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I need some wheels, suspension upgrades for my 02 ES

10K views 73 replies 14 participants last post by  G-man 
#1 ·
Hi guys just as the thread suggests.

02 ES with 56,000 miles OEM Goodyear Eagles. Looking to buy tires from a local shop.

First let me say I'm not really a car guy meaning doing extensive wrenching/mods etc. I"m more of a motorcycling guy (age 53) so that seems to get the majority of my time and MONEY!

This is my 2nd Intreped, lost the original in a garage fire. I need tires but know the 16's have an outdated look.




Questions:
1) If I go with 17's is that going to make the ride more harsh.

2) The car wallows and handles like a boat. The shocks aren't blown I guess it's just the nature of a 4 door car that is long in length. Is there any strut/shock upgrades I can do to get rid of this? I would like to do this @ the same time I get new tires.

3) I googled "Graphite Charger wheels". Holy Moly all kinds of el cheapo wheel/tire combos came up. I am clueless but something tells me my OEM 16's are better than some of those which are probably Chinese?

4) Is there a place I could go to get Graphite Charger wheels?

5) Anyone want some REALLY clean 16's if I do change?


I like the way this Intrepid looks:
edit, it won't let me post the url w/o at least 10 posts! lol

I'll reply to the thread.


Thanks for reading,

Gary
 
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#3 ·
come one Ron lol.

Any time you upsize the wheels it's going to make the ride a little more harsh. Those Dodge Charger rims you have eyes for are 18", and tires are pretty expensive. Ebay is a good bet... I don't think the graphite was an OEM option. (Can someone confirm that?) I think those were powdercoated.


Those momentums are pretty popular wheels, I'm sure you can find a buyer if the price is right.
 
#10 ·
I've found a definite difference in the ride quality between my 16" steelies and 17" Motorsports. The 16s ride a little more "comfy" due to the slightly meatier sidewall. Anytime you go larger wheel size, your sidewall has to shrink to keep from rubbing and the speedometer correct. IIRC the size you would want for the Charger wheel is 245/45/18. As for suspension, do what everybody else says. Quickstruts are absolutely horrid and members here have had nothing but problems with them. Also stay away from certain aftermarket strut mounts. If you want a sportier suspension and want it to be "right", go with 300m Special hardware. But IDK what you can still get at the dealer anymore. I know the sway bar is kaput as of 4-5 months ago.
 
#22 ·
Ok so it seems the sway bar is the most important thing to get rid of the wallowly feel.

Excuse my ignorance but are there front and rear sway bars. It would seem one in the front would have a serious ground clearance issue.

And you say they are no longer selling them at the dealer.
Ok some more qustions:

1) Can you point me in the right direction (other then HELL) on where to get sway bars and approximately what price?

2) Those package rims/tires smokin deals that come up when I google Graphite Charger wheels". Are they cheap chinese cr#p like everything else? Might be better off keeping my good ol OEM's? Again point me in the right direction.

Thanks,

Gary
 
#13 ·
Look nice.

So just a straight bolt on those wheels?

HAve you done anything to the suspension?

Just want to make sure before I go that route (just bigger wheels), that it only looks good but rides like cr*p.

thanks

10 posts--let the magic begin! :D
 
#14 ·
Ok now we are getting somewhere with some good info.

Ya I know the drill, haze the newbie…..


Yes I’m a motohead—don’t hold it against me, but still would like to upgrade the Intrepid from the ill handling boat she is. But if I’m reading this right—don’t bother or be vary careful.
Seeing how I don’t really know wtf I’m doing regarding 4 wheels I might just hold out on suspension mods (until I can figure it out) and get some desperately needed 16” TIRES.

Check this bike I bought at a Pawn Shop in May. But it’s not what you think the Pawn Shop cat bought it outright and I bought it from him.
Anyway been having a blast on it and recently bought some Pirelli’s, battery and upgraded new shock.



My real passion is Motocross.




And I also luv to ride my KTM off-road/Dualsport. Check out this 500 mile desert ride…

http://www.district37ama.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33988



I won’t even get into my Seadoo’s but as you can tell, lot’s of toys that require a lot of TLC=$$. So I don’t have a lot left for my ol Intrepid and that’s why I’m here to ask the experts—not some salesman.


