Hey guys, I have been wondering and now I seek your advice and input. I have been going back in forth in my mind on whether I want some aftermarket rims in either 18" or 19". Of course, the 19s cost a bit more, and the tires will cost a bit more (like $200) every time you need new tires. So really, what you are looking at is if the look of the 19s are worth the cost over the 18s. I noticed that most of the aftermarket wheels on this site seem to be 19s, do they handle better??? I have to think the 19s ride a bit rougher, for your money, what is your choice, and why did you choose the size you did if you have already made the decision????

BTW, any info on sizes of rims and tires would be greatly appreciated.

 

19s offer cosmetic advantages over 18s.

that is the only thing they give over 18's

then again, 18s only offer appearance over 17s, and 17s over 16.... ect.

there comes a point where you can no longer clear the brakes you might want to have, chances are 17s would clear the biggest brakes youd ever find.

none the less, you can get some light rims in 18s, so thats what I got, I just didnt want to go smaller than stock, but the reasoning was not performance oriented.

I have 8.5 and 9.5 wide front/rear, with 245 front, 275 rear, 40% sidewall, keeps overall diameter very close to stock.

 

Yeah, I don't see myself wanting to go smaller than 18s, but I see your point. You also make a good point about the weight issues of 18s vs 19s. Are the 19s just an upgrade in cosmetics, or are there other things such as handling that make them beneficial??? The weight issues alone are enough to make me think twice of the 19s, let alone 20s. Would be interested in any pics of aftermarket 18" rims, although I know using your imagination from factory rims could be enough.

Would be interested to hear from the guys with 19s also, along with wheel and tires sizes of course.

BTW, this trend will probably go a long way towards my decision one way or the other, so all comments are appreciated. I am between the SSR GT3s and iForged Aeros polished or brushed(don't know which, got to get into group buy for those, rodH yours are sweet don't know how much difference 18s would make though) least at the moment, lol. Haven't been able to find any comparisons in weight between these two rims and stock rims, but from what I can tell, they are both lightweight rims. Again, any info is appreciated.

 

For me in high school, you HAD to have the 17s
In College you HAD to have the 18s
Now as of about a year ago you HAVE to have the 19s. at least for the sportscar crowd...
Dont even ask about all those lunatics with their escalades and 24 inch wheels.
I remember when I had my Prelude and I was shopping for rims I asked everyone... "17s or 18s.?" What finally settled it was one guy who said, "Well, do you wanna be the man or not?" I got the 18s.
Now I am 28 years old, and guess what. I have to have the 19s

 

Like said before, 18's for more performance oriented and 19's for better looks.... I have 18's in my sig below which fit the car well, but I started with the 17's...... good luck.....

 

So does performance decline as you go bigger?

 

Interesting, I don't think performance "declines" if you do it the right way with 19s. Get some lightweight tires (toyos maybe), along with lightweight rims and I don't see it really declining, per say.

I remember when I was younger, 17s were huge, so I see where you are coming from. I guess I am cheap by nature, and it is the only reason why I raised the question. All things being equal, of course I would like the 19s, but that is not the case. Cost, along with performance, are big things that could lean me towards the 18s. Just can't get the thoughts of, "the bigger the better", out of my mind, lol. Guess I am still undecided. I love how some of the 19s look on some of the members of this forum.

OOOOOOOhhhh, decisions, decisions........

 

well the lightest set of 18s will be lighter than lightest 19s. I guess it depends on what your comparing.

also the 19s put the lip farther from center, not great.

the performance can start to get close, but smaller will always be lighter. and less expensive for it.

 

Does anybody have any numbers on how much wheel size and weight affect acceleration?

 

Guys, I thyink we're overplaying the weight differences. My iForged wheels are 25lbs, and are heavier than stock with the wider tires, but acceleration [I]improved (better tires). I agree, unsprung weight is bad, but a few lbs here or there aint too bad.

19s will give you a slightly harsher ride.....nothing huge, but the bigger bumps will be a tad more offensive.

 

gotta do the 19's.

they fill the wheel arches just right.

 

so will a drop.

the "rule of thumb" says every 10lbs of unsprung weight is like 100lbs of car weight.

and every 100lbs of car weight is good for .1sec in quarter mile. as I said before, you can drop 40lbs, thatd be 400lbs? and .4 seconds? obviously thats 2 rule of thumbs together, and its not THAT accurate, but theres a semi answer, as good as I can give.

