I've never been much of a rims person, but the plastic rims covers on my base '08 Fit have been really scraped up by curbs. My tires are now low and I figure that this might be a good time to think about also getting new rims that look nice and won't be scraped up as easily as the current plastic ones. I like the look of the simple 5, 6 or 7 spoke rims. As a complete newbie to the world of rims, are there things I should know about getting rims before I just go out to Craigslist or eBay or the marketplace here and put my money on a set?

thanks!

 

The plastic things are called "wheel covers" or "hub caps." The inner metal thing that the tire actually is put on is the wheel or rim. If all you're looking to replace is the wheel cover, there's not a whole lot to that other than buying a new set that's the right diameter—15 inch for the base. You might be able to find some that don't stick out quite so much as the stock ones. (Do be aware that wheel covers with large openings will of course let the underlying steel wheel show through.) There's nothing other than aesthetics that requires the use of wheel covers at all; they serve no functional purpose on the car.

If you actually want to replace the wheels themselves, there's a lot more to consider, and if they aren't the same size wheel as the stock one, you'd have to adjust the tire size you buy to suit. Replacement wheels, at least ones that look nice, are not inexpensive. You need to make sure the replacements are a suitable size (diameter and width), have an appropriate offset (how far in the hub is), and have the proper bolt pattern for attaching to the axle. Wheels that are a different size than the stock ones will require different sized tires, too, and this can have a very noticeable affect on how the car rides and handles. Broadly speaking, a larger diameter wheel will require tires with smaller sidewalls and will ride more firmly/roughly than the stock wheels. Wider tires will have more grip and hence generally handle better, but also have greater frictional losses and hence lower gas milage.

(If you're frequently scraping your wheel covers on curbs, you'd stand a reasonable chance of scraping nice wheels on the same curbs, or scraping the tire sidewalls, which will tend to beat up the wheels or destroy the tires.)

 

^detailed info!! awesome! +rep for you bud!!

 

Thank you so much for the information! I was rather afraid of being scoffed at for asking my question. But it is a tad overwhelming. I am thinking about getting new wheels, though you raised a good point about me probably scuffing whatever pretty wheels I get anyway (given my driving habits). Based on your explanation, there's obviously lots more for me to consider before I just go out and plunk cash down. Off to do more research and thanks again for helping orient me!

 

Your hubcaps are 14" not 15".

I didn't read the rest of the post.

 

Good info DrewE

A couple more points I just found out about.

I just bought a set of used after market rims and ran into two problems.

First you need to buy a set of Tuner lug nuts as the Honda ones have a different seat.

Second the center hole or bore. Rims fit snug on the hub to center them. After market rims have larger bores so to fit many wheels. To fill the gap you need hub-centric rings. Can be difficult to find for certain rims. Buying new rims though should not be a problem as the seller should include them to fit your car.

I am awaiting my nuts and rings to put mine on.