17's or 18's on a WRX?
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 658
From: Bakersfield
Car Info: 06 STI WRB/Gold
most of these 17s that everyone buys are pushing 7.5 inch width the 05 sti 8, but with 18s you usually push 8 to 8.5. unless everyone is out at the track than i must be at home. most high performance car use 18s, 19s, and so on. nice of you to show me the thread, nice wheels, its ****ty that he had to cut fenders. remember everyone is not looking to do that to their car.
Last edited by lovesmysuby04; Sep 17, 2004 at 11:55 PM.
By the way 18' wheels do offer some performance gain over the 17's, you cna use a smaller diameter tire which definetly reduces the tire sidewall rolling over, a definite plus on the track... also it may make the car look short and stubby because it is not lowerd, if you were to get lowering springs it would take care of the wheel gap, i have seen an STI with 19in superleggaras and it looked bad ***, it was lowerd on some STI pinks...
anyways, the choice is up to you, but 18's do offer more performance in a way, but do tend to hurt the pocket book a lil more when it comes time to buy tires...
My 2cents
Rocky
anyways, the choice is up to you, but 18's do offer more performance in a way, but do tend to hurt the pocket book a lil more when it comes time to buy tires...
My 2cents
Rocky
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depends what you mean by straight...
Originally Posted by lovesmysuby04
ok, everyone seems to think that 17's are the best for performance? I agree partly, but what I dont agree with is all these suby owners dogin 18's, saying their only for looks. well in case they forgot 18 inch wheels offer more width than 17s. More tire width on the road equals more grip, so the 17s performance over the 18s is minumal at best. ...
More unsprung weight, higher rolling resistance, greater aerodynamic drag, more horsepower required, just to go in a straight line, let alone maintain speed in a corner. This is the tradeoff for more grip, assuming the camber changes don't negate any advantage to a larger footprint, or worsen it!
Originally Posted by lovesmysuby04
... My wheels only weigh 19 pounds so i guess thats a lot of unsprung weight! Cost of wheels is not as bad as everyone says either.
205/55 16 is 22.09 lbs. (re92's about 21 lbs. + 16.5 lb rims)
225/45 17 is 24.36 lbs.
235/40 18 is 24.94 lbs
When you add it all up, (3.5 + 3.9) * 4 is adding nearly 30 lbs!! (29.6) unsprung weight from the stock setup. This affects how the tires track over uneven pavement as well, which can LOWER your cornering performance.
It is all a compromise, the better to learn what you are compromising before making the decisions on what you want.
Last edited by Rufe; Oct 29, 2004 at 12:47 AM.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 726
From: Sunnyvale
Car Info: '99 Impreza OBS
Also bigger rims increases rotational mass, so even if you kept the unsprung weight constant, rotational mass would increase since the heaviest part is moved outward.
(kinda old thread tho!!!)
(kinda old thread tho!!!)
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Based on what I've personally read in various articles and threads dealing with this topic, I've come to my own very basic conclusion: 17's for "Go", 18's for "Show". There is one exception to this however, and that is in the case of those individuals who perhaps race and push their brakes to the absolute extremes, justifying the need for 18" wheels that might allow the fitment of larger rotors, calipers, and cooling airflow.
Otherwise, a 17" wheel and correct tire will weigh less than the same wheel and tire in a larger size and will more than likely result in a more effective brake and suspension system (assuming your brakes and suspension aren't designed to perform at 100% efficiency with an enormous amount of unsprung weight), lower cost, and less fitment issues (especially with lowered cars). Faster acceleration? Theoratically, yes. . .but is it actually noticable? I'm doubting it.
A tire on an 18" wheel with a smaller side wall may theoratically have a performance advantage during cornering, but is it noticable? Do its advantages outweigh those of a lighter, quicker wheel/tire setup? I doubt It. And I'd guess that tire stability and handling characteristics in this situation would have more to do with the tire manufactre, tire pressure, wheel offset, and other more important factors than wheel diameter alone.
I dont have any experience with either size wheels, but do believe I've presented a fairly reasonable comparison between the two.
Have a good one.
Otherwise, a 17" wheel and correct tire will weigh less than the same wheel and tire in a larger size and will more than likely result in a more effective brake and suspension system (assuming your brakes and suspension aren't designed to perform at 100% efficiency with an enormous amount of unsprung weight), lower cost, and less fitment issues (especially with lowered cars). Faster acceleration? Theoratically, yes. . .but is it actually noticable? I'm doubting it.
A tire on an 18" wheel with a smaller side wall may theoratically have a performance advantage during cornering, but is it noticable? Do its advantages outweigh those of a lighter, quicker wheel/tire setup? I doubt It. And I'd guess that tire stability and handling characteristics in this situation would have more to do with the tire manufactre, tire pressure, wheel offset, and other more important factors than wheel diameter alone.
I dont have any experience with either size wheels, but do believe I've presented a fairly reasonable comparison between the two.
Have a good one.
Last edited by Juice_Man; Nov 6, 2004 at 04:44 AM.
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 414
From: Nether reach of CA delta
Car Info: 03 WRX Sedan MBP/17X7.5 SSR Comps/225 Kumho MX
I upgraded from the stock wheels and tires on my 03 WRX Sedan to SSR Competition 17X7.5 wheels and Kumho Ecsta MX 225 45 17's. I posted results here about a month ago. You will find the thread about a page down from this listing...it's listed "Kumho Ecsta MX's...first 3000 miles"
For me, strong and ultra-lightweight 17" wheels and reasonably wide, sticky, light tires were the way to go. I got huge improvements in performance without the harsh ride and risk to road damage that comes with the 40 aspect ratio tires on the 18" wheels. Although I increased wheel size diameter and tire width, unsprung weight of the stock WRX was actually reduced by a total of 17 lbs. with my tire and wheel combination...a very real performance upgrade.
For me, strong and ultra-lightweight 17" wheels and reasonably wide, sticky, light tires were the way to go. I got huge improvements in performance without the harsh ride and risk to road damage that comes with the 40 aspect ratio tires on the 18" wheels. Although I increased wheel size diameter and tire width, unsprung weight of the stock WRX was actually reduced by a total of 17 lbs. with my tire and wheel combination...a very real performance upgrade.
