Need some words of wisdom from those who know their stuff.

I might switch to a Performance model to get a Zzzzzzz sooner.

Is there any particular advantage/disadvantage to 18 inch wheels over 17 inch? (looks doesn't mean much to me with regard to wheels)

Appreciate the help.

 

ok... 18" rims are heavier. typicly of course, rays probably weigh less than the 17" rims. but not the point. they also have alot of weight in the lip which is .5inches farther away from the center.

another drawback is sidewall, you have less of it. this causes a few things. you have a rougher ride, the tire is what absorbs bumps, not suspension, the suspension is to keep the tire in contact with the road, not pad your fanny. less sidewall means less absorbtion. also ever see a drag car? they run those soft wall slicks that wrinkle under acceleration, that helps to absorb and dissipate shocks in the acceleration, reduces the chance of burnout. of course in this area, were talking about .5inches, and its not a soft walled tire, so the difference is minimal.

now the good part. shorter sidewall means more cornering potential, the tire cant shift side to side, so you can take cleaner turns, tho you will get less forgiveness if you go past the tires abilities.

I painted a pretty glum picture of larger tires, that people are probably thinking why the hell do I want 18s. but the handling point is the biggest item. its the most noticable with such a small difference. neither rim is a extremely low profile, so the ride wont be much rougher, neither runs the risk of denting a rim.

hope this helps... somewhat. also you can fit larger rotors. youll notice nascar isnt running on 20" rims, they use small rims with big tires, as does drag racers. but indy has some big rims(tho they have big tires to boot, but thats another story, different type of tires)

 

Also a larger size tire will slow you down in a drag race but will give you a higher top speed. Drag cars use thick sidewalls on the rear because they need the straight line grip and they need the side walls to wrinkle cant do that with a thin sidewall. Dont forget Le Mans and 24 of Daytona cars use large wheels and small tires Theres very different reasons to get different types of tires it all depends on what your goals are with the car. Should figure that out before you do even your first mod, if you havent already

 

Great stuff, guys. Appreciate the input.

Think I just better wait for the Entusiast to show up. I ordered precisely what I want but keep thinking about deviating to get one sooner.

Everytime I would end up having to spend more money to get features that don't "fit" my style/intnded use of the car.

Oh, whoa is me! LOL