Question for those rollin on 18's

[SmokInDaSolara]

What's up peeps? I've been debating over whether I sould get 17's or 18's. I guy at tirerack.com told me 17's for a Solara is enough to maintain good handeling and 18's barely make it. For those who are rollin on 18's, please describe to me how your Solara's handeling has been since you got them.

BTW. I've been fixated on these Albas. What do think?

[Jay]

Trust me, the handling will be better with 18s.

I had 17" factory wheels on my Mustang, and when I switched to 18s, handling was even better. I could carve the corner faster..

Not only that, 18" looks 100 X better than 17". 19" looks 200 X better!

Now, I am putting in 19"s on my Solara... I am waiting for my tires...
19" is the biggest you can go with Solara.

[onefiend]

I like my 18's....its defintely better than my factory stock 15" wheels/tires. The 18's handles the curves better, sticks to the road a lil better to. Now 19's would be nice.

[nkx1]

First of all, for me there is no question about getting 18's. 17's simply look too small on a big car like the solara (and lets face it, pretty much the only reason to upgrade the wheels on a solara is for looks).

That being said, I have noticed that the handling is slightly hindered by the big wheels. This is because 18'+ wheels are often heavy, and the heavier they are, the more difficult it is to maintain a high degree of control over the wheels. For instance, if you go over a big bump or something, your car might pull to one side. I got Alessio 18's, which are freakin heavy. The other thing I don't like (and it may just be my wheels) is that the steering wheel shakes more than normal at 65+ mph. I just got my wheels too, so I don't think it's a balancing issue. I may get them balanced again anyway though to try to get rid of the shaking.

Good luck with your wheel search

[onefiend]

nkx1 you need to get them balanced....mine use to shake over 65mph but after getting it balanced the shaking/vibrating was lessened...and that pulling you experience is just due to the width of the tire.

[Gunman]

no problems, they fit on like a glove and still look kinda small. you feel a few more bumps, but not enough to upset ya.

[NASTY]

i think 17's look alright if the cars lowered enough to fill the well...i got 17's cause i didn't want to get too low a sidewall (the wheels would dent a hell of a lot easier, and the roads here have lots of potholes)

[Jay]

nkx1,
Your analysis of larger wheels is not quite correct...

The vibration is due to poor balancing or other problem..
pulling is definitely got to do with the width of the wheel. I used to get the same thing with 245 40 18" on my mustang. I don't mind this since I get more contact while braking..

Your cornering is still loose because you haven't lowered your car... and haven't upgraded your struts.

Nasty,
17"s will still look small even if the car has been lowered especially for lighter colored solaras.... It's all about the ratio...

[nkx1]

Not to whore the thread, but can anyone think of any other reasons than wheel balance that my steering wheel might shake at 65+ mph? I was thinking maybe alignment, since I looked at my front wheels and I noticed that they are both pointed slightly out in opposite directions rather than perfectly straight forward. The only reason I ask is that I just got my wheels 2 weeks ago and they were already balanced.

Thanks!

[atlantasolara]

few days after i got my 17s, my steering wheel would shake at about 60 mph. shop balanced the tires again but the problem wouldn't go away.

a car mag i read a while back said something about certain tires keeping the "flat spot" resulting from overnight parking. as the tires warm up from running on the road, the flat spot goes away and finally the tires (and the car) run perfectly.

this looks to be my case, as after driving about 20-30 minutes on a hot day, the steering wheel vibration is gone. different story when just pulling out of the subdivision that morning.

[Whatever]

i like 19'

[ToyGuy]

NKX1 is right about the heavier wheel/tire combo affecting the ride and handling. Heavier changes direction harder, meaning when you hit a bump it takes longer for the wheel/tire to start to move up, then at the top it takes longer for it to slow and change direction while reacting to your springs. Heavier also makes the struts/shocks work harder. Racers work like crazy to reduce unsprung weight to make the car's suspension more responsive. Most 19s weigh several lbs more than say 17s. Not good.

There's also the problem of that extra weight on the outside of the circle (wheel/tire) taking more energy to get moving, an inertia thing.

All else being equal in a race, (tire diameter, tread width, etc.) your 19s are gonna get beat by lighter 17s.

Since most of us really don't race anyhow the look is what matters right?

[Jay]

Exactly..
If I wanted to race all the time, I would have bought some other cars with more aftermarket support...

19"s are definitely not practical, but they are for looks (pimp factor!)... 19"s on your Solara will get people's attention...