Thinking of going from 18s to 17s

[Smithcraft]

For those not living in the Seattle area, potholes and other road issues are pretty bad here. Just on the road I live on, when I drive the SpecB I cringe when I come up on a makeshift speed bump (the road is collapsing over an underground pipe), whereas with the wagon it's just another bump in the road. Of course there are tons of differences in the suspension and tires, but the short sidewalls of the tires on the SpecB versus the tall sidewalls on the tires of the wagon I think are a major contributor to getting over this problem, as well as many of the other road hazards in the county.

 

So my question is: Is it worth going to a slightly taller sidewall (.6 inches) with 17 inch wheels, or is that sidewall still too short to make a noticeable difference in traversing King Countys wonderful roads compared to the 18 inch wheels?

 

Or would it be worth it to get the 17s to get the extra sidewall to better protect the wheels?

 

SC

[Code]

I notice a huge difference between my 18s and 17s.

[LatentWagen]

For those not living in the Seattle area, potholes and other road issues are pretty bad here. Just on the road I live on, when I drive the SpecB I cringe when I come up on a makeshift speed bump (the road is collapsing over an underground pipe), whereas with the wagon it's just another bump in the road. Of course there are tons of differences in the suspension and tires, but the short sidewalls of the tires on the SpecB versus the tall sidewalls on the tires of the wagon I think are a major contributor to getting over this problem, as well as many of the other road hazards in the county.

 

So my question is: Is it worth going to a slightly taller sidewall (.6 inches) with 17 inch wheels, or is that sidewall still too short to make a noticeable difference in traversing King Countys wonderful roads compared to the 18 inch wheels?

 

Or would it be worth it to get the 17s to get the extra sidewall to better protect the wheels?

 

SC

 

17" is really the correct wheel size for a 4th gen. The 18" spec B wheels are too big, they had to put stops in the rack to shorten the turning radius so they wouldn't rub at full lock

 

They will be much better over bumps and potholes.

 

The other nice side effect from ditching the 18"s is weight savings: improved acceleration and braking, and faster reacting suspension.

[wesleyCrowbar]

I've got a similar question. Aside from the speedometer being off, what sort of advantages/disadvantages am I looking at for running a larger side profile tire? I want to fill out the wheel well a little bit more, but I don't want to go up to 18s

[Smithcraft]

I notice a huge difference between my 18s and 17s.

What kind of a difference?

 

17" is really the correct wheel size for a 4th gen. The 18" spec B wheels are too big, they had to put stops in the rack to shorten the turning radius so they wouldn't rub at full lock

 

They will be much better over bumps and potholes.

 

The other nice side effect from ditching the 18"s is weight savings: improved acceleration and braking, and faster reacting suspension.

It's actually your posts about wheel weight that is part of the reason I'm eventually going down this path. Every wheel I consider, I always look at the weights!

 

Are the stops easy to remove?

 

I've got a similar question. Aside from the speedometer being off, what sort of advantages/disadvantages am I looking at for running a larger side profile tire? I want to fill out the wheel well a little bit more, but I don't want to go up to 18s

I was using the tire calculator at Miata.net and 225/50r17 is 0.9% off from the stock tire size. So 60 on the speedo is 60.8 in reality. The 225/45r18s on my car now have an error of 1.4%.

 

This question ties in to LatentWagons comment, but if the 17s are the right size, then is the speedometer off on the 18s?

 

Also, with the electronic speedometer, can it be programmed for different tire sizes by the owner?

 

SC

[Code]

Comfort due to more sidewall on the tires.

 

Also my car feels a bit quicker due to the decreased weight.

[LatentWagen]

It's actually your posts about wheel weight that is part of the reason I'm eventually going down this path. Every wheel I consider, I always look at the weights!

 

Wheel weight is worth considering!

 

Are the stops easy to remove?

 

No, probably not worth the trouble. The spec. B assy and the regular LGT unit have different part numbers, so the stops must be internal. Underdog would know for sure.

[battelready]

My SSR's are lighter then most 17s. Depends on the rim and width honestly. But id go with a light 17 with taller tire. Best part about 17's is that the tires are cheaper. The difference for my pilot super sports was 20 a tire between 17 and 18.