Thanks for the info guys

Gary
 
#24 ·
Good info and your car looks good, did you do anything else? From what I'm reading tires might rub.

What kind/size of tires are you using?

I put in some new shocks for my Astro Van to get rid of the wallowly feel (I'm cursed on 4 wheels lol) and it did nothing. Come to find out I need a front sway bar too.

Too far down the list to do that right now...
 
#19 · (Edited)
I have a SE with 16's and love the titanic ride. It's all what you want. I have ridden in Intrepids with 20's and they are still okay IMO. Just not what I want. I installed special sway bars to stiffen up the ride and that alone got me what I wanted in ride characteristics.
Personally, I like the dated look. (I am 58) lol
 
#20 · (Edited)
Less sidewall (17" or 18" wheels) will result in a little harsher ride but not much.

The biggest things for handling are (anti-) sway bars and tires. If you upgrade from the standard 'S' or 'T' rated tires to a 'V' or higher tire the sidewalls are stiffer, which means you'll get better cornering/less sway without compromising too much on the cushion. (The higher rated tires will cost more.) Upgrading the sway bar is another option for improved handling and a comfy ride.

But the basic bottom line is handing or cushion - generally you sacrifice one to some extent to get the other.
 
#25 ·
Welcome to the forum!

Just to add to what has been said. Yes, tires and sway bars are the best way to stiffen up the suspension. The rear and front 300M Special or Police Package Intrepid sway bars are what you want. To get the rear one, you will have to look in the Buy/Sale/Trade forum here or in the junkyards. The front one is still available at the dealer. IMO though, start with your wheels first that will probably give you the most stiffening. The tire sizes you want are 225/55/17 or 245/45/18 if you go bigger.

BTW, my GF's family are right into motocross. They have there own track at their camp that they just upgraded a bit this year. I'm just starting to ride, hopefully I'll get a bike come the spring depending on finances. They're a Suzuki family so I'll probably be looking for an 00+ RM125.
 
#26 ·
Ahhh yes the info keeps getting better and exactly what I need to think about.

Very cool about your G/F’s family—sounds like a keeper. There are very few things in life that are more fun than riding a dirtbike but that’s just me talking from my experience (45 yrs).

If there is one single piece of advise I can give you is DRESS FOR THE CRASH! Lol

I know it sounds harsh but so very true—especially as you get older as we don’t bounce like we use to.

Very minimum=helmet, gloves, knee and elbow (HARD) pads and MX boots. Construction boots will not save you.


Suzuki’s are good bikes it’s what I started with a 74 TM125 and had about 5 RM125’s.
I would check Craig’s list/cycletrader.com (better as you can check) or gamble with e-bay.

I’m sure the family knows about bikes (I hope), but obvious things to look for abuse are:
1) smashed/gouged lower frame rails or skid plate if they have one.
2) Push up and down on the forks and check for seal leaks.
3) Same with the rear shock and just like your car if it feels SPRINGY it’s blown.
4) Leaks around the Countershaft sprocket and engine cases
5) Check radiator coolant and leaks
6) Start it up and ride it. Or at the very least let him go thru the gears for you.

Btw a 2-stroke 125 will have a somewhat peaky powerband a 4 stroke is easier to learn on but is heavier, slower and can require expensive repairs if it blows.

Have fun and let me know if you have any questions or pm me your #

Cheers,

Gary
 
#27 ·
Gary,

Oh I know all about the proper protection... the first time I tried her bike I ended up going over the handlebars! Luckily I wasn't too badly bruised, only had a scrapped knee and a hurt jaw.

They're involved in the Suzuki race program so they get parts relatively cheap for the bikes. With that said, I'll probably be looking for a really cheap basket case that her old man and I can rebuild. That's the reason I want to get the 125, much easier to rebuild right. I've tried both her 250 4 stroke and her brothers 144 and I liked the 2 stroke better.

Anyways, same for you, if you have any LH related questions PM me. I have both the 300M Special bellow and my '02 Trep SXT with many mods done to them!

Steph
 
#30 ·
Gary,

Oh I know all about the proper protection... the first time I tried her bike I ended up going over the handlebars! Luckily I wasn't too badly bruised, only had a scrapped knee and a hurt jaw.

Steph
WHOA! quite an intro to the sport of moto huh Steph! :baseballbat:

Glad you survived the worst kind of crash you can do on a bike "Over the Bars!"
 
