17" versus 18"

[unclepaulie]

17" versus 18" aka Tim and Bruce chatting each other up

hey peoples,

quick discussion on 17" versus 18" rims.

i personally want 18's but as a daily in qld (u know what our roads are like) i slightly reserved as far as getting 18's go. people with 17's, how are u finding them?

u could also mention tyre prices/road noise/ looks/practicality/drive quality

 

[matchtheclown]

You need 18's because they look cooler. End of conversation.

Bris roads can't be worse than Syd. Mine havn't fallen off yet.

You would have to be very artful in your pot hole hunting to really damage a wheel while city driving.

 

[Hotwire]

18's give perfect ride comfort and look far better than 17s.

as hugh said, 18s - end of story

 

[frozen]

agreed - havent tried 17s but to be honest dont really feel the need... even with coilovers on tightest setting i still find it fine (when parents are in the car its a different story...)

they dont feel "THAT" much worse for comfort than the standard 16's did lol

 

[steveP]

17's if ur doing a lot of track work, as u get more side wall flex. but yeah they look tiny in vr4 guards. pot holes wont buckle ur rims unless ur running a 35 profile, even then would have to be a hell of a hole.

 

[mills_88]

I know ill definately be getting 18's. Just worried about how well theyre going to fit right now and how much tires are going to cost me. lol.

 

[ygoslo]

As long as you get 9" or above, tyres will be cheap because you can get 235/40s. Anywhere from $110 each.

Of course, you could run a 235 on a narrower rim. But then again you could also buy a pink Hyundai Excel. Some things aren't good ideas.

 

[Monsta_GQ]

I've recently just swapped from 18" down to 17". ive noticed a more smoother ride on 17's but hard to say as i was running 225/35 on the 18" and roads around nz can be unforgiving. as for looks, 18's definately but unless you lower the car, the the gaping wheel arches can make 18s look tiny as well.

 

[leebutts]

I'm happy with my 17's - I think some styles look smaller than others.

 

[cyber_scriber]

This is a good topic Paul and one that is in the back of my mind in my wheel upgrade endeavours.

Assuming all things are equal (same brand of wheels and tyres etc), off the top of my head:

1) 17 inch rims and tyres

a) 17 inch rims and tyres are lighter than the 18 inch equivalent. Lighter rolling mass = better acceleration.

b) Generally costs less to buy and replace, both in terms of the rim and the tyre.
c) Less likely to clear big brake set ups e.g. Brembos.

d) Will require a higher profile tyre. Theoretically, this will slightly reduce cornering response but will give better ride comfort and less noise.

e) Not as aesthetically pleasing.

f) Less susceptible to damage and buckling.

g) Less susceptible to tramlining.

h) Less likely to foul or affect suspension geometry.

i) Less likely to require guard rolling (if at all).

j) More likely to be "legal".

k) Less likely to affect gearing and speedo (depending on how close to stock rolling diameter you are).

2) 18 inch rims and tyres

a) Are heavier, usually resulting in slower acceleration.

b) Generally costs more to buy and replace, both in terms of the rim and the tyre.

c) More likely to clear big brake set ups e.g. Brembos.

d) Allows you to run a lower profile tyre. Theoretically, this should give slightly better cornering response, at the expense of ride comfort and with more noise.

e) More aesthetically pleasing.

f) More susceptible to damage and buckling.

g) More susceptible to tramlining.

h) More likely to foul or affect suspension geometry.

i) More likely to require guard rolling (depending on rim width).

j) Less likely to be legal (depending on rim width).

k) More likely to affect gearing and speedo (depending on how close to stock rolling diameter you are).

3) Conclusion

It really is a question of form vs function. Which is more important to you? For real world driving conditions, 17 inches are fine. 18's obviously look much better and I tend to think that many people go for 18's purely because of the aesthetic factor.

If you decide to go with 18's and you do track and drag strip time, make sure you keep your stockers so you can punt them at the track.

 

[pu-11-me]

17 or 18, it doesn't matter. They'll both look great with right offset and ride height

I'm a 17 fan as they tend to look sportier + the comments above sum up the practicality to go with it which suits me perfectly

 

[ygoslo]

If I may (as I always have to chime in about 20 times in a wheel thread, it's what I'm here for):

Evos run 17s. If you get the correct offset, 17s will clear Brembos. If you get the wrong offset, 18s will not. 17 or 18 inch doesn't affect Brembo clearance.

My 18x9s don't foul or affect suspension geometry. Again, that's about offset, not diameter.

The requirement for guard rolling is brought about by, you guessed it (and if you didn't, read the bit above my avatar) offset. Not diameter.

18s are 100% legal unless you go putting some stupid 60 profile 300C tyres on them. And if you do that, you shouldn't own a car. Legality of wheel diameter is dictated by the rolling diameter of the wheel and tyre combination, not the wheel itself.

Conclusion
Buy 18s because they look better. Buy wheels in the correct offset because I told you to.

