17's VS 18's
I'm going to be getting rims now myself. I know I want 17's, but what's the average width we're talking about. There's some nice ones I want that are 17x7 50offset. Think that's too narrow for 225 width tires?
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Go with 17's if your budget is limited...18's if money is no object.
I picked up a set of Rota Sub-Zeros for $550 shipped from Revolution Motorsports. At 17 lbs, they're just .5 lb heavier than the stock 16's. Remember, wheels are unsprung (non-suspended) weight. The more the unsprung weight, the rougher the ride. So, inexpensive 18" wheels (heavy) + 40 series tires (thin sidewall), and you're bound to have a loss of ride quality. Maybe you don't mind the harshness, I dunno. The ride quality is going to suffer, no matter what diameter increase you go with...because of the reduced tire sidewall, and increased sidewall stiffness. So, in my opinion, you should try to minimize the additional weight.
Now, if you can afford the $375, 15 lb. 18" wheels, go for it. Otherwise, I'd stick with 17's...
I picked up a set of Rota Sub-Zeros for $550 shipped from Revolution Motorsports. At 17 lbs, they're just .5 lb heavier than the stock 16's. Remember, wheels are unsprung (non-suspended) weight. The more the unsprung weight, the rougher the ride. So, inexpensive 18" wheels (heavy) + 40 series tires (thin sidewall), and you're bound to have a loss of ride quality. Maybe you don't mind the harshness, I dunno. The ride quality is going to suffer, no matter what diameter increase you go with...because of the reduced tire sidewall, and increased sidewall stiffness. So, in my opinion, you should try to minimize the additional weight.
Now, if you can afford the $375, 15 lb. 18" wheels, go for it. Otherwise, I'd stick with 17's...
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the larger the diameter, the larger the commensurate tire width, so in general the better the dry traction. Also, less sidewall = less tire deflection on turn in, and less chance of roll off. It all depends on what you want your car to do; less rim and more tire = less weight (yeah yeah there x brand is lighter than y brand, but within a given model, its always true).. so you can accelerate faster 0-60+ with less rim and more tire, but handling on a road course is more precise with the larger rims and less tire. Your costs will be higher with a larger rim.. waaah.. plus they look better! 
