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18's or 17's

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Old 03-01-2003, 02:21 PM
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Default 18'* or 17'*

I want to put new rims on my 2000. I want the look but dont want to lose the ride if anyone has put 18'* on how did it change the ride, same for anyone with 17'*.

thanks let me know
Old 03-01-2003, 03:23 PM
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From a performance perspective, 17'* is the biggest you should go. That is the biggest wheel you can go without losing too much traction especialy since yu make your torque so low. An 18" wheel with the less rubber on it won't give you much traction and merely hurt your 60' times and 1/4.
Old 03-01-2003, 03:30 PM
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17'* are the better choice for looks IMO. 18'* are pushing the look limits. I don't like the wheels with the 'painted on rubber strip' for a tire. There'* a big diff between the looks of a 16 and a 17. Tires are cheaper for the 17 generally, and it'll also allow you to go with bigger rotors if you chose to. I firmly believe the 17 is the ideal wheel diameter for our cars.
Old 03-04-2003, 03:50 PM
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I will be attempting to put 18'* :pimp: (18x on my '97 SE once it stops being crappy out(There'* a blizzard outside right now in fact ) I want to put 235/50 R18 tires on, they still have a decent amount of sidewall and are a touch (fraction of an inch) taller than the stock 16'* so the fender gap will be filled a bit better without lowering springs. If anyone has tried this before I would appreciate any input. Otherwise I will post here and tell everyone how it goes and link some pics.
Old 03-04-2003, 07:27 PM
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I had 18x8 Lexani Synergy'* on my old 1992 SE. They were killers for handling with the 245/40/ZR18'* (name brand, but can't remember make/model). If I did 18'* on my 1994 SLE I'd definitely go with 45 or 50 series tires as the 40'* left a huge gap, even with the springs clamped two coils. The ride wasn't as harsh as I thought it would be either.
I was hanging out with Dr Suess last night nad he said "dillon" has 18'* on his 1994 SLE.
Old 03-05-2003, 11:00 PM
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if you want speed i'd stick with 15 or 16 whatever the bonnie comes with most FWD drag cars use 15 inch allows for faster turning. but for looks 17'* usually look really good without being over gauhty
Old 03-13-2003, 01:44 PM
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18'* are rough riding, and very prone to bending if you hit a bad spot in the road, Plus tires and the initial cost of the wheels is much more, I have 17" wheels with 245/50/17 tires and they look ride and perform great. Some 18'* look nice though, and a 235/50/18 is still a nice riding tire and will fit our cars
Old 03-13-2003, 03:10 PM
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hey jonboll
i was going to put some 18x8.5s on my car and they recommended 245/45/18s
i'm not too sure if 235s are wide enough. the 245/45/18s will sit almost exactly like the factory 225/60/16s

if i'm going to put anything on mine its gonna be 17s now because i can't afford 18s any more, and from what i hear around here, 17s are the way to go
Old 03-13-2003, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by zzzzzeke
hey jonboll
i was going to put some 18x8.5s on my car and they recommended 245/45/18s
i'm not too sure if 235s are wide enough. the 245/45/18s will sit almost exactly like the factory 225/60/16s
Thanks, but I think that the 235'* will fit better on an 8" wide wheel, I'll have to see how it fits, I'm willing to experiment so maybe I'll incur some extra costs, but at least we'll know. Everyone likes 17'* but I was going to put 17'* on my nissan, so gotta go bigger on the bonnie,



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