2001 Alero Idea

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by jamcllw

You guys trip me out. I've got 17" wheels on my Alero with Intrax lowering springs and I've never had any rubbing issues. Yes you do have to get a tire with a smaller side wall but the ride is damn near the same before I did anything. The stock wheels and tires are tanks. I think they weigh in right under 40 lbs. Most 17" aluminum rims and tires weigh nowhere near that so performance would most likely increase. I think the 17s are too small and plan on upgrading to 18s soon. The only problem you will get from adding a bigger wheel would be in the width. The max an Alero can handle is a 8.5" wide rim. I've seen a couple of Alero's with 20s without any modifications to the struts or suspension. Granted I think it looks like shit but it's possible to fit them.

If you read my 2 cents worth, I don't recall saying that a 17 inch wheel wouldn't fit but that the rubber has to be adjusted accordingly. You'd have to drop below a 50 series tire.

A typical aftermarket 17 inch wheel has a width of 7.5" and 18 inch 8.5" so based on what you're saying they should fit without any mods...right?

What is your current tire size?

On the 20s without modifications on an Alero, I'd have to see it to believe it. Why don't you post a pic of one? Seeing is believing.

As to ride quality Alero's don't have any in the first place so it probably wouldn't make any difference. Be glad to let you test drive my '97 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP with 17" wheels and then you be the judge.

The only way to get a real performance gain on an Alero is under the hood. With your nice wheels what do you have under the hood to back them up.

At the dragstrip, we've blown the doors off the kids in the Honda rice-burners with 18" + wheels. They are under the wrong impression that they can win just with pretty wheels and tires. The response is the guy at the tire shop said it would make my car super fast. Made 5 bills with Ben Franklin's face on it one day.

BTW - Weren't you one of the guys on one of those Alero forums that had all the rack & pinion and steering problems after upgrading the wheels and tires?

[jamcllw]

The only issue I've had on my car was the LIM gasket. As far as performance goes I'll start the list:
Full MSD ignition
Msd 8.5mm plug wires
ported lower intake manifold
ported upper intake manifold
62mm throttle body
ported heads
cold air intake
SLP cat back exhaust
S&S headers
DHP reprogrammed ECU
STB front and back
bigger sway bars
polyurethane bushings everywhere I could put them

I'm not the typical ricer that your thinking I am. I was basically talking to everyone that posted above you saying it's not possible. If you would like to reread my post I never said that wheels would definaty increase performance I said most likely. MOST LIKELY! It's simple physics you go from 40lbs rolling mass to say 33lbs it doesn't take as much power to get them moving.

[jamcllw]

Here ya go. Read his guestbook he states the only thing he did was put spacers on the back so they stick out further.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/583793

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by jamcllw

The only issue I've had on my car was the LIM gasket. As far as performance goes I'll start the list:
Full MSD ignition
Msd 8.5mm plug wires
ported lower intake manifold
ported upper intake manifold
62mm throttle body
ported heads
cold air intake
SLP cat back exhaust
S&S headers
DHP reprogrammed ECU
STB front and back
bigger sway bars
polyurethane bushings everywhere I could put them

I'm not the typical ricer that your thinking I am. I was basically talking to everyone that posted above you saying it's not possible. If you would like to reread my post I never said that wheels would definaty increase performance I said most likely. MOST LIKELY! It's simple physics you go from 40lbs rolling mass to say 33lbs it doesn't take as much power to get them moving.

Nice mods. You should be able to clean up at the strip. With the engine mods you've got, a difference of 7 lbs per wheel would be moot. What is your 1/4 mile ET, trap speed, and 0 - 60 ft times?

Did DHP do a custom re-programming job on your ECU? What brand is your CAI and 62mm throttlebody?

Nice to see pic of that engine. Sounds bad!

[vamc]

This is just a thought, Why would you want to put 20'' tires on an Alero anyways? Its not a viper or corvett. WHY? Thats like haveing a huge tach on your dash with a 6'' diamater, when you have a stock one there that works perfactly fine. Im all for making cars faster and everything and making the car look a little better then stock, but, darn! But thats what i think, and my thoughts only!

[vamc]

bnaylor3400, You have to see this one,he said that he has 8.5mm wires. well.. if you look at his pics on that website, sore some reason, i dont see them! 8.5mm wires are hard to miss, i mean i have 8mm on mine and you can see them. I also didnt see his headers either. take a look and see what he does not have as stated above. I could be wrong on all of this, so please take a look.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by vamc

bnaylor3400, You have to see this one,he said that he has 8.5mm wires. well.. if you look at his pics on that website, sore some reason, i dont see them! 8.5mm wires are hard to miss, i mean i have 8mm on mine and you can see them. I also didnt see his headers either. take a look and see what he does not have as stated above. I could be wrong on all of this, so please take a look.

