When comparing the 17 inch rims and tires with the 18 inch rims and tires, there was such a small difference, maybe 1cm between the two given the 18 inch tires were more low pro to make up some of the difference. I would think that 1 cm of difference between the two would not hurt acceleration that much at all. Maybe not even enough to notice. if I were to drag my car or use it for some other form of racing I would pick the 17's or smaller to put on the car due to weight, but if your not concerned with a .01 of a second drop in acceleration, give or take, and think the 18's look nicer, which I do, then go with them. The 18's look awsome with a big brake kit. 17's dont even compare.

.02

justin

 

We're glad to have helped, but one thing must be made clear: when we talk about better performance, we are in no way referring to street racing. Street racing is ALWAYS bad, I don't take care what sort of BS excuse anyone comes up with. Though some of us were referring to drag racing, most of us were actually talking about road racing on a track/circuit or auto-crossing, venues where grip and handling make a big difference. Furthermore, improved performance will not only make your car faster, it will make your car safer if you modify correctly. Better tires result in better traction which is useful not only on the track, but also for daily driving, for example. Also, the chances of a car crash rest more on the driver himself and upon sometimes uncontrollable real-world circumstances.
I don't want to go so far as to say that you'll regret 18's, but IMHO they are completely unneccessary on a regular or lightly modified street car, let alone something even more specialized. It is my belief that 17 is the best size for the Impreza as it is the perfect compromise between road handling, weight, and rotational inertia. No wonder it comes stock on the top of the line Impreza models. It is my humble opinion that 18's are appropriate only on an Impreza that has been thoroughly and extensively modified for either circuit racing (a la the Cusco JGTC Impreza) or the show circuit. The looks of 18s don't really do much for me -- considering the heritage of the Impreza, 17s and even wide 16s with plus-sized tires look more appropriate to me. I've always felt that 18s should stay on the large, high-powered RWD (and some road-going AWD) cars. Let the rally monsters stay on 17s: Impreza, Lancer Evolution, Celica GT-Four, etc. FWD cars should be on 17s too. K-cars and minivans shouldn't exceed 16. Nothing should exceed 20 no matter what To be honest, I wouldn't put 18's on my own WRX. It's just not feasible to me. Just my 2 cents.

 

No bigger than 20, but they look so hot.



These are my next rims

 

^^^
D'oh ><

 

quote:
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Originally posted by wrxstiman
wow man thanks for the input it is relly help full..... i think i am going to go with 18's because i relly do not do the drag or street raceing thing . not into crashing my car or geting a ticket if u know what i meen. i paid alot of money for my car 24,000 i now it is not alot for some of u but it is to me !
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trust me when I say that 17's look good and if you do get the 18's you will feel the difference in a negative way, even if you arent racing

 

good choice, enjoy

 

what about going with a 16' rota slipstream for a really light combo? And does anyone know how much weight if you went with a 16' slipstream wheel over the stock rims?

 

About 4 pounds per wheel, if you're talking about 16" factory alloys.