 

Have any of you guys riding on 19s been having trouble with potholes taking out your rims and tires?

 

ares, im not doubting that, Im just saying that from experience, 19s did not affect my accelereation...in fact it improved. I think the problem comes down to people pussing over the smallest specs and not just going with what makes them happy.

Lets face it, people get wheels to improve the looks, since the Z allready has fairly light (especially track) wheels with low profile rubber our not gonna get much more "wheel performance" out of the car. The several thousand dollars should make you feel good when yor walking out to your car after work, or cleaning it on the weekends.

Please dont interperut this as saying I support big 20" chrome wheels, im just saying, dont fuss over a few lbs here and there. Then again, i did spend alot of time fussing around in mm dealig with my offsets, so i guess im not one to talk when it comes to sweating the details.

 

no, of course this all depends on rim choice. however if we take cost as the constant, then 19s will be a good bit heavier than 18s of same cost.

but if you spend a bit extra I think the difference between 18 and 19" te37s for example is like 2 or 3 lbs a rim. not a big deal, but cost is like 400$ more. so you might choose a non light weight 19, which compounds the problem and suddenly your 15lbs heavier all around, which is a factor.

it really depends on the rim your talking about I guess.

 

Brad, I see what you are saying, but in my way of thinking, I would like to keep the lightweight of the stock wheels that you talk about with the upgrade of personally hand picked rims.

I guess what ares is saying is if I went with the same type rim and tires, and the only difference was whether it was an 18" or 19" rim and tires, that the 18s would be the lightest. I know that the Z as is has some decently lightweight rims, but that is not the issue that I am bringing up. I want to change the look (and hopefully make it look better) while not giving away performance by making the car have too much unsprung weight. But make no mistake, the upgrade is for looks, like you say, and I am not spending the money for the fun of it. I want my car to look different and special, and don't want to see myself around every corner. This is the whole reason the 19s are in the picture, I guess.

But your point of the 19s not hurting your performance is good to know since I am considering some iForged also. You did say they were heavier than your stock wheels, which stock wheels are you talking about?

 

yeah, ares, that one inch is more pounds and more money. Which do you prefer, the awesome looks of the 19s, or maintaining the stock lightweight, performance, and lower cost of the 18s???

 

I really cant tell that inch, and if someone wants to walk up with a tape measure and check it out, go for it.

I was getting the exact same tire in either 18 or 19, cost also wasnt a concern between them.

but I got 18s, even tho the weight was like 3lbs per rim different.

if I wanted a rim that was only available in 19s, itd be a different story, but 18s vs 19, same rim, whats the difference? Ill save the cash and weight, and hope no one has a yard stick in their back pocket.

can you really tell an inch difference without getting right up on it? I cant, and in my car, I am all that matters.

 

I can tell from a mile away if a car has a specific size, JUST based on how it looks and fills the wheel well. you may think I am crazy, but it is true.

that being said, I have 19" wheels and 245/275 tires that are 8lbs lighter than my stock touring wheels, tires are AA rated (vs A rated for stock) and 280 treadwear (VS 140 stock) and theya re waaaaaay wider, quiter and more supple (yes, they are).

I think I cam out ahead, Lighter, more grip (size and rating), less sidewall flex, better looks, more stable at high speeds (wider track)

Negatives-cost, slightly less nimble handling/steering

if you wanna keep comparing and saying "ya, but for that $$ you could have bought even lighter wt 18's", my answer to you is "so what, looks is PART (NOT ALL!!!!) of the equation. I am like hte previous poster, I am NOT for 20" chromies, BUT a light 19" 2-3 piece works great for me. If you are going for looks and a bit of performance, get some good looking light wt 19" is ALL YOU WANT is improved performance, you can get some very light wheels that are pretty dang cheap in 17 and 18, but you might as go 17" since they would be cheaper and tires would be cheaper to replace. Some of the guys autocrossing and tracking are running 17" for that very reason.

its all what you want, you seem undecided and tend to argue both points, it all depends on what you want.

 

I know you aren't talking to me, but maybe you are at the end, lol. I really am undecided and I apologize if I seem to argue both points. What I really want to know is what you answered though. I want some rims and tires that don't weight more than stock rims and tires, and you pointed out that yours actually weight less and you have 19s, some of the ones I am looking at. So are yours 8lbs lighter for each rim with or without tires and what kind of tires are you running?