17's vs 18's

by **onefiend** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 9:16 am

This question is for people who either own 17 or 18 inch rims. What are some pros and cons from owning the rim size you currently have on your Solara's? Are you happy with the size you own? If you own 17's would you get 18's and vice-versa?

by **bassthrive** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:08 am

I own 17's and if you drive in places where the road isn't always smooth as glass or if it snows a lot this is the way to go. I wanted 18's for the looks but they would have been bent or cracked quick by the crappy roads I drive on at school in upstate NY. Plus I dont have to swap my rims off when the snow starts to fall. My 17's are wrapped in a good set of all season ultra high perf rubber, and thats all I need.

Also, arent 18's heavier than 17's, meaning slower acceleration?

by **Mole** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 10:25 am

weight all depends on what type of rim you buy. im pretty sure my 18's are lighter than a good amount of 17's out there. def lighter than stock 16's.

if roads are bad, stick with 17's. you get more rubber on the tire, which blankets the wheels better, also giving the car a more comfortable ride quality.

its pretty much up to the driver as well. another thing is that the bigger the tire, the more it will cost to get fresh ones.

by **SpyderGuard** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:03 pm

Even my 17's I have bent in less than 2 years living along the coasts of Southern CA, so I myself probably won't experiment with 18's. No matter where you live, chances are that you'll come across a nasty ditch or something every now and then, so you might be safer with 17's unless you got loads of money you can spend on rim repair/replacement every couple of years or months...

by **bigsley18** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 7:03 pm

whichever wheel size you choose, just make sure you get a reputable brand. those replica wheels are cheap for a reason. lots of ppl don't know that a lot of companies out there produce their products in taiwan. taiwan equals cheap. cheap equals numerous bent rims. and...well, you get the picture. just to let yall know (cuz i just found out today), i called wheelmax.com up and asked them what their deal with racing hart was cuz they used to carry/sell them. well, turns out that racing harts are now being produced in taiwan (or have been recently). and lots of wheelmax customers have been complaining about bent rims regardless what size they were. so they've dropped racing hart from their line of wheels to save their reputation. sucks cuz i was just about to purchase some c5's. just thought i'd give yall a heads up to whoever was thinking about buying racing hart evolution wheels. later

by **NASTY** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 7:57 pm

i have 17's, if i were to do it again i'd go for the 18's

by **Jaimster** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 8:54 pm

Go for 18's...looks better!

by **Yanks0114** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 9:00 pm

I would go for 18s only because 17s have become very common.

A few years ago a 17" rim was huge and was very expensive.

Now 19s are even becoming reasonably priced.

Hell the 2004 maxima even has optional 18s, a family sedan with 18s, its getting crazy

by **Mole** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 1:00 am

well look at 7 series bmw... 20in wheel package :roll:

living in LA i dont understand how cars can roll on 19's or higher.

18 for me is reasonable

by **impactX** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 3:45 am

TRDMole177 wrote:well look at 7 series bmw... 20in wheel package

living in LA i dont understand how cars can roll on 19's or higher.

18 for me is reasonable

That's because the overall diameter of wheels and tires is bigger than Solara's.

by **Fletch** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:58 am

I got an inexpensive set of 18's. They look great on a lowered car, they weigh 27lbs. I think if I did it again, I would buy a set of 17" SSR Comp's. 17" wheels and tires are getting very affordable.

by **Jackass-Jeff** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 7:40 am

TRDMole177 wrote:well look at 7 series bmw... 20in wheel package

living in LA i dont understand how cars can roll on 19's or higher.

18 for me is reasonable

Someone was telling me... you can actually fit like 22 or 23s on the 7 series... lol so Yea... 20 inchers would still have a good fat amount of rubber.

--

My friend told me that 17 is the most efficient size for FF cars w/ low horsepower like ours.

by **indiglosolara** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 7:59 am

I would go with 18's, I have a set of 18's and i dont have any problems. I have even hit those metal plates on the ground going about 50 and i have yet to see my rims bent. It all depends on the type and quality.

Kenny

by **SpyderGuard** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 9:33 am

Kind of an ancillary question here:

Does the design of a rim's spokes (given all else equal) affect rim durability? For example, does more spokes = less likelihood of bent rims? Or thicker spokes, more spokes, concave/convex spokes - you get the idea :angel:

Durability will be one of the primary factors in deciding on my next set of 17's (or 18's) - I've suffered too much as a result of bent rims :cry:

by **onefiend** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 9:55 am

I currently own 18 inch Enkei's, they weigh 23lbs each and have 9 spokes (17 inch versions of my rims are 19lbs each). I think having 9 spokes makes my rim more durable, Ive hit it in some pretty bad pot holes and those metal slabs they have on the street to cover ditches/ holes and still no problems. I was thinkin the same thing as SpyderGuard that probably why my rims have been so durable is becuz of the excessive number of spokes, but I could be wrong.
If weight is a problem for some people and thats why you choose to go with 17's I dont think the difference in weight is that much (3-4 lbs difference from 17 to 18 ). But it is more expensive for the tires if you have a bigger rim, but not by much.

17's vs 18's

17's vs 18's

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