Newbie with same old wheel and tire questions
 

I purchased my first HHR LS Panel two weeks ago today. After quickly going through quite a few threads about tire and wheel sizes, which left me almost as confused as before I started looking, I have arrived at what I "Think" are the ideal sizes that I need to look for in purchasing a new set of each. I am looking for as large of a set as I can get without causing any rubbing problems or unnecessary modifications. Please correct as needed.
Wheels: 16"----16 X 7 with 5 x 110mm lug spacing with 42MM offset. Considering American Racing Torq Thrust
Tires: 225/55R/16...........I have seen that 26.2" is the max height.

Thanks in advance

Tires are fine, wheels are not, you need 5x110mm.

:welcomewagon: to the forums!!

Thank You! I think I'm going to like it here.

The tire size that the car came with should be on the placard on the driver door frame.

Welcome to the site, someone who just got those rims should chime in real soon.

I have the American racing torq thrusts with tires swapped onto them from my stock 16 inch rims. Though made in China, they are of great quality and measure up perfectly down to a fraction of a millimeter when compared to my stock rims. The rim is half inch wider than stock and offset is slightly lower, resulting in a perfect fit, albeit EXTREMELY close to the brake caliper. We're talking one or two credit cards worth of space. Someone else got the 17 inch version without trouble as well. I got the black painted ones with polished aluminum lips. Check my featured hhr thread for pics

That’s him^ And here’s the feature thread

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/hhr-...red-hhr-58649/

Love that car!


Does it bother anyone else that "American Racing" wheels are made in China?
You know most American flags are, too. :clueless:

Awesome ride. I really like what you have done to your vehicle. You can take credit for me deciding NOT to use my HHR as a work vehicle. I now want to do a few of the same mods and maybe a few different ones too. The full rear spoiler, running boards, tail light mods and wheels to name a few. I have found the wheels that I really want but it appears they won't fit properly. They are AR VN 815 Torque Thrust II in Black Chrome. They are available in three 16" X 7" sizes. All three have 4.00 back spacing. One is 5 x 4.50, one is 5 x 4.75 and the other is 5 x 127 mm. If one of these can be made to work without too much expense, I would then like to get a black chromed grill.
This place is addicting. The more I read and look at other vehicles, the more I would like to do.

Is there an easy way to make any of the sizes I mentioned above work?

No. Not only are they the wrong bolt pattern, they have 0 offset.

Here is a link to AR wheels that fit http://www.americanracing.com/wheels...wse-wheels.cfm

Thank You very much!

I put 215-55-17s on my wifes car, ride is Far better than the 215-45-17s that were on it and they fill the wheel wells no rubbing.The 55s give it more of an old school look. 16in wheels with bigger tires look even better!

215-45-17's were not a factory size for the HHR. That size is a lot shorter than stock size that should be on there.
Yep. Short, skinny, no sidewall tire. Bet it did ride harsh and rough.

Yes it rode harsh and beat the front end parts to death. They were on the car when purchased. New parts and tires almost like a new car again! I have seen HHRs around here with 18 or 20 in wheels with rubber bands for tires that has to be a brutal ride. I would like to have some 16in steel rally wheels with big old school tires i draw the line with white walls though......before my time!

No, but contact AR perhaps they’ll make you a set in the correct 5X110 mm with a 42 mm offset.

The 215/55's should as they have a taller sidewall which is a better "shock absorber" then the other ones. Also the compound of the tire makes a difference. A 30K tire wears faster but is a softer compound than a 50K tire. Running tire pressures at 30 psi will also make for a softer ride than at 35 psi.

If you really care what is "supposed" to be on the car you can look at the tire placard stuck on the driver door frame.

Of course there are lots of changes that don't match the sticker - that goes without saying. I have an idea what your point might be, but don't want to assume what it is.

So you put red tail lights in place of your headlights??
That doesn’t make any sense at all, let’s keep to a helping informational response

3500k headlight bulbs and Red LED tail light bulbs that flash when you apply the brake!

Yep Oldblue. That's the way I read it.