you know what they say, bigger is better but what do you think? go with 17x8 or 18x8? main difference is price. especially tires.

 

Both are good, most will say 17's but I got 18's.

 

18s cost more (remember tires cost more too) but get you more bling points, 17s are cheaper and, with a given wheel design, lighter and therefore make your car faster and handle better with a given tire. I personally would (and did) stick to 17s on an Impreza, including STis, but if I had a Forester or Legacy Outback I'd go 18s because of their tire size stock.

Personal preference is what it comes down to man.

 

preference says 18s hehe

 

I am going through this same tough decision...

I would like to see relative weight differences with Tires included. Is it THAT much of a difference?

 

depends on the wheel. with rotas, i dont think its a big difference at all.

 

go 17x8.5!

 

Also, a thing to remember is that you will get a little nicer ride quality with the 17s since you have a larger sidewall to absorb more of the bumps in the road.

 

Werd!

 

thats very true, I went from the stock 16's to 18's (Rota P45F) and going over a very small rock feels like going over a building brick..they look great though.

 

even if the weight difference is only a few pounds it still makes a big difference because the rotational mass is further away from the center point of the rim/tire

 

18" if you are also getting a BBK w/ 12"+ rotors. Otherwise, your brakes look puny and pathetic inside 18". Also, ride quality gets pretty bad w/ those ultra low-profile tires.

 

Depends on what you want. There are two ways of approaching wheel/tire choices with both tempered by how much you are willing to pay. You can also compromise between the two approaches.

1. Cosmetic. What the rim/tire combo looks like on the WRX. 90% of aftermarket choices are made on this value alone, and it's an important value to consider.

2. Performance. How the rim/tire combo will effect performance of the WRX. The lighter the wheel, the faster the car and the better it will handle. Strength: Lighter is better but the wheel should be strong, hopefully as strong as the stock wheel. Width: Wider wheels and tires will improve performance to a degree. Go too wide and you will just slow the car down. Wheel diameter and aspect ratio of tire: A larger diameter wheel with a shorter sidewall tire will improve performance giving the WRX a stiffer, stonger ride. If you go too far with this: the WRX will ride too hard and may start hopping around. Wheels will get bent much more often.

I went with 17 X 7.5 SSR Competition rims and Kumho Ecsta MX 225 45 17 tires. The tires and wheels in combination are stiffer, wider and a total of 18 lbs lighter than the stock combination.

 

If i only had the money

 

Not really SubeDude has alot of Rotas in that size. I would also think that they would be the best for auto-x. I am going to pick up a set this summer (Slipstreams) in 17x8.5 Just trying to decide on color black, gun metal, bronze, gold or other, I cant pant and my neighbor can powder coat in a week or so.

http://subydude.com/osc/product_info...a748fa5b6fa5c6