Has anyone done this??

I wonder how it could effect ride quality...etc. I think I really liked my 14 inch rims/tires on my GD fit...and now I'm wondering if switching to smaller rims could improve the perceived ride quality or acceleration, etc?

Thoughts?

 

Once you go below 15 inches your tire choices think badly.. Most are either total ECO tires or race tires not much in between .. Try finding the tires for an Old School mini ..

 

that's not a concern...I'm sure I could get good 14 inch tires...

 

After a quick google of "14 inch wheels ge8 fit" and several posts on FF came up. People running 99 civic/integ 14s, random steelies etc. Seems like the concern is brake clearance.

 

Everyone I know that road races that has to run 14" tires would kill to go up a size, identical models but required to run the size for the year the car was built, the 15"s and 16"s give 2 to 4 seconds a lap .. IE rabbits are the best example, they came with various sizes, club finally said OK all of them can run a 16x7 since the Wolfsburg GTI had them.. Bigger the tire slower everything has to turn to keep you moving, less wear, handles bumps better.. But I don't run very low profile tires on anything on the street..

 

I run old 14" Honda rims for my winter tires. I barely clear the front calipers.
Otherwise, no problem!
My 14" winter Toyo G02+ are firmer and sportier than the OEM 4-season Dunlop tires!!

But seriously, just make sure the rims you want to use clear the front calipers.

 

I know it's an old thread, but in case anyone wondering - I installed winter studded tires (Pirelli Ice Zero 175/65 R14) with 14" rims (J 5.5) on my '09 Fit Sport, to replace stock summer 185/55 R16 ones. Previously I had them on my '07 Fit. Front brake specs from NAPA say the rotors are the same size on both so I assumed the caliper size and position should likely be the same. After installing I measured the gap between the calipers and inner wall of the rims, it's around 1.5 cm, and the outer caliper parts seem to fit inside the rim bulge nicely. Rear drum brakes are fine. I also quickly measured the approximate ground clearance for R16 and R14 from the side plastic moulding to the ground, and it showed approx 7 inches in both cases, so the car really hasn't really lose much ground clearance - I think it's because of more knobby design of the winter tires as online calculators show around 30 mm difference in overall diameter of the tires.

 

You normally shouldn't loose any clearance by changing the rim size. 14" rims will have higher sidewall tires than 15" rims. But the overall diameter of both wheels should be about the same.