17 vs 18 in wheels
- Thread starter gwalker
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I'd personally stick with the 18's since you already have them .... unless you don't like your current wheels!
PRO's with the 17" tires would be the cost....much cheaper!
To me, they both ride about the same...good luck
PRO's with the 17" tires would be the cost....much cheaper!
To me, they both ride about the same...good luck
Getting a high quality light 18inch wheel makes a big difference. Good luck.
My car had 18inch FR500's on when I bought it. I stuck with 18's and now have chrome saleens. I personally think cobras look great with 18's, and should have been an option back in 03-04. My 18's still are 35 series, so sidewall shouldn't be any different.
I'm still running 17s.:rockon::beer:
I had looked at 14" big brake kits but then realized the amount of additional coin I would have to cough up..... Not only for the convertion and the brake kit, but also every time I had to re-skin the darn 18s.
The difference in price was not insignificant, I can only assume it still is.
At track events driver skill and seat time can often prevail over more modern equipment and more generous budgets. When you wear out tires as fast as I do this stuff matters.
I had looked at 14" big brake kits but then realized the amount of additional coin I would have to cough up..... Not only for the convertion and the brake kit, but also every time I had to re-skin the darn 18s.
The difference in price was not insignificant, I can only assume it still is.
At track events driver skill and seat time can often prevail over more modern equipment and more generous budgets. When you wear out tires as fast as I do this stuff matters.
Tire cost keeps me on my 17s. That and with the appropriate lowering, either can look great.
Most will probably say the 18s are esthetically more pleasing than the 17s....but you have to be careful and watch the weight of these versus the 17s. Those cheaper, lower end chromed 18s can be extremely heavy, reducing performance. Add in the fact most 18" tires are also heavier than 17s, an you can add significant weight. If you're going to go 18s, you probably want to stick with the upper end manufacturers like TF and CCW that make very light products for their size
17's here.
There are so many potholes here in Southern California that 18's or larger would be destroyed in no time.:cuss:
There are so many potholes here in Southern California that 18's or larger would be destroyed in no time.:cuss:
17s here and going to stay 17s. I like the cheaper tires and larger selection as well as the lighter weight of the rims and tires. But to each their own.
To answer you question yes you can feel a rid quality difference from 17 to 18's and its not a good one but damn they look nice
17's here. will stay with 17's
This--and to make matters worse, it is unsprung weight you are potentially adding.
Wow! Looks like many still like their 17s. I have black chrome 18 inch fr500s and considering 17s
This and to add more gasoline onto the fire it is rotating mass in a rather larger diameter.
The larger the diameter the rotating mass is located in, the more profound it's negative impact on performance becomes.:nonono:
I felt that whatever performance improvement I picked up in deeper braking zones and longer pad life, would have been lost the the significantly higher rotating mass and the long pad life would have been offset by the higher priced tires.
When i bought new rims i felt that for performance go with 17", you got rotation and and weight to think about. For me it was more about looks. Not bashing anyones car but a lowered cobra with 17's just looks funny. To me they dont fit the fender to good. I felt that if i was worried about performance i would switch to slicks on a different rim anyway. After going with the 18 i dont feel i lost much for performance though. But then again i dont have times for before and after.
Jimmy I hear ya, but I am pretty sure big brakes would make you smile on the track!
Cost of tires is definitely a concern. I have 18's but I think 17's look fine.
I wish someone made a cool wheels to clear my 14" brakes.
Cost of tires is definitely a concern. I have 18's but I think 17's look fine.
I wish someone made a cool wheels to clear my 14" brakes.
I have the OEM chrome 17's with BFG KDW's and AFS chrome 18" reps with Conti Extreme Contact DW's. The Conti's are a lot quieter and smoother riding but I haven't tried the boost on them yet and probably won't for a few hundred more miles.
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