2001 Alero Idea

[YoshiG3]

Alright, I'm not exactly sure if my Alero is the GL or GLS. It's hard to tell, it has no leather, yet it has a power drivers seat. Anyway, it's the 2.4L Twin Cam version(auto). I've been wanting a Honda Del Sol forever, but I am moving to college soon and don't really have the money for one yet. SO, I'm going to keep my current Alero and just do some things to it. Would all of these things be possible on this car?

-17" or 18" Rim, Low Profile tires
-Kombat Body Kit
-Manaul Shift Kit(Convert the Auto To Manual, I'm buying a new engine for it, so it probably wouldn't be too hard with the motor pulled out)
-Cold Air Intake
-Performance Muffler
-Performance Wires
-Paint job(Of course, after the body kit is attached)
-Mounted Subs in trunk(I have subs in a box right now, but I don't like them sliding. I want them mounted, lol.)
-Aftermarket Steering Wheel(+ Mount if needed)


Would all of these modifications be possible on my Alero? Thanks alot guys, I appreciate it!


-Yosh

[Ridenour]

Everything will be possible except 2 things

Converting an automatic to a manual would be the biggest PITA ever - unless, like you said, you were somehow changing the engine, the tranny, and the drivetrain all at once to a different setup that was a manual. But trying to change an auto to a manual would be very difficult - it would be almost easier just to buy a new car there is so much entailed with it.

and you couldn't have performance wires for a 2.4, because it doesn't have ignition wires, it has an IDI (integrated Direct Ignition) which entails of the coil packs mating directly with the tops of the spark plugs.

by the way, welcome to the forum.

[YoshiG3]

I've seen it done on honda's and stuff before, so I assume it could be done to an Alero. I think since I am putting a new engine, it shouldn't be that bad. I think it would be worth it though Get a bit more power and way more fun to drive.

[vamc]

17 and 18'' wheels will not fit because it will rub on the plastic. you can get subs in there i guess, not my thing though.Performance Mufflers, yes, magnaflow works well for my 3.4L.Performance Wires, yes, i have 8mm wires taylers. they are great.Aftermarket Steering Wheel,why not, it should fit.Kombat Body Kit,maybe, just keep in mind,SPEED BUMPS!!! if you hit one of those with that kit, your done!Paint job,sure, just dont do a maaco paint job, they could not paint a car if their life depended on it.

[LeBuick]

Originally Posted by YoshiG3

Alright, I'm not exactly sure if my Alero is the GL or GLS. It's hard to tell, it has no leather, yet it has a power drivers seat. Anyway, it's the 2.4L Twin Cam version(auto). I've been wanting a Honda Del Sol forever, but I am moving to college soon and don't really have the money for one yet. SO, I'm going to keep my current Alero and just do some things to it. Would all of these things be possible on this car?

-17" or 18" Rim, Low Profile tires
-Kombat Body Kit
-Manaul Shift Kit(Convert the Auto To Manual, I'm buying a new engine for it, so it probably wouldn't be too hard with the motor pulled out)
-Cold Air Intake
-Performance Muffler
-Performance Wires
-Paint job(Of course, after the body kit is attached)
-Mounted Subs in trunk(I have subs in a box right now, but I don't like them sliding. I want them mounted, lol.)
-Aftermarket Steering Wheel(+ Mount if needed)

-Yosh

How much more is the Del Sol? You appear to have a good chunk of cash, why not keep saving?

[YoshiG3]

Because I owe 8K on the car.

[vamc]

Not a clue, sorry.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by vamc

17 and 18'' wheels will not fit because it will rub on the plastic.

Excellent point. For Alero owners with that have the stock 16 inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle P225/50R16 tires they barely fit.

[vamc]

bnaylor3400, I back him up also on that. From the tire to the plastic, its about the with of 3 fingers. Another thing to is with bigger wheels, you will have more drag and more weight.

[LeBuick]

If done right, increasing the wheel size should not chage the outside diameter of the tire. Example, if you have a 225/65/16 then you can probably go with a 225/55/17. The larger you go the less sidewall you will have but the overall circumference should be approximately the same. This is called plus or oversizing http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoPlusSizing.dos

Google oversizing ticker and you can find charts that tell you your choices when oversizing...