 

[pu-11-me]

Buy wheels in the correct offset because I told you to.

ROFL.....

BTW - What are the rims in question?

 

[cyber_scriber]

Tim, how did I know you would harp on about offsets? Lol!

Evos run 17s. If you get the correct offset, 17s will clear Brembos. If you get the wrong offset, 18s will not. 17 or 18 inch doesn't affect Brembo clearance.

Please note my comment that assuming all things are equal (including offset). If one wheel size has the right offset and the other does not, then clearly, all things are not equal!

Of course, 18 inches with the wrong offset won't clear Brembos but 17 inches with the wrong offset won't clear Brembos either. Assuming all things are equal (which assumes we are talking about the right offset for both sizes), you are more likely to clear a multi-pot big brake set up with 18 inches compared to 17 inches. If you disagree with this and maintain that offset is the be all and end all to all other considerations, perhaps you can show me a 13 inch wheel with the right offset that will clear Brembos?

My 18x9s don't foul or affect suspension geometry. Again, that's about offset, not diameter.

The requirement for guard rolling is brought about by, you guessed it (and if you didn't, read the bit above my avatar) offset. Not diameter.

Again, we are forgetting the original caveat of all things being equal. I think it is fallacious to suggest that diameter is irrelevant to suspension geometry and guard rolling. If not, are you suggesting that one can comfortably fit 18 x 11 under the factory guards and without affecting suspension geometry, particularly at full lock? Remember, as a general rule, the larger the rim diameter, the more likely the rim width will be greater, hence why the smaller diameter rim is "less likely" to cause you those issues. There will come a point where offset cannot cure everything.

18s are 100% legal unless you go putting some stupid 60 profile 300C tyres on them. Legality of wheel diameter is dictated by the rolling diameter of the wheel and tyre combination, not the wheel itself.

Tim, this is incorrect and you are forgetting about rim width. This straight from the RTA's website:

>"Wheels up to 26mm wider than the largest optional wheel ... can be fitted without the need to notify the RTA".

If I am not mistaken, the largest factory wheels are the series 2 rims, measuring 16 x 6.5. If you're running anything with a 9 inch rim width, then clearly, you're not "100% legal".

Further, your 9 inch rim is likely cause legality issues as it potentially increases the track beyond legal limits. Again directly from the RTA website:

>"An important requirement for all replacement wheels is that the wheel track must not be increased by more than 25mm ..."

Mate, I know offset is important, but it isn't the be all and end all of all things to do with wheels

 

[SLY-031]

"legal" wheels look gay. If you buy aftermarket wheels for performance, you wouldn't be buying them to also be within the legal bounds. A 7.5" wheel is NOT performance. Even if it has 'low profile tyres' fitted.

Get some 9's(or wider) up yer!

 

[pu-11-me]

A 7.5" wheel is NOT performance. Even if it has 'low profile tyres' fitted.

/effin sigh

Tell me about it. My car CAME with 7.5" +45

Its better than stock, but not by much. 8 or 8.5 minimum IMO

 

[SLY-031]

8" minimum to make it easier for the weak.

9" minimum for the men.

 

[ygoslo]

Mate, I know offset is important, but it isn't the be all and end all of all things to do with wheels

I beg to differ (naturally). A car with ugly wheels with good fitment will look 100 times better than one with pretty wheels and sunken fitment.

The correct offset will also allow you to fit the widest wheels possible, which, like Joel said, is what a performance car is all about. You can keep your legal 7.5" wheels. I'll stick with my illegal 9s that improve my grip, and illegally increased track that improves my stability....

There's a lot of misinformation about wheels around here, I'm just trying to clear some of it up. Some might say I'm some kind of hero. Not me, though. I just do it to annoy people and make myself look clever.

 

[bradc]

Actually track is the middle of the wheel, which is only affected by offset, not wheel width.

 

[cyber_scriber]

make myself look clever.

Agreed Tim, but sometimes, even the best of us get it wrong and there's no shame in admitting it For example:

18s are 100% legal unless you go putting some stupid 60 profile 300C tyres on them

And then:

I'll stick with my illegal 9s that improve my grip, and illegally increased track that improves my stability....

I do agree with you and Joel that it would be nice to fit the widest, most performance oriented wheels possible. It would also be nice to run no cats in the exhaust system. Unfortunately, that has to be tempered by the limitations imposed by the law.

So sure, run those fully sik 9 inch wide rims with the maddest offset you can find. Just hope that you don't ever run into anything. Remember, your insurance policy will contain a clause that invalidates coverage if your car is illegal, unroadworthy or contains any illegal modifications.

I mean, forget what happens if you run into a Ferrari - like you say, performance is all about running the widest wheels possible

Just for clarity, I'm saying all this in jest. If it's even at all possible, I'd also like to sometimes "look clever" by clearing "a lot of misinformation about wheels around here", even if that misinformation is sprouted by the "18 inches are always legal but my 18 inches are illegal" offset guru