jonnyboy82

iTrader: (10)

Would love to hear some feedback based on everyday driving?

legacy_gtb

iTrader: (3)

18s for show, 17s for go, anything with stretched tyres just NO.

InTurbo

iTrader: (3)

Wheel weight and tyres play a big factor in this.

But say if you had the same tyre on the same wheel like a
235/45/17 and a 235/45/18 I think the 17 will be the better choice due to the reduced weight.

Increasing a wheels weight has a negative effect on braking, acceleration and how fast your suspension can react due to un sprung weight, So from a performance point of view lighter the better.

Obviously there are 18'' and even 19'' wheels that are stronger and lighter than a 17'' wheel.

Tyre apect ratio also plays a part to how the car feels with different size wheels.
You would need a tyre with a stiff side wall on a 17'' to have the same kind of response as a 18'' with a slimmer side wall.

jonnyboy82

iTrader: (10)

I recently fitted some rota grid drifts 18x9.5 with stretched 225/40/18s and the handling is terrible! This is my reason for asking so i can decide whether to replace the rotas with the original 18" pff7s or go for the 17" standard widetrack alloys (not sure what they are called?)

InTurbo

iTrader: (3)

So you have wider wheels with the incorrect offsets. This always creates handling problems.

I fitted wider wheels to my old z4 coupe and although it looks sexy as hell it ruined the way it drove.

Imagine the outside edge of your wheel as a the end of a lever. As your wheel goes over bumps in the road the forces are sent from the wheel through to the suspension to deal with.

Now if you fit wider wheels your increasing the lever affect making bumps appear worse and harder for your car to deal with.

Add that to a heavier wheel and your suspension is working overtime.

And a stretched tyre can't perform correctly during cornering or dealing with road imperfections.

18'' pff7 or Widetrack 17'' will be a massive improvement from the wheels you have now.

If you choose 17s make sure you get a tyre with a strong sidewall otherwise the heavy new age feels quite sloppy.
Re070
Ado8r
A046

Tidgy

classic 17's best compramise (especialy when big brake up grade), 18's are hard as rock by comparison.

New age 18's best compramise, 19 are hard as rock

Paben

iTrader: (5)

That tyre size is right for 18x8.5, no surprise the car drives poorly. I've never seen the point of stretched tyres, they look wrong too.

Ash Knight

iTrader: (2)

I'm actually quited interested in the 17 vs 18" debate... I'm looking for some replacement wheels for my blob WRX but no idea what size/offset to go for! 18's looks good but I've no idea what is best for handling and functionality. Any input would be great

Lillyart14

Always go 17" on a Classic. Period.

silver-sub

Yes definitely 17's on a classic

S3LDM

If you have a PPP on your car you will have to run the 18" wheels to achive the torque's figures

This was provided with the generic ECU upgrade that was supplied by Prodrive..

cjquicksilver

iTrader: (23)

I have to run 18s to clear my brakes on a gc8

jonnyboy82

iTrader: (10)

Now thats interesting and has answered my question seeing as I do have the ppp!

Reef

iTrader: (2)

I'm on 17's on my PPP Bolb wagon with prodrive springs.
I've been thinking about 18's for a while and my bro-in-law is going to lend me his 18's to try. I'll let you know how I get on.
Interestingly both my 17's and the 18's have Falken 453 tyres so the comparison should be fair .

Si w

how does the wheel size relate to torque? Genuine question, not nit-picking.

I always understood it that if you only increased an inch in wheel diameter, and correctly reduced the profile of the tyre, then the rolling radius should be practically the same.

I've got PPP on my wagon, so this could be the final argument against staying on 17s.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

This^^^

I note that none of the other responders mentioned the difference between classic and newage? And it's a big 'un......