Hello all,
I'm looking into getting new wheels for
summer driving. I've read that larger
rim sizes are mainly for looks or for
fitting bigger brakes. Is that true?

I want to improve the handling and have
been looking at 16x7.5. Should I go
bigger? I don't auto-x or track days but
am considering it in the future. Thanks
for your help.

-jb

 

rims and tires that are larger will give you better handling, but the bigger you go the more "rough" the ride can seem. I have put 18" oz prodrives on my wrx and the handling is improved. I can notice a slight difference in the ride but personally i like to be able to "feel" the road. i would recommend purchacing 17's or 18's. two notes though.

-1. even though most companies will ship pre-balanced tires i would have them balance anyway.

-2. assuming you also get lower profile tires, even 18" wheels will not fill the larger fender wells on the wrx. you will have to use springs to lower the car. i would not recommend doing this to an AWD vehicle but springs are the way to go as coilovers can mess up the ride and suspension on awd.