I have a 1999 Impreza Turbo with 16" wheels and I would like to know the advantages/disadvantages of changing to 17" wheels?

(Non-technical please!)

Thanks,

Ian.

 

Hi Ian,
ok, ive just upgraded my my00 from 16's to 17's, the disadvantage is the cost! the tyres will be more expensive to start with, dont go for cheap wheels either, last thing you want is them buckling on you!! pick a design that you want and make sure its a good make, remember the 52-55 offset too!! The other down side is that you may be limited to choice of wheels to fit your scoob.
Do you know what colour your going for??? silver, gold or anthracite?? ahhhh choices, choices!!
Ok, the up side is, that if you fit good tyres you will notice a difference in grip and ride, ive actually found that my car now rides better and is less skittish, especially in the wet (brigestone so-2's fitted, 215 40 17's)
Prodrive say that the best thing you can do to your car is put 17's on, and it was for me!! id reccommend it, just make sure you know exactly what you want and what tyres you want on them!! cheap tyres normally mean less grip, less traction and total duff handling.

Tony

 

thanks for your reply.what is 52-55 offset?

might go for speedline st2 and pirelli p-zeros.
how does increasing tyre size affect breaking?

 

Hi Ian,
Ok if i get this wrong someone will correct me!! the offset is 52-55mm i think its the space between the hub of the wheel and the wheel its self??? not too sure but if you get the alloys you want make sure its got 52 - 55mm!
Tyres wont increase or decrease braking by much, you may get more grip but if you want real braking power then go for upgraded pads/disks or even more powerful brakes like ap's as for tyres, pzeros.... some like them some dont, look under the wheels/tyre section, ive got bridgestones on and there great but ive never tried p zeros so....

Tony

[This message has been edited by TonyBurns (edited 26 December 2000).]

 

Ian, the honest answer why most people upgrade from 16in to 17in wheels is cosmetic, ie big wheel with low profile rubber equals sexy.

There are also some technical advantages, mainly that the bigger wheel demands a lower profile tyre to maintain correct diameter. Lower profile, ie shorter sidewalls, means the tyre follows the steering more accurately for sharper response and more steering wheel feedback. Against that, a 17 in set up will give you a harder ride (less sidewall 'suspension'), more road noise and the tyres cost more. Oh, and the bigger size is also heavier. But to be honest, these differences are small and most find 17s the better package overall. The bigger wheels also give you the widest choice of brake up-grades, important if track days are on your agenda.

The wheel off-set (ET) is very important. As has been said above, it is the distance from the centre of the wheel to the hub. The lower the off-set, the further the wheels stick out. It's important from a handling point of view and anything beyond about 53-48mm is likely to foul the wheel arches.

Hoppy

 

Thanks for the information guys, exactly what I needed.

By the way has anyone driven the latest Impreza?

 

Yes Ian2020 i have done a short test drive in one of the new wrx's.

Was more refined but didnt have the grunt of the old model IMHO.

 

>> Yes Ian2020 i have done a short test drive in one of the new wrx's.

Don't suppose that was from a dealer near you ?

later..bobb