New Member - New Starlet

[johnny01]

hello everyone!

I'm new to the club, and have been a big Toyota fan for some 18 years. I've just bought a little runabout, a Starlet (EP91 I think?) model Solida with the CD player, electric windows etc. I've already read the topic regarding the fitment of rear mounted Speakers and have successfully found the wiring loom and wired them in, thanks to the previous posts.

I would like to do a wheel upgrade, as the shopping trolley 185/80 R13's look ridiculous. Can anyone suggest a suitable Alloy replacement that will look the part lol - I'm sure I've read that Yaris and Corolla wheels might fit but I'm not sure what is the maximum wheel/tyre combination size that I can use.

Also has anyone done anything simple and cheap to upgrade the look of the model? I obviously can't warrant any major expense as it's not a GT or Turbo model. Stuff like little bits of trim, grilles, lights etc? I like the black painted door surround on some of the models Ive seen - blends in well with the rear side windows. Oh, by the way - it's silver with a hint of blue

Hope someone can help?

Cheers - Johnny

PS: I'm quite impressed with the build quality of the car - having owned a Yaris as well, the Starlet reminds me of a mini Corolla, I think it's much more solid on the road than the Yaris.

[starletsr]

I think it's much more solid on the road than the Yaris.

Yay go the starlets :P

A big *hug* to johnny Welcome to the family of toyota's. :group-cuddles:

Sure you can find a lot of info on here, but i can never find them

185/80 R13's look ridiculous...... hmmm i agree, even though mine are 195/45/15 aint too bad. What size rims you are wanting to get?

I have keep my starlet as standard as poss, don't wanna go OTT with crazy things on it, otherwise it won't be a starlet

Good luck

Enjoy browsing.

Shelly

to "i think it's much more solid on the road than the yaris" hehehe

[johnny01]

Hi Shelly, and thanks for the reply and welcome

I was thinking 15" rims too lol, and I might have to price up a set of wheels and boots along the lines of what you've got, size-wise. I assume you've had no problems with that size? I think I've got the spacing and offset details somewhere lol - I seem to think its 100mm with a 38mm offset?

I had a Corolla of similar vintage ('99) and the Starlet reminds me a lot of that but in miniature! I also had an '02 Yaris which was far better than my wife's old 'V' plate Yaris - that didn't even go around corners! I think the Starlet just feels more solid and chunky than the Yaris, even with those diddy wheels on it feels more stable at speed lol. I like it! Makes a change from Celicas anyway lol.

I'll let you know how I get on......

Kind regards - Johnny

[whitestarlet]

welcome to the site mate.!

[geocool69]

alright mate...welcome to toc.....hopefully u will stick around.

[nrgizerbunny]

hi johnny.

I would say one thing going from experience, when you are about to change your wheels make sure you know how much the tyres are going to cost.

thick fit and the major national centres tend to quote alot more than the independent.

also be aware that tyres seem to come in 4 price brands

Remoulds,

Budget

Named (firestone, goodyear, conti etc)

and then Michelin which are about 20% dearer than the rest.

as for wheels there are some quite nice Enkei wheels on eBay for £155 buy it now which i was tempted to go for but then the cost of the tyres was £210

bringing total in to £365

have a nice day

sanj

[Spartan]

Hi and welcome to TOC.

I was away to suggest these Enkei wheels on eBay. I, myself bought a set from the same seller. The service was prompt and the wheels in excellant condition.

Tyres are very inexpensive for this wheel size. A full set of Toyo Proxes T1-S cost me £123.60 delivered from these guys.

Good luck with the wheel hunting!

Forgot to say, if you break up your cars handling into a percentage figure, i've read that tyre choice makes up 60% of your cars handling capability. Whether this is true or not, the safest thing you can do to protect your self when driving is having reliable, good quality tyres.

The proxes I have are quite frankly the best tyres I've used in a long time. I would say better than the equivalent Yokos I used to have. Deffo better than pilot sports as well.

A thing I've found is while my car grips the road and doesn't lose traction, the suspension is wobbling all over the place so upgraded springs would be a good idea!

[starletsr]

AAww isn't it nice all the starlet peeps are here to help, come on to the starlet owners!! Get a big gathering one time

[Captain Starlet]

im saving for my Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's ,um proxes, springs an grooved discs all at once :D

Co'mon then lets av sum more talkin lol

[starletsr]

Like to see the result whens it's done..... what else can i do to my little motor now? Side skirts are so expensive so unbelievable.

