it would take to go to the local garage. Also, I am not a mechanic, this was designed to be a simple guide. It’s never a bad idea to watch a video on doing this, safety first!
Hopefully you find this helpful if doing it on your own.
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probably Michelin x-Ice
