Tire size and temperature gauge? ('90 Celica)

Larger overall tire height will make your odometer and speedometer read lower than actual. There are many online calculators that will show you the difference, or you can have it re-calibrated.

Your 155-60-13's are 20.3"

215-35-18's are 23.9"

The new wheels and tires would be about 4" larger. At 60mph, your actual MPH would be 70.6. At 100mph, your actual would be 117.7, at 35 your actual speed would be 41.2.

Of course, this also means your odometer will record incorrect milage. If you drive with the wrong the wrong size for a substatial amount of time and decide to sell the vehicle, you will need to inform the buyer that the odometer is incorrect.

Also, please note that with 4" more overall hieght, your car will ride 2" higher, get worse mileage, and have less power. Generally when people with

4x4's get big tires they change gear ratios to match to get back to stock power. This may or may not be an option for you.

HTH,

Carl

See, I told you that the car probably did not need a heater core! Listen to uncle Ray!

First of all, a "rim" is the part of a wheel where the tire bead seats. Although "rim" is often used as a synonym for "wheel," only people who are not conversant in automotive terms use "rim" where "wheel" is the correct term. If you want to learn about cars, learn the correct terminology.

Second, 215-35-18 refers to a tire size, not a wheel or rim size.

This link at tirerack.com

will help you calculate the effect on tire size. Tirerack.com has one of the most useful sites I've seen, particularly when it come to information modifications. Keep in mind that there are physical limitations to tire diameter and width, i.e., wheel well diameter, wheel arch clearance, and rubbing on the wheel well liners. Using wheels with the incorrect offset in order to fit a wider tire will adverseley affect handling, stability, and wheel bearing life.

Check the thermostat to see if it is stuck open or is the incorrect temperature range.

Carl did the math - If you still want to run larger wheels, pick something in a 17" wheel with a 35-series or 40-series tire where the overall circumference ends up around the same. That way the speedometer will stay closer to reality without changing the speedo gear, and you don't have to make suspension mods, or change the final drive gears to get back the lost acceleration.

One other thing to consider - the shorter the tire sidewall, the easier it is to wreck the tire (cut the sidewall) and/or bend/break the wheel when hitting potholes or frost heaves, or road debris like a

2X4 dropped in the road. And those tires aren't cheap.

Sure, they look good, but...

Sounds like the thermostat has failed, they are supposed to fail open. And with the water pump always circulating at full flow and the road draft through the radiator the engine never warms up. Except when you are sitting still (no wind) and idling (low flow).

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Thank you all for your response. Bruce, I will seriously consider my decision to get wheels. If I do get some, I'll be looking at 17's since these may look a little better on my car anyway (being a little Celica, I was thinking that 18's may be a lil gaudy).

And for the thermostat... I will have a look at it soon. I tried to replace it not too long ago only to find that the place where I thought the thermostat was, was something that was too small for the thermostat (on the front of the engine). Could someone point me to where I could find the water outlet on me engine?

Thanks!

Bruce L. Bergman wrote:

Look for the thermostat housing at or near where the upper radiator hose enters the engine block.

Head over to alltrac.net for a gallery of pictures of gen 4 and 5 celica alltracs in all states of modification, from 14s to 18s, from 'pleasantly different' to "LOOK, IVE BOLTED AN IRONING BOARD TO MY BOOT

- COOL!". One of the pics on there should give you a good idea as to how your wheels would look, even if they arent the same :) Anything larger than 17s tend to be a little detrimental to handling on these cars, for a start they go wider which introduces major tramlining problems on this car. Biggest most people go for is 17x8 rims, 235x40x17 tyres. I have seen 18s with 30 profiles but they rubbed inside the front arches IIRC. personally run 215x40x17s and find i (painfully) regularly dent the alloys on potholes at 40mph as theres so little meat on the tyre.

Glad you sorted the heater matrix. I recently spotted a similar thing to this on my rad top-hose to thermostat connection - the clip had loosened and the hose was hanging on by its teeth, dripping occasionally - simple and (rare) cheap fix!

J

Not to mention needing to crawl over rough road most other cars don't even slow down driving over.

Running over the lane reflectors when changing lanes on the freeway may eventually rattle every screw loose with 40 series tires on a car designed for tall tires.

GL Dan

These issues with having larger wheels and tires are rather interesting. I have never heard of these issues.

The upper hose for the radiator. I'm assum> >

Nahh its not THAT bad lol. Drop to 30s and it is but 40s is still plenty of meat for that kinda thing. Its only really potholes that cause issues. And rough roads, but in the UK we only have potholes. And with 40s on the steering response is so much crisper you can dodge them most of the time lol.

When I tried to replace the thermostat, I did locate the upper radiator hose. When I removed the housing from the motor, there was no thermostat there. In fact, I took the housing to NAPA, Murray's, as well as AutoZone and they all told me that the housing was too small to be a housing for a thermostat. I checked with the thermostat and saw there was no way that THAT could fit into the housing that I removed. Where else should I look for the thermostat housing?

The weather is quickly becom> > Thank you all for your response. Bruce, I will seriously consider my

I believe the thermostat on my 92 Corolla Wagon is where the Bottom Hose goes into the block. Your's may be the same...

LOL! That would be my next guess.