[johnny01]

Hello everyone and thanks for the welcome and replies

I have a quick query though, in response to Shellys first reply. I've bunged the tyre measurements into the 'sticky' tyre size calculator (at the top of the Starlet Forum) and this shows that there is quite a significant speedo error, in the order of 11%, when using that tyre and rim combination. It also seems to indicate that the Starlet will be slower, because the overall wheel diameter is smaller.

Short of going for 195/60's which are less low profile, an even bigger rim size is needed to keep the low profile element of the tyre, such as 16 or even 17" rims. Also, what is the most extreme width anyone has used, for instance on a 6 1/2 J wheel rim can you get away with a 205 or 215 width tyre, for example 205/60 R15 or 215/55 R15 appear to give a more correct speedo reading.

Would love to see some pics of your tyres Shelly.

Kind regards - Johnny

[srd]

welcome along bud....

in my opinion 15" are the ultimate size for handeling and accelaration ;)

[sparky SR]

welcome to the site mate,got to agee with u about the starlet being better than a yaris,i drove the sr yaris didnt think it was as fast or as stable as the starlet sr.

go for a de-slated front bumper,it gives a more agressive look to the front of the starlet.is ther any starlet meets planed?would be good to put some faces to names.

just went to price my springs today so i should be gettin them next month,

[nrgizerbunny]

i would just point out that the calculator assumes you run the tyre to a pressure where its completely round, something that doesn't usually happen.

using that calc i'd say 195/50R15 is the best bet, thats only 0.3% fast which is next to nothing.

I agree with that statement about the tyres making a big difference on handling. I run my Golf with 18's and its really good because the sidewall of the tyre doesn't flex as much.

Although on a personal note i don't rate toyo tyres. I think even though michelin are expensive, it is a bit of a misleading affair because i find they last a lot longer than anything else.

[starletcraig]

well i have always plumped for uniroyal rainsport's they seem to do the trick.....

an a meet sounds v.interestin!!!!

craig

[sparky SR]

the standard starlet sr comes with 195/45/15,if u put this size on ur car it should keep the overall wheel size the same and speedo reading correct

heres a pic of my tyre should be the same size as shelly's

http://www.edinburghcruise.co.uk/ec/Pics/f...cars/star/4.jpg

[starletsy]

From experience go for 15's they are the best size. 16's do look nice though but tyres are more expensive. Running 195/50/15's are fine you'll find that's what most of the jap guys run on there GTs and Glanzas also Hyper Rev (jap tuning bible) recomends 195/50/15's for the EP91.

[Captain Starlet]

sparky has tht jus the standard 25mm drop or a more?

[Spartan]

yup 195 50 15 work great for me, the reason I went for the slightly larger sidewall was purely because 50 profiles are more common and so work out cheaper per corner.

The Toyo Proxes will wear pretty quickly. The reason they grip so well is because they make em out of a softer compound. Michelins might go for a slightly harder compound thus giving better wear.

Alot of new tyres are using various silicon forumlas to act as a go between grip and wear, i think the rainsports are like these.

[starletsr]

Yeah mine should be the same as sparky's, i'm using 195/45/15

The pic doesnt show it too good, i try another shot tomorrow. Don't find anything wrong with the tyre size...

[sparky SR]

yeh thats the standard 25mm drop,it looks ok but its will look alot better with the 40mm springs.

ive not found anything wrong with the tyre size ether,the 195/45/15 also give a lower look and make the wheels look bigger,i had 195/50/15 on for a nite and i prefferd the original

[starletsr]

yeh thats the standard 25mm drop,it looks ok but its will look alot better with the 40mm springs.

ive not found anything wrong with the tyre size ether,the 195/45/15 also give a lower look and make the wheels look bigger,i had 195/50/15 on for a nite and i prefferd the original

Agreed

I have dropped my car 40mm, it handles way better round corners.

[johnny01]

Thanks to everyone for their help and advice

Although I have to admit my confusion was down to my own error as I originally stated that the car was shod with 185/80's whereas it actually has 145/80 hot air balloons. Hence the error with the calculator!

The pictures look fantastic, and I will shortly be investigating some new wheels and tyres for the car. Look forward to any meets if there are any reasonably local.

Kind regards - Johnny