Johnny

Ok I want honest opinion...for a long time I've been a huge fan of 17 inch rims...but I'm actually considering 18's now...What I really want to know is your likes( I already know they look good) and your dislikes..)

My car is not daily driven...it's hardly driven
Would also like to know the tire size run when you make the comments..

TIA,
Johnny w/17's maybe getting 18's

yomamasmama

with 18s you have to roll your front fenders and steering is compromised

stick with 17s that are light weight and purty

JoeD

damn...how come sooo many people do not know about plus sizing??

no, you dont need to roll your fenders for 18's. the rims size does not mean ****. i could run 22's and not have to roll the fenders. its all about tire size. if you plus size correctly, you dont need to roll the fenders. 17's are no different than 18s. rolling fenders deals with tire/rim width, not diameter (given that you have plus sized correctly).

i think it is pointless and a waste of money to go with 17's. if you are racing, get 16's, even lighter! if you have a street car, why spend the extra cash for just a plus 1 size?? its pointless, IMO. and 18's dont cost that much more than 17's, so money is not an issue.

the best tire sizes for 18s are:

225/40
245/35 <---- the closest diameter to stock
265/35
285/30 <---- the closest diameter to stock

245/35 and 285/30 have almost the exact same diameter as the stock 225/50-16.

DeNguyen

the reason people go with 17 inch wheels for racing is because its the only way to fit a big brake kit.

0piston

iTrader: (9)

Actually, I was reading a testing review between 16",17", and 18" on the track. All wheels had the same brand model of rims, and tires. Track times proved the 17" wheels ran the best times of the three.

RX7-2JOCK

I don't have any problems with my 18's......I'm on stock suspension working on getting the Tanbe SS

black99

JoeD has it about right... And I was always told if you want a "track" wheel go with a 17" and if you want a good "show" or just a driving around wheel, go with something bigger like 18" or even 19"...

FastX7

I have 18" wheels with 235/40 and 265/40 tire combo and have NO problems with turning or anything. The ride is a little bit stiffer from the lack of sidewall. It looks great with the stock R1 suspension.

JoeD

265/40?!?! holy **** dude. go back and slap whoever told you to get that size, cause that is WAAAY too big. 265/35 is already larger than stock by half an inch, and your 265/40s are AN INCH AND A HALF taller than stock. not to mention, they must look like **** too from the high *** profile. that is just about the wrongest plus-size you can get!

who told you to get 265/40s???

OMG......it pisses me off when people dont understand the concept of plus-sizing! ARRRGH!

JoeD

i recomend you make your next set of tires 255/35s. 265s on a 9 inch rim is pushing it. damn! combine a narrow wheel with a wide/high profile tire.....**** dude, your rear tires probably look like ****. not to mention being high off the ground like a truck too!

and did you know that your speedometer is now 6% off from your actual speed??

RyanC

Call me crazy but I actually think 17's look a lot nicer than 18's on an FD. The 18's just look too big for my tastes.

Johnny

thanks for the responses...I'm really leaning towards some nice 18 inch rims...its only a little more so what the hell...I plan to run
235-40(front) and 265-35(rear)..and have a GC(koni-eibach) set up so I should be able to make it look nice. Yes it's heavier but I am alright with that..I'm getting Kinesis K58's...which dont come in anything but 18 or 19...I was thinking k5's in 17's..but then I love the larger center section of the k58's so much better I have to consider it...Ok now my brakes rotors will look dorky but ole well..maybe that's next.

maxcooper

I run 17" on the street so I can clear the big brakes (yet to be installed) and get more rubber on the rear of the car. 245/40-17 and 265/40-17 tires on 8.5 and 9.5 rims. The 265 S-03s tires hold 367RWHP through all of second gear most of the time in a straight line.

On the track I run 285/30-18 tires on 18x10" wheels at all four corners. Many people run 275/40-17 on 10" rims at the track and I agree that having the extra sidewall is better, but that size has a larger diameter and ends up having more rotational inertia than my 18s. The diameter can give clearance problems, too. Most racers have eaten through their fender liners with the 275/40-17 tires. My 18s have only rubbed once, and I just raised the car up a turn to eliminate that problem. I hear that 285/35-17 tires might be available soon in R-compound, which sounds like the perfect setup to me. For now, I am quite happy with my 18s.

I heat-cycled the tires on the 18s on the street and the ride was very harsh. I have also heard from other owners that their 18s give a pretty stiff ride on the street. 18s on the street means harsher ride and more chance of bending a rim, but I certainly respect anyone's right to run whatever they want on the car. I just wanted to raise awareness of the issues.

-Max

Johnny

Thanks max..... I know it might be harsher than 17's...but my car was pretty harsh with 17's...so I figure WTF...my wife hates it already ..so why not just go all out.

FastX7

My mistake on tire size, I meant to say 265/35 in the rear.

JoeD

ok.

Flybye

Tell me you are running coilovers!
Who made your wheels?

DeNguyen

CRAZY!

18's will always LOOK better IMO. just look at TTT's car!

Brad Fielder

the best tire sizes for 18s are:


245/35 <---- the closest diameter to stock

285/30 <---- the closest diameter to stock

245/35 and 285/30 have almost the exact same diameter as the stock 225/50-16.

I was only able to find some Hoosier autox tires in this size for a match set. That wouldn't really be a problem for me if these tires would last 5000 miles or so. Is there any other matched set in these sizes that I missed.
Brad

FastX7

I've heard of people running 19 and 20" wheels. I can't believe that they can do that and drive it, or have it low enough to not look like they're taking the 7 off-road. Has anyone seen a car with anything 19's or bigger and looked good? Pics would be even better if you ahve any. I love the 18's, they look good on the stock ride height. They are a bit harsh on the bumps, but I haven't bent a wheel yet. Although, I though I did once... I'm pretty wary of my car when I'm driving it.

maxcooper

Yes, I have coil-overs with 2.5" springs. The wheels are from Complete Custom Wheel. They are 3-piece wheels with forged centers and 7.5" of backspacing. John Purner runs that company and they have made a lot of wheels for RX-7s and Vipers, Corvettes, etc. You see a lot of them at the track because they are light and reasonably priced for that type of wheel.

-Max

maxcooper

A quick search at Tire Rack turned up Pirelli PZero System Asimmetrico in those sizes, but they appear to be on back order. I wouldn't drive Hoosiers on the road anywhere -- they will get damaged quickly (at least the road race ones would). You might also search elsewhere for Toyo and Falken tires in those sizes, as Tire Rack does not carry those brands.

-Max

dclin

iTrader: (4)

Damn straight they've been on back order - I've been waiting near two months now. I've given up on them, and found a cheap set of 225/40s Assims that Im gonna slap on there for the time being, kill the Assims as quickly as I can, then try out the SO3s in 255/35/18 front and 285/30/18 rear.

255/35s are a tiny bit taller then I want, but should provide a better balance in handling. Bridgestone specs the 255/35/18s at 25" in dia, and the 285/30/18s at 24.8" dia, so should be ok.

I know the Bridgestone S02s were available in 245/35/18s, at least in Japan. I may see if the SO3s are available in 245/35/18s in the JDM, and have a pair sent here. I seriously doubt the Texas DPS is going to be looking for DOT stamps on the tires...

JeffShoots

Love my Volk's. 18x8.5 and 18x9.5 no rubbing on stock suspension.



Later, Jeff

twinturboteddy

My friends on 18s