[vamc]

bnaylor3400-any thoughts on this? I know it can hinder preformance with a larger rim, and you could loos preformance because there is more weight.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by vamc

bnaylor3400-any thoughts on this? I know it can hinder preformance with a larger rim, and you could loos preformance because there is more weight.

Well, if you guys insist, here's my 2 cents. I agree with LeBuick to a point. What he states is true in a lot of circumstances, however, the GM "N" bodies such as the Alero and Grand AM may be exceptions to the rule. We've got Goodyear Eagle RS-A P225/50R16 tires along with the performance package 16 inch wheels on our '02 Alero GL2. These are stock not aftermarket.

The problem I see with 17 inch rims is that the tire may rub on the lower part of the McPherson strut and also at the bottom of where you see the coil spring lower plate. I only have barely 3/4 of an inch now at those two points. Keep in mind I already have the 16 inch wheels and 50 series aspect ratio on the tire. 18 inch wheels would be out of the question.

You might be able to get the 17 inch rim to fit but would have to go to an aspect ratio of less than 50 on the tire which is pushing it. There's not much tire height as it is at 50. A tire width of 225 is about the limit too. 235s would be too wide and rub for sure.

When you change tire height you are ultimately changing the final gearing of the car. Plus the 50 series tires leave a lot to be desired in the area of comfort. It may improve the handling but induces oversteer which may not be desireable to a lot of people. You might pull .82 gs on a skidpid but a long trip out of town will be tiresome. The bigger tire/wheel package will add to the weight (unsprung) of the car.

There are a lot of factors to consider before going out and spending big bucks on tires and wheels, especially when dealing with an Alero.

Hope the info helps.

[LeBuick]

Originally Posted by bnaylor3400

...Plus the 50 series tires leave a lot to be desired in the area of comfort. It may improve the handling but induces oversteer which may not be desireable to a lot of people. You might pull .82 gs on a skidpid but a long trip out of town will be tiresome. The bigger tire/wheel package will add to the weight (unsprung) of the car....

You got this right, a kid at our church put what looks like 20's on his honda. I say this cause there can't be more than half inch of sidewall. He gave me a ride home and it reminded me of the flintstones. Felt like we were riding on rocks...

I based my response on when I put 17 on my Buick. I insisted on keeping the speedometer close to accurate. I did a lot of checking cause I went from 15x6 to 17x7.5 STS wheels. After looking at my wifes 99 Alero and can see your caution.

One caution that was consistent was don't use a spacer.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by LeBuick

You got this right, a kid at our church put what looks like 20's on his honda. I say this cause there can't be more than half inch of sidewall. He gave me a ride home and it reminded me of the flintstones. Felt like we were riding on rocks...

I based my response on when I put 17 on my Buick. I insisted on keeping the speedometer close to accurate. I did a lot of checking cause I went from 15x6 to 17x7.5 STS wheels. After looking at my wifes 99 Alero and can see your caution.

One caution that was consistent was don't use a spacer.

Thats a really good point about the possible speedometer error. I've seen if it isn't matched up closely on overall diameter and circumference, etc. the error could be enough to get a speeding ticket.

If you put a P225/60R16 tire/wheel combo on an Alero GX/GL originally with P215/60R15 the speedometer for example at 65 mph may read 65 mph but you're actually going 68.80 mph.

Thats a good one! Flintstone mobiles. Yabadabadooo!

[jamcllw]

You guys trip me out. I've got 17" wheels on my Alero with Intrax lowering springs and I've never had any rubbing issues. Yes you do have to get a tire with a smaller side wall but the ride is damn near the same before I did anything. The stock wheels and tires are tanks. I think they weigh in right under 40 lbs. Most 17" aluminum rims and tires weigh nowhere near that so performance would most likely increase. I think the 17s are too small and plan on upgrading to 18s soon. The only problem you will get from adding a bigger wheel would be in the width. The max an Alero can handle is a 8.5" wide rim. I've seen a couple of Alero's with 20s without any modifications to the struts or suspension. Granted I think it looks like shit but it's possible to fit them.