Why I changed my car tyre rim from 16 inch to 15 inch..

It has been nearly 4 years since I bought my car.  Or is it 5? I can’t really remember.. have to check the car documents. It is a Proton Waja 1.6 EV. EV stands for Enhanced Version with an additional RM3000 added to the price tag. The so called ‘Enhanced Version’ comes with 16 inch rim and tyres (Standard: 15 inch), airbag (Standard: No airbag), CD player (Standard: Cassette player!) and other not so important stuffs which I can’t remember at all.

After a few months of usage, Proton called me and informed that the car’s tyre rims have defects and they will change a completely new set of rims for me when I bring the car to their service centre. I was surprised that they actually released cars with defective parts. That strengthened my belief on what previous Proton car owners say “Proton quality sucks!”.  But I’m still happy that Proton took the initiative to recall all the rims and replace them for free. I was happy that I got a new set of car rims, it looked beautiful. But after many months, I started noticing tiny hairline scratches on the rim surface. It looked like the rims coating dried up and started to crack. Although the rims are still strong, they didn’t look nice even after washing them clean. Then I realized that Proton never improved, their manufacturing standards might never be as good as imported cars.

My Proton Waja's old 16 inch rim tyre

I used to ride bike to work before purchasing a car. I started driving to work the next working day after getting my car. It only lasted about a year. I got extremely fed up of the amount of time I wasted on the road. I would reach home in 20 minutes on bike but it took me 45 to 60 minutes by car. Many times it took me more than an hour. So I started using bike again, only to use car to visit company’s client site and escape right before the peak hour rush starts. That’s why my car’s mileage still has not exceeded 50,000km even though I’m having it for nearly 4 years.

By July 2008, my car tyres has gone bald and pose danger when driving during rainy season. I needed to change the tyres, so I went around along Old Klang Road in Kuala Lumpur to find out about tyre prices from the many car service centers there. The moment I mention 16 inch tyre, a few of the shop mechanics asked me if it is a Proton Perdana. Finally I got to know that Proton Waja 1.6 is under-powered to use 16 inch rims. That means driving will be slightly ‘heavy’ and consumes more fuel. Another mechanic even told me that if I were to trade-in the old 16 inch rims to 15 inch rims and tyres, I would save money in the long run. Good 16 inch tyres costs RM350 each, so 4 tyres cost RM1400. Good 15 inch tyres cost RM190 each, so 4 tyres cost RM760. A new set of 15 inch Lenso rims cost RM1000 and the trade-in value of my old rims are RM400. So if I just change to new 16 inch tyres, I’ll pay RM1400. If I change new 15 inch rims and tyres, I’ll pay RM1360. I chose a new set of 15 inch Lenso rims and Bridgestone Turanza tyres. With additinal accessories that I chose, I paid a total of RM1620. I’m quite satisfied with the steering and handling which seems to be lighter and easier with the new 15 inch rims.

Alignment for the new rims and tyres are being checked

All 4 new rims and tyres have been fixed

My Proton Waja's new 15 inch rim and tyre