Has anyone put the 15" Genius wheels on their smart?

[eddie.vandermark]

I have been thinking about getting a new set of Genius wheels (provided I can get the better half to approve it! LOL), but, I have been struggling with what size to get. Everyone seems to praise the 17" wheels up and down, but, I haven't seen anything about the 15"

My old car, I put 17" wheels on it and I scrubbed constantly, eventually eroding the plastic splash guards underneath the wheelwells and having to go through tires a bit quicker than I cared to. As a side note, the car did not have an upgraded suspension nor do I want to on my smart, and I went from 14" to 17".

The other issue is that I don't want to have to go out and buy new tires when I already have brand new tires on a brand new car. I also know that smartmadness takes your rims or rims and tires on a trade-in basis, but, I am just not sure that the trade-in amount would warrant enough to pay for the shipping both ways and new tires.

Any suggestions to make this sound like I am saving tons that I can bring to the better half? LOL! And, is the increase in the handling worth all the extra?

[SmartChip]

eddie, I put the Genius 17's on my Smart along with the recommended sizes of Yokohama tires and I can assure you they do not rub at all. See the post 17" wheels, any regrets. Hope that will ally all your fears. Cheerz, SmartChip

[SmartJoeMN]

Also by staying with the 15's you won't see much difference in handling, by upgrading to the 17in wheels you are putting a lower profile tire on the car, which is where the handling is increased.

[pabille]

Originally Posted by SmartJoeMN

Also by staying with the 15's you won't see much difference in handling, by upgrading to the 17in wheels you are putting a lower profile tire on the car, which is where the handling is increased.

Lower profile does equal less sidewall squirm. I beg to differ on no diff in handling with 15". Of course, I went with same size 15" Rials and 195/50s all the way around. Wider than stock in back and way wider in front.
The greater rotating weight of 17"s plus the fact that more of the weight is pushed to the outside diameter means a decrease in braking and acceleration performance. A must if you want to fit in those big front discs, 17s do look great but I like rotating tires every 5K.

[eddie.vandermark]

I appreciate all the info everybody. Now, just have to get the money and permission to place that order! Thanks again!