jpiddin1

iTrader: (1)

Gonna put a new set of wheels on my beloved 2000 MY Classic. Its lowered a little and has Konis. Currently running 17" bugeye alloys with 215's and has no clearance issues.

Thinking of going to 18's but worried about upsetting the handling and making it too choppy over the bumps. I guess I could wind the shocks down a lttle to bring the ride compiance back (currently have them set in the middle).

I know that the 18's will look better. Really like the OZ Ultraleggeras. The car is Sonic blue. Dont think I'll go for the gold wheels....its a toss-up between black and titanium.

Thoughts anyone?

M444GY

iTrader: (72)

stick with the 17s imo

Tidgy

i went form 17-18's, tis a bit choppy/bumpy and if i was doing serious track work etc then i'd stick with the 17's, but i don;t find the 18's too bad

Fangoria

iTrader: (1)

Eh ''if you were doing serious track work you'd stick with 17's...?''
18's minimum on Track... 17's have too much flex
I'm thinking of putting on some wider 18's than the standard 7.5*18

Normal driving I'd stick with 17's as you dont need bigger

172sport

iTrader: (6)

17's all the way

Tomwrx

iTrader: (54)

i run 18's in the summer and 17's in the winter

a16pse

Fangoria , stick with 17s they have to much flex, you dont make sence mate.

SRSport

...17s for everyday use, but they flex too much for the track is what he said. He does make sense, although some prefer 17s for better feel on track.

belliott69

iTrader: (3)

stick with the 17's, i tried 18 on mine and they lasted about a day before i got sick of them.

dazdavies

iTrader: (22)

Everyone's saying they prefer 17's over 18's but not saying why. Could you add a little justification for doing so?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

17's wont flex too much, anyway it depends on the tyre most of the time, 18's can just melt away and leave you stuffed, but its tyre v tyre here, the 17's will give you a better ride overall.

Tony

DannyBoy007

iTrader: (7)

I've tried a few set of wheels on the scoobs over the years.

18"- looks better, they seem to fill arches better But look too big if you have the standard brake setup. They are a little bumpy and you will feel big pot wholes. The ride is acceptable though. Tyres are expensive and I found bloody hard to find in 215/35/18 unless you wanted falken or **** Toyo's. I had to get some goodyear's from germany a couple of years back as there was none in the country. In fact there wasn't any michelin, Continental, Pirelli or goodyear at that time.

I switched back to the 17's when a set of Works wheels came up at a good price, The ride feels so much more comfortable with the extra 5% sidewall, The car feels more planted giving more confidance. Tyres are cheaper and you have more choice.

belliott69

iTrader: (3)

17's seem to corner better and give a better ride, 18's, touch a bump and it sounds like your strut is coming through the top of the turret and even driving on ever so slightly off road can rattle your teeth out of your head. have tried a set on both of my classics and its been the same each time.

Fangoria

iTrader: (1)

Tony
It depends how you drive
I dare say my Grandma at 87 probably wouldnt notice any difference between the 17 and 18's on track... but anyone that knows how to drive would certainly

Anyhow if its just for tootaling about then 17's all the way

Yes 17's will tramline less, they will give a comfier ride, they wont look too small on a standard car but and are ok for fast road driving

18's on track drive better (its generally a fact that lower profile will flex less and hold the corners much better... thats why the Nissan GTR rears are 285/35/20...) - of course you'd need decent rubber. Choice on 215/35/18 is fairly limited - I have Yoko Parada, just because they are good on track in the dry (not good in the wet!) and you can get them fairly cheaply. Falken are crap - I had them and split 2 sidewalls very quickly. I found Toyo's to be a decent all round tyre but dry grip wasnt good enough on track.
Never had any issues with Yoko on Track - once you've done several track days and had plenty of tuition you tend to be good to your tyres so mine last me a lot of track days now... and I'm starting to be kinder on my brakes

checksum

iTrader: (1)

Personally I think 18" wheels look took big on the Impreza unless its lowered.

I am thinking of getting another set of standard 17" wheels with nokian tyres for the winter and getting them painted black.

Dutch Scooby lover

iTrader: (3)

On a classic I would always keep the 17" as an option (So if you decide for a BBK, get a 332mm max size for example)
Why??

Because there are not many 18" high performance/semi-track tires made in 215/35/18.
Granted, track tires and uhp tires like the RT615 are hard to come by in 178", but at least they are available

jpiddin1

iTrader: (1)

thanks guys......really great feedback.

I used to track the car when I was living in Cologne....the Ring was only an hour away.

Back in the uk now and just LOVE the way the car handles choppy country lans. With the Koni's the ride is well damped and doesnt get flustered when there's a series of undulations. At the moment there's virtually NO tramlining.

There's plenty of grip and to be honest getting any more would be pointless....it would just raise the stakes.....and lets face it these cars are already capable of doing 100mph+ on country lanes if you push hard.

I think I'm sold....17's it is.

Now anyone got a second hand set of 17" Superleggeras to sell me?

James.

-Richard-

i would say 17"