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Howdy! New owner... upgrade wheels question

17K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  Kato 
#1 ·
Hello everybody, hailing from the LBC!



Here's my Pearl White with eSport trim beauty! Frankly, I thought that short of snapping one up in an Electric Orange, the rest of the possible color choices looked a tad bland so I thought the eSport trim added just a dash of zest to the car. I would've preferred a gray with the eSport, having seen an example when I did a Fiat 500E image search, but the Pearl White was my second choice.

I have frequently swapped wheels on most cars I've owned with some nice aftermarket design of my choice, but I realize that with the 500E, the factory wheels are integral to optimizing the aerodynamic and rolling efficiency of the car in maximizing it's range. So I realize that getting something that might be heavier, less aerodynamic, perhaps larger wheels with lower profile tires WILL reduce the car's range.

But the question is BY HOW MUCH? Any thoughts, keep the same size wheels with original tires, no problem going 16" or maybe even 17", anybody interested in my eSport wheels when I do swap 'em out? Anybody know the weight of the stock wheel?

Thanks in advance for your comments & suggestions. After a couple of days I love this little thing! I got a new 911 I ordered coming in in a couple of weeks and maybe it'll have to sit in the garage for a while! lol

Cheers!
 
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#2 ·
Lbc, Welcome to the Forum. I am not a Fiat Expert but them Wheels you got on your 500E are not new to the Fiat World over in Europe you can buy them for any 500. As long as you stick with the 4 x 98 you can slap 17 Inch Abarth Wheels on your 500E, Pardon my stupid Question since you have a 911 coming why would you worry about the AD on the 500.



 
#5 ·
ibcgolf, if you can be patient, I will be able to answer your question based on my about to be realized change from the stock 500e 15" wheels to 17's. I have been researching wheels and tires to address the same questions you have. I have chosen a 17" x 7.5" wheel, 17lbs. and I still undecided between 205-40-17 or 205-45-17. The 40's actually ride on the 7.5" rims a bit better, and the total height at 24.3" is closer to stock (23.2"), and the 45's run 24.7" tall which is quite a bit taller than stock, and might be a tight fit in the wheelwells. I chose not to run 215's because frankly, I don't feel I need the extra grip and I don't want to give away any more aero than necessary. I should have them on before year end and I can report on my findings.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the replies everybody!



Ah ok. Well I'm probably not as concerned about range as others who use their 500Es as only cars. But I wonder about what effect the mods will have all the same.

@RNDDUDE... cool I'll keep an eye out for it. Post pics!

@LuckyJay.... I'm on my way over. Whaddya want from Super Mex? ;)
 
#9 ·
Hey LBC we're right here in Signal Hill! If you have a chance come by the shop and check out some of the wheels we have here, a great selection in stock!

2716 Dawson Ave, Signal Hill, 90755
 
#12 ·
Curious to know how this turns out. Since at the end of my lease I'll no doubt have to pay for completely new tires, my temptation is to get some tires that better resist hydroplaning, ie, some performance summer tires. They may reduce my range a bit, but the better grip in wet and dry will be very nice -- and I'm either going to spend that money buying Fiat/Chrysler new tires one day, or spend it on myself, now, and save the OEM tires for when the lease is up.
 
#13 · (Edited)
You know, that's the dirty secret of low rolling resistance tires they put on these hybrid and e-cars... they may increase fuel mileage and extend e-range but they don't tell you it's at the expense of lateral grip and braking performance... well not a secret to an enthusiast, but they won't tell an unsuspecting public that a tire made to optimize fuel economy is gonna make your car less safe.

Right now we're working with the nice folks at 500 Madness to pick a set of 17". More than any other car I've swapped wheels before, we're being careful not to exceed the OEM wheel & tire weight.
 
#14 ·
They stuck these tires on the GT86 (or so I hear) to make it easier to slide around...giving it more of a sports car feel with sliding around and wagging the rear end, nice trick for those that might not realize it. Personally be it the e or a sports car I would prefer handling over sliding and fuel economy.
 
#16 ·
Hey RNDDUDE, I too would be very interested in what you find out. I would like to fill the wheel wells a little bit and have a little more ground clearance so the front end doesn't scrap as much.

