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I believe the wheel material is the same as all the other wheels in this range.
The finish on the wheels is nice and since you are nearby you can always swing by our shop and check out the wheels in person before we mount everything up for you.
We have these and all others in stock so you can see them for yourself and not have to rely on pics.
As far as the ride... We have never had anyone complain. Everyone that upgraded to larger wheels has loved the improvement in the ride.
We have a couple smarts at our shop that have larger wheels and you can always swing by and take a test drive first.
Boris
Thanks Boris. Thought I'd get some opinions after reading up on unsprung weight and all the technical info related to wheel changes on the Smart. I'd love to swing by and test the 17's myself in one of your Smarts, and I am very interested in trying out a turbo smart if you guys are ok with that. I am seriously considering a turbo and a Smartuki, so I guess I need to consider that with 17" wheels as well (as well as suspension upgrades). I'll call ya up and we can talk more Monday. As always, your customer service is top notch.
when u go to 17s it simply means ur going for looks definatly not ride quality. also it takes a little hit in mpgs. one i am not one for ride quality and did not by my smart for the mpg so they suit my needs also go with a 225 in the rear
Why 225 as opposed to 215 in the rear, BabyBenz? I am not solely interested in looks, and I don't want to over-wheel the Smart which is why I've been doing so much reading on this topic lately, and collecting opinions.
So someone thinks the rim manufacture knows more about what pressures to run than the tire manufacture. Call yokohama and ask. It says 50psi max on the 17" tire sidewall for a reason. If your running 29 and 36psi your running LOW. More heat to the tire-more tire wear-and less MPG. Remember what happend to Firestone and the Ford Explorer running low on air? BOOM.........
As for hydroplaning-stock smart tires-because of there low roll resistence-have NO contact patch. You ride on top of the road because of how hard the tires are made.
I've been driving the 17" tires through more rain than most of you (sorry for you Seattle folks) and your science of contact patches be damned-I slid off the road several times with stock tires in the rain-never even close with the 17" Yokohamas.
cowancom - please research some about tire pressures, their effect on ride and tire wear.
Just because my tailgate says it has a 200 lb capacity doesn't mean I'm running it too low by not having any weight on it. It's a MAXIMUM value.
It's not the rim manufacturers suggesting the tire pressures, it's the vehicle manufacturer who knows the weight distribution on front and back. If there were 100 lbs of weight on the front tires and 1800 lbs on the back, 50psi would result in a contact patch of ONE INCH on each front tire. By tuning the pressures to the specific weights for the tires, the contact patches are sized appropriately.
As for hydroplaning-stock smart tires-because of there low roll resistence-have NO contact patch. You ride on top of the road because of how hard the tires are made.
I've been driving the 17" tires through more rain than most of you (sorry for you Seattle folks) and your science of contact patches be damned-I slid off the road several times with stock tires in the rain-never even close with the 17" Yokohamas.
No tire has "no contact patch." On a dry or wet road, a tire does not ride "on top of the road." And sliding on a wet road is probably not hydroplaning, simply too fast for conditions, too high tire pressure, wrong tread pattern, etc. (or a combination of all of those.) Cannot agree more with John's comment on tire pressure. Had the same discussion with a well respected tire place here after they filled the tires on another car right to the max pressure on the side wall. My first clue - taking a damp Interstate on ramp at my normal speed and seeing the rear of the car trying to pass the front. Got the same "tire manufacturer knows more than GM engineers" response - haven't been back since.
I have a decent background with contact patches and unsprung weight being a motorcycle rider. I know reducing unsprung weight is one of the biggest upgrades you can do to a car or bike, which is why I got concerned hearing about the heavier weight of the 17's on such a small car. Of course, the Smart is not that fast to begin with so maybe it's a non-issue.
Either way, I am still interested in hearing from those who've switched from stock to 17" wheels.
Cowancom, John H, Jwight, Can you guys get your heads together and PLEASE come up with a proper tire pressure for the Yokohama 195/40/17 front and the 225/35/17 rear tires mounted on the Smart car. This would be very useful information for many people who have made this change to those specfic tires and also hepful to others with similar sized tires. It's really great having knowledgable people on this forum that can assist the members on correct information and safety matters such as this. Thanks a lot!! If any or all of you are going to the Dragon Rally in September,It would be my privilege to meet you and buy you a drink. Cheerz, SmartChip
The best thing to do, I would think, is contact the Yokahama people. If you get to the real customer service people rather than the discount tire storefront, they may be able to give you the information if you provide them with the weight on the front tires and the weight on the back tires. I find permissible axle load in the tech guide for front and rear but not typical values.
I checked the standard Continental tires and they are sidewall rated at 40 psi MAX. Since 29 and 36 psi are recommended on those tires and the Yokohamas are sidewall rated at 50 psi, I decided to start at 34 and 42 psi on the Yoko's. I amdriving the car and "feeling " my way. I'm feeling for, general ride, tire reaction to bumps along my same travelled roads, lane changing, turning corners, and all the other similar types of driving that I do. Object is to get the car to perform as close to the stock tires as possible. I am also a "common sense" driver. When I drive in the rain, I reduce my speed and move to the right lane. When it rains harder, I reduce speed further. There is NO reason to drive the same way in all kinds of weather,SAFETY IS the PRIME prerequsite. I am also feeling for rolling resistance and checking gas mileage to get that back to stock tire performance too. We'll see how it all works out.. Don'tcha' know I'm tunin' for the Dragon. I feel the need, the need for speed ---at least 45 mph worth anyway. Cheerz, SmartChip-------P.S. I'll buy myself a drink at the Dragon.
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