2012 Honda Fit Sport white, owner here.
I am enjoying my soft commuter ride on my 14" steels.
Much much better ride for daily long commutes.

Mine 14" steels are painted white so it's already looks cool.
But I am thinking what benefits 14" alloys offers besides looks.

Besides being light and better looking - any other benefits...pros/cons?

 

How about some pics. I find my 15 snows on steelies ride much nicer than the 16 Alloys.

 

We could get into a heated discussion about slip angle vs cornering force and get all hi-tech, but IMHO the trend to larger diameter wheels/low-profile tires is mostly style-related. If you want to pretend youre a racer, then go for the largest diameter wheel you can afford. If youre a daily commuter, then the 14" MAY be a better choice for comfort/price/etc.(and it's less likely someone will steal your 14" steelies!)

 

I am not a racer, just look like one. Sorry no pics.
I am looking for pros/cons of 14" steels/alloy for a commuter that excludes looks.

Being lighter will probably improve economy but being lighter will it make the vehicle unsafe?
Also wheels being lighter will the ride be different/harsher - as it absorption of steels vs. alloy in road feel/noise?

 

Curious why you put 14" on in the first place if you have all these questions.

What is tire size? If not close to original OD then you speedo could be way off.

Are they lighter than the original alloys? I guess you would have to weigh them. While maybe the wheel is lighter the tire will be heavier.

I doubt going with 14 would affect the safety.

 

I put 14" on because I can. No seriously because from this forum I heard and Physics indicates that 14" would give me a smoother ride than my 16". Since I don't race and do commuting to work and dropping kids off here and there locally - I want a smooth ride.

I got everything from Tirerack so the OD is almost close. The speedo at 60 is really 60.2 so I don't care or mind that it's off a little. It's all about smooth ride and economy. My good looks makes up for what I can't show off in my racing mobile - sorry still no pics.

But that's why 14" inches. Just a smoother ride. But I am thinking Alloys???? So I posted the question here.

 

just keep your current 14's.

imho, 14's on our cars dont look good to begin with so just go on the cheap and emphasize comfort for your application. GL!

 

LOL. OK makes sense. I am still on my 16 alloys and lowered on Swifts. Mine rides like a brick on wheels. I sort of enjoy switching over in the Fall to my 15" steelies with snows for the softer ride.

 

I ran 16" snow tires on a car with 17" wheels and found the ride softer and quieter (and that is with knobby Blizzak snows). I suspect you'll have a much more comfortable and quiet ride.

Alloys might be lighter - reducing unsprung weight is always good (which is why I laugh when people put ridiculously heavy 20"s on their car and think it is better for performance than the OEM 17"s) but not guaranteed-- TireRack gives weight for most wheels (incidentally, I just looked on their site and didn't even see a 14" option for a '13 Sport!

There is a good website that helps calculate appropriate tire conversions when changing wheels, sidewall, widths from OEM to ensure no speedometer error- Tire size calculator
I think Fit Sports have 185-55 16" so a 14" wheel would need higher sidewall -- 165-75 14" should be very close.

Pat
'13 Sport MT

 

The only thing I'd be concerned about is the fact that alloys usually have thicker walls than steel wheels to make up for the difference in structural strength. The thickness difference might reduce the INNER diameter of the wheel to the point where you'd have some interference issues with the front-suspension hardware: brake calipers, tie rods, etc.

Make sure you test-fit any 14" alloys before buying.

 

165-75? just seem unsafe being so tall and thin

 

Some people already said that, but few quick points:

-14" will give you smoother ride vs 16" because the sidewall on the 14" is taller, so the rubber will absorb the bumps

-alloy rims usually are lighter, but really it depends of the rim that you get, it's not a given that alloy will be lighter

-bigger rims don't increase performance, it's a balance of weight and size that does, in fact if the rims are too big, the performance will decrease because of the rotational mass, which now will be further away from the center of the rim, which will make the car work harder to turn the wheel

-a good alloy rim will be stronger then a steel wheel

 

I really wanna trade my 16" alloys for 16" steelies.

Or I'd do a 16" alloy trade for 15" steelies if rubber included.

Pm me if you'd like to talk

 

also been thinking about 15" steelies if I could find they in 15x6 or 15x7.

 

15x6 is easy to find: Just look for that size from an early-2000's Civic.

It's what I use for my winter tires - they bolt right on with no clearance problems.

 

Or zuza could look for base Fit steelies, which also (wonder of wonders!) bolt right on without any clearance problems. They are 15x5.5's, apparently, rather than 15x6's, but close enough for any reasonable use.