IBCGOLF, sounds like your set-up would work for me. Keep us in the loop.
 
#19 ·
The wheel weight doesn't matter that much. (does for acceleration, not for aero...) The secret of the 500e wheel is the inserts that reduce drag. Drag goes as the square of the speed (not exactly, but close enough). So the effects of poor aero wheels isn't one number, it depends on how you drive. If you do a lot of freeway driving, it will be worse than if you do a lot of in town start and stop. That said, I think I read a post where someone said that they dropped less than 5% of range with a wheel swap.

If I were to swap, I'd get a 17x7 and put on 205-40s. I'm guessing that the swap would cost about 10% o range.
 
#20 ·
If I were to swap, I'd get a 17x7 and put on 205-40s. I'm guessing that the swap would cost about 10% o range.
Yup, after some consideration, that's what I did. Holy crap, I need to drop this thing at least 2" on the back and 1" on the front just to make it look "normal." In reading the "eBarth" thread though, man... I'm just petrified of speed bump scrapes and making the ride more stiff than it needs to be. This is just my putt-around-town-car. I could care less about the handling aspect of the car and I'd just be doing it for looks, since if I want to rip around canyon roads I got another car for that purpose.

So, as far as my wheel upgrade choice, without further ado...

Before:
Land vehicle Vehicle City car Car Fiat 500
Land vehicle Vehicle Car City car Alloy wheel
Alloy wheel Tire Wheel Automotive tire Vehicle


After:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car City car Fiat 500
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alloy wheel Rim
Alloy wheel Tire Wheel Rim Automotive tire

These are Ciao Torino Black 17x7 wheels I found on Tire Rack. I was going for a little bit of a retro look. They look a little like some of the Mini OEM wheels I've seen and thought they'd look good with my 500. Got a pinstriper to color match the orange accents on the car and custom paint it around the rim. I want the centercaps in orange as well, but haven't got around to it yet. Tires are Yoko S-drive 205-40s.

All comments good or bad are welcome! But not on that giant fender gap you can drive a semi through! I know about that already! lol
 
#23 ·
What is the wheel weight for the OEM e-wheel? I performed the natural Discount Tire/Tire Rack searches and found the OZ Alleggerita HLT's, at 13.8 and 14.2lb in 16" and 17", respectively. Aerodynamics aside, unsprung weight does matter, but what's the weight we need to beat?


[h=4][/h]
 
#24 ·
Just for information purposes, there are two wheel options for the 500e. The standard 500e usually uses a steel wheel with covers, the sport uses alloys with small plastic inserts in the space between the spokes. As I noted earlier, I went with 17 x 7.5 wheels with 205/45/17 Michelins. Today it is POURING rain in LA, and the combination of light vehicle weight and wider tires made for some interesting hydroplaning episodes on the freeway!
 
#25 ·
It's raining nicely in San Diego, too. I wonder what the wheel weights are for these OEM 500e wheels, though.

Our 2013 500e came with "15" x 5.5" and 15" x 6.5" Aluminum Wheels". The "eSport" option begets, "15" x 5.5" and 15" x 6.5" Cast Aluminum Wheels" that are black-based. Fiat says, "Choose from the following wheels: 15-inch Argento painted aluminum wheels with Nero inserts or the available 15-inch Nero painted aluminum wheels with Arancio..." Based on this, I think both wheelsets are aluminum and probably weigh pretty much the same.

I just don't know what that weight is. A lower rotating mass, an a lower unsprung weight, is desirable for efficiency and braking. Were one to consider swapping-out wheels on the 500e, these considerations will matter to the car.
 
#29 ·
They won't fit on an SRT Viper!!! ;)

PM replied.

After running around in the new wheels, it's definitely a 10% drop in range... due to greater unsprung weight, less aero efficiency, whatever... which, again, not such a huge deal for me because I only use it to run errands around town. It will probably come back and bite me in the arse. Now that I have my HOV stickers put on... I'm tempted to take it farther from home when I'm dealing with rush hour traffic. Hopefully some of the destinations on the west side of town (Santa Monica, Westwood, West LA, etc.) will have more and more charging stations, and make this issue moot.
 
#32 ·
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