#29 ·
Here is a quote from a local MX guy who has his own auto tire shop. I don't really know him (just from the local MX forums), met him once but others say good things about him.

These are quotes for 16"

My OEM Goodyear Eagles have 56,000 on them--pretty good.
Not sure what sidewall stiffness they are.

each...
goodyear 103 otd
michelin 137 otd
bfg 120 otd
firestone 100 otd
general 100 otd
goodyear and michelin have $80 and $70 rebates now....general has a $50 all on purchase of four....

shocks and struts about $500 thats buy 3 get one 1 free.....

let me know if you want to set up an appointment.....thanks for the opportunity!
 
#34 · (Edited)
Ok I found a set locally

OEM Dodge Charger Wheels x 4 with Chrome overlay no tires no low pressure sensors
(SO the Chrome Overlay is not OEM and is a stick-on) will this eventually come off in the brutal AZ summers?

These should work correct?



My dilemna is I got on the Discount Tire interactive website (very cool) and now got into the selection paralisis mode...
I've gone from:
1) All blacl
2) Gloss black
3) gunmetal
4) combination of polished metal & glass black
5) not sure if chrome is even cool anymore (goes to show my 4 wheel ineptitude...) lol

So I had enough & went down there and was checking the MB Wheels. My first complaint is they have many holes drilled not just five to make them more universal to keep costs down. They almost look a little cheezy.

And I'm wondering if they are made in China and require a lot of weights to balance or durability.

Anybody buy wheels from discount?

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving

Gary
 
#36 ·
They're called chrome clad, they come from the factory like that. Many, many cars out there come with wheels like this from the factory. My aunts brand new fully loaded Escape comes to find. When Chrysler use to chrome aluminum wheels(they still do) many of them developed leaks on the beads because people ran them in winter. Salt got in between the tire and wheel, sat there and eventually started corroding the wheel. This way, only the face of the wheel is chrome(plastic piece chromed) and the rest of the wheel is painted aluminum. It's also a cost cutting issue, the higher end factory wheels are still Chrome aluminum but they're of course more expensive.

I really like those rims, that's my personal opinion. Chrome is my favorite wheel finish. You don't need tire pressure sensors on your car since it didn't come with them. But, you could add the system if you wanted too. All it would take is adding an EVIC and the sensors and you're set.

It's pretty standard for most aftermarket wheels to come from China. The cost for them is a lot lower than having them built in NA. My GF's dad just bought a new set of wheels for his '99 Camaro and they are made in China. Nothing wrong with them that I could see. Most of the balancing done with a wheel and tire is done in the tire. Usually wheels are perfectly balanced from the factory.

What year are those rims from anyways?? I've heard rumors that later model Chargers and LX cars in general had bigger stud openings so they don't fit right.
 
#37 ·
SOme good info--thanks


"What year are those rims from anyways?? I've heard rumors that later model Chargers and LX cars in general had bigger stud openings so they don't fit right."

Does anyone else know about this?

They are 09/2010 he is selling them for his neighbor who bought it used and put the Discount Black wheels on it.....
 
#39 ·
Ok I did a google search and came up with this among a lot of others:

http://www.chargerforumz.com/showthread.php?t=74902

So from what some are saying is it wouldn't be wise to put a 5 x 4.5 (same as 5 x 114.3) on a 5 x 115 because it could "PINCH" the studs.

Well I would be going the other way so wouldn't need to worry about that correct? What about a wobble or making sure the tire hack puts them on correctly?

Any adapters I would need and what kind of lug nuts would I need to order (chrome ones)?


5 x 4.5 (same as 5 x 114.3)

Dodge

1994-2003 Intrepid - All Models

Chrysler

1994-2003 Concorde - All Models
1999-2003 300M - All Models

5 x 115
Dodge
2004-2009 Magnum - All Models
2004-2009 Charger - All Models
2009-2010 Challenger - All Models
Chrysler
2004-2010 300 - All Models


Thanks
 
#41 ·
Several of us run LX wheels on our LH cars... No issues as long as you don't get the AWD wheels.

Like Cean says - the diff between 114.3 and 115 is negligible. Youre' splutting .7 mm across 5 studs. That's .14MM each. Neither the studs nor the wheels seem to notice.
 
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