Wheels Are Rare for Cateras...?

[elvin315]

Originally Posted by uRabbit

How do I go about choosing the right tire? Will the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW-2 be too low-profile? I want something close to the OEM size tire. How do I know if it is or not without actually setting the tires side-by-side?

Thanks a lot!

That's tough. So many choices. Performance or All Season? Boise get heavy snow, right? If you normally use dedicated snow tires then it gets twice as hard. Will you be using the car to commute or will you be tearing up some mountain asphalt on weekends? If so then traction vs. mileage enters the equation. All that and we haven't started on the snow tires. My suggestion is to decide how you are going to use the tires and work from there. Profile? I think a 225/45-18 is pretty close to stock circumference but you'd better check with your tire shop to be sure. At least the speed rating is easy. Since the Catera is limited to 125 MHP all you need are H rated tires.

In case you're interested I went with the Kelly Fierce UHP. I needed new tires desperately for my trip from Tampa, where I bought my Cat, back to Buffalo. I really wanted All Season tires but no one I called stocked the Michelin Exalto which was my tire of choice. The dealer gave me a good price on the Fierce so I decided to wait until I got back to Buffalo and get real honest snows there. The Fierce is an Ultra High Performance tire with an extreme unidirectional footprint.
http://www.kellytires.com/auto/promo/fierce.html

I have to admit I bought them mainly because they looked so wicked. Not a well thought out descision but it worked out pretty good. The return trip was over 1,200 miles and I tested them on mountain backroads as well as boring Intersates. The car tracked straight and true on the highways, with more cornering grip on the backroads than I have ever experienced. As fast as I dared go through the turns I couldn't even get a squeal. I'm thinking about trying some autocross this summer. They're that good.

The snow tires I chose are are Michelin X-Ice. I haven't had much opportunity to test them with the mild winter we've had but the reviews were all excellent. They are a little noisy but with their aggressive tread I expected that. They also track true and provide excellent grip. I'm a happy camper.
http://www.michelinman.com/overview/x_ice/3174.html

Again I've babbled on but I mean well. Ultimately the tire choice is yours. All the manufacturers are making great tires so I don't think you can go wrong.

[uRabbit]

Sweet. Thanks a lot!

[uRabbit]

Welp... I was thinking... I could either get All Season UHP tires, or get Summer UHP tires and just switch back to my stock wheels and my current tires for the winter... The only All Season UHP tires I found on tirerack.com that I like are the Avon Tech M550 A/S and the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position tires. Those Kelly's are really nice, but aren't offered on tirerack.com.

I think I'll go with those Bridgestones...

[heavycat]

I was actually very surprized with the comfort I retained when i got the 20's. I was excpecting it to be rough, but you really couldnt tell the difference during normal driving. You really only notice during hard braking, and its a little more slugish during acceleration. Even my mother ( who was very against me spending my money on rims) couldnt hate on them once she went for a ride. I geuss it all comes down to what your looking to get out of your cat. I really dont have the desire nor the terrain to push my cat at all. Its just a cruizer for me. To each their own

[elvin315]

Originally Posted by heavycat

I was actually very surprized with the comfort I retained when i got the 20's. I was excpecting it to be rough, but you really couldnt tell the difference during normal driving. You really only notice during hard braking, and its a little more slugish during acceleration. Even my mother ( who was very against me spending my money on rims) couldnt hate on them once she went for a ride. I geuss it all comes down to what your looking to get out of your cat. I really dont have the desire nor the terrain to push my cat at all. Its just a cruizer for me. To each their own

I hope you didn't take offence at my suggestions. It's obvious which way I lean on the subject but by no means do I mean to slam fans of the DUBS. With all the pictures I've found of Cateras and Omegas with 20"ers I assumed someone would speak up on their behalf. Everything I said about ultra-low profile tires is from what I've read. The comments regarding your experience with those tires is much more valuble than my assumptions. Looks like uRabbit has a decision to make.

Elvin

[uRabbit]

Yes, I do have a decision to make. And it would be 18's. But right now, I may have to put my car aside (once again) for another, more important purchase... A laptop for school.

[elvin315]

Glad to see you have your priorities straight. Wheels can wait. Good Luck with your studies.

Elvin

[uRabbit]

Thanks for the encouragement! But, I'll have you know that my laptop will be a badass Apple. Hehe. =]

[phrog]

Heavycat, your ride is awesome, would you mind forwarding a phone number for the shop and some part numbers, if not too much trouble. I have been wanting to change mine out, but have not found the right look, my Cat is black, and I like the chrome, I must say that you have the look I have been waiting for! You have my vote for best looking Cat, only CateraV can give you competition! (Mostly because of the 500hp! Yours looks nicer!) Very nice job.

[phrog]

Sorry to hear about your pc choice Rabbit, but at least you have a cool ride! (Sorry, just joking!!!!!)