Oh you mean the red Alero at that web site address he gave us? It belongs to a guy by the name of Josh. It's not jamcllw's Alero. It was for the purpose of showing that it is possible to mount 20" wheels on the Alero but even Josh stated he had to put in spacers I believe at the rear.
However, in Josh's guestbook another guy stated he had 20" wheels and could not get them to fit. The car has no mods and is box stock otherwise. Josh runs the Nitto tires NT555 Extreme size: ZR 225/35/20.
Basically, it just another pretty euro/rice-burner. If he was modded out the spacers will prove to be a safety hazard to include running 35 aspect ratio tires, especially if he had the mods and power jamcllw claims he has. Plus on a high G-turn at speed the tire will rub against the strut on the front end due to tire flexing.

Here are some simple calculations. Its all physics...lol. His tire revolutions per mile is 793.89. Stock Aleros have revolutions per mile around 850 to 836. Josh has possibly improved his gas mileage by slowing his car down. The difference is -42. The bottom line if both cars were stock Josh would probably loose in a drag race or any type of acceleration run. He altered his overall final drive ratio/gearing. The car with the higher spins has the lower overall gearing and therefore would be quicker. Josh would probably have the higher top speed but I doubt it since he has no modified ECU and would hit the speed limiter/barrier at 106 mph. In essence you gain nothing but looks and possible improved gas mileage.

Plus with Josh's tire/wheel combination he will have a speedo error of approximately 3.5 mph. When he sees for example 65 mph on the speedo, he's actually going 68.5 mph.

Other than looks, or maybe keeping up with the Jone's I really don't see what is to be gained considering the amount of money spent for name brand aftermarket wheels and tires.

But I will say that 20 inch wheels look sharp on a pickup truck like a Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado or Dodge Ram Magnum. Plus pickup trucks would benefit due to the possible increase in miles per gallon due to less tire revolutions per mile.

BTW - Just my 2 cents

[LeBuick]

Originally Posted by jamcllw

Here ya go. Read his guestbook he states the only thing he did was put spacers on the back so they stick out further.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/583793

Do you know this guy? How does this car ride? That looks like the kids at my churches tires, He also put in racing seats with very little padding. Ya Ba Da Ba Doo...

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by LeBuick

Do you know this guy? How does this car ride? That looks like the kids at my churches tires, He also put in racing seats with very little padding. Ya Ba Da Ba Doo...

Hi LeBuick. I really don't know but it looks like an accident waiting to happen to me. Doesn't make any sense. Maybe they'll realize when they get to our age that safety, ride, good handling, and comfort are more important than looks or keeping up with the other guy. I don't know about you but when I get out of the Alero and into my Buick or Pontiac, the difference is like day n night.

All I got out of this whole thing is the 16" wheels will definitely fit safely within GM specifications. 17" will probably fit but with less than 50 series tires. 18" may fit but with very expensive 35 series tires. 20" may fit but with spacers and very expensive 35 series tires. But sacrificing safety, handling, ride/comfort, and possible performance to include speedo error
you brought up.

I guess anythings possible but at what cost.

[LeBuick]

You said it brother, values do change as you get older. Reminds me of these women with pants so tight they have to loosen the top button to sit down or eat. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the scenery but feel sorry for any women who goes through that just to be noticed. I've learned the type of bait has a lot to do with the fish you catch.

I once had a buddy that would ride with the tinted windows up in his caddy because it looked cool and the ladies thought his AC worked. He also had curb feelers on the drivers side, a green tennis ball on his antenna, trunk tied with a bungie, rust behind the rear wheels, dented front fender, worn rear shocks and no two tires were the same.

I use to tell him, "trust me, riding with the windows up ain't impressing nobody, it's just making you sweat".

Oh yeah, he tinted the windows himself. It was his first time...

[BNaylor]

Thought you guys might get a laugh or kick out of this. Here's a pic of a real Honda rice burner. Notice the oversize tires and wheels.

"Keep on roosting"

[img] http://www.photodump.com/direct/LizzyN./honda_riceb.jpg [/img]

[vamc]

bnaylor3400, I dont think he values his live very much. Either he will kill himself or others with all of the mads he supposely has done to it. He probley thinks he cant die. I work in A hospital and i seen young kids that been dragracing on the streets get killed. 2 weeks ago, we had a kid that was 18 and he came in DOA! Dead on arrivel! he had sever head trama, chf-congestive head tramma, and a brain hemerage. You can die. I have seen it. dont think you cant die just because you have a 4-5 point harnes. that does help alot when in a crash, but that does not mean 100% you are going to walk away from the crash! I do work in in ER as well as the Pharmacy, and i seen kids like you die from stupit crap like this. I hope one day he will know what im talking about before it is to late. Who agrees with me!

[vamc]

chf-Congestive hart failer, sorry

[BNaylor]

You can't beat any sense into a dead horse. It's their car, life, and money so I guess they can do what they want. I wonder if any of these guys that may put anything above 17" wheels on their Aleros have the guts to inform their insurance company, if any, of the mod.

At least the original poster got his money's worth both pro and con on this issue.

[vamc]

Im sure he has done that already.lol