[Smithcraft]

The Type Cs seem to be the lightest. My quest for wheels has added weight with appearance as the two top criteria for a while.

 

SC

[98legwag]

I went from the stock 18s (215/45/18) on my 3.0R to 17 in 04 STI wheels (235/45/17). I saved about 7-8 lbs per corner. The biggest differences I noticed was a little more ride comfort and the steering feels easier at low speeds.

[scoobyscoodle]

Comfort due to more sidewall on the tires.

 

Also my car feels a bit quicker due to the decreased weight.

 

 

What tires were on each when you compared? I ask because, for example, a 17" with stiff max performance summer mounted would feel harsher than an 18" with a soft sidewall, so sidewall height isn't the only factor in comfort.

[Code]

17- Oem re-92 and Blizzak

 

18- hankook v12, Conti DW, Dunlop z2ss(current)

[quick4dr]

love my 17x9 hated my 18x8.5

265/40/17 vs. 235/35/18

[Rhitter]

why did you hate your 18x8.5s?

[BoozeRS05]

I went away from 18's entirely myself, and I love my 16lb 17x9's. With a 235/40/17 its quickest and best stopping, nimble setup I've had. I'd love to fit 245/45/17's, but I don't want to modify my fenders. I'll go with a 235/45/17 next for comfort and to fill the wheel well.

 

18's maybe look better on our cars, but that's about all in my opinion.

[Smithcraft]

Thanks for the continued input on this guys!

 

SC

[Holla]

I'll echo a lot of the comments that people have already posted.

 

One of the first things I had bought for my car was a brand new set of Rota Gravels, 18x8. I absolutely hated the way the car felt with them. I ran them for maybe three months and they went up for sale. I knew something was wrong when I found myself driving my wife's CRV around town simply because I hated how my car rode with the 18's. They felt like boat anchors, steering was much heavier, and the ride quality was poor.

 

I went to a set of 5x100 sti wheels and couldn't be happier with them.

 

I believe weight has a lot to do with how rims feel on a car. I'd be interested to try a set of light weight forged 18's.

[LatentWagen]

I believe weight has a lot to do with how rims feel on a car. I'd be interested to try a set of light weight forged 18's.

 

This; with tire sidewall height & characteristics/construction being the rest of the equation.

[BoozeRS05]

I've read some pretty credible sources say it's not wheel weight we feel nearly as much as it is the difference in diameter of the wheel and tire when talking about daily drivers. Sizes being the same (comparing a 17" wheel to another 17" wheel) a weight difference of say 6lbs per corner will not be noticed by many drivers I'm told.

 

Wheel/tire diameter is what makes the noticeable difference for most of us who've switched. I wanted more comfort, more wheel and tire options, cheaper combos, and I got all of it with noticeably improved driveability when I switched.

 

Both of my wheel setups are 16lbs/corner, so I don't know for sure.

[Rhitter]

Just a comment on wheel weight. When I switched to Legacy GT brakes, it was super noticeable. The whole car felt heavier. I imagine it's a similar feeling going to heavier wheels. Right now I am trying to decide if a 4% difference is worth dropping down to 245/45/17s which are so much cheaper and will probably give me more of the feel I am looking for.

[scoobyscoodle]

I notice a pretty massive difference between my 18x8.5 Volk CE28's which are barely 16lbs, compared to the Spec.B 18's which are damn near 30lbs.

 

I've never had the same tires mounted on them though.

[TheMonaLisa]

My flow-formed 18x8 wheels at 17.8 pounds feel no heavier than the stock 17x7 wheels. I've only run performance tires on the 18s and snow tires on the 17s so bad comparison but massive difference in the way it handles bumps.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fahr_side]

If engineers wrote the advertising blurb they'd include a figure for mass moment of inertia. Weight is relevant but in terms of how much force is needed to accelerate or decelerate the car, inertia is far more important.

Sadly we're moving toward the advertising blurb telling us only how exclusive and exciting the wheel design is and not even mentioning the weight.

[BoozeRS05]

18" SpecB wheels, weight 30lbs.. Good idea.

[quick4dr]

why did you hate your 18x8.5s?

 

Didn't like the ride, 18s limit sidewall and it just didn't meet my driving preferences or road conditions