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What's the deal with 18" wheels?

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The best size wheel aesthetically for any car depends mainly on the size of the wheel wells. Wheels that fill out the wheel well fully with tires that are not too thick and not too thin look the best. Thin tires look bad in my opinion, and nothing looks worse than tiny wheels in huge wells.
 
It really depends on the vehicle. It really isn't that hard to notice though, as long as you're paying attention. I do agree, sometimes it is silly, though whatever sells cars, right?

For my vehicles, the stock wheel sizes are: 18", 18", 19", 20".
 
I have 18inch ?MV Spoke? alloys, they sit in the arches perfectly.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, they're standard factory wheels. I can?t remember the profile of the tyres, but they're either 240?s or 235?s, and IMO the ride is absolutely fine.
 
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Technically, (all else being equal) a larger rim & lower profile tire combo will handle better compared to a wheel + tire with a smaller rim, but the same overall diameter. Reason being, the larger rim has less tire sidewall, which means less tire flex when cornering. There's a reason you don't see giant 70-series 1980s Cadillac tires on rally cars, for example.

But, this generally makes for a harsher ride, plus you are more likely to dent a rim if you hit a pothole or something. In other words, not quite as practical for everyday driving on public roads.

Most people probably wouldn't really notice the difference between 17" rims with 50 series tires vs. 18" rims with 40 series tires, unless they take their cars on a road course or autoX, for example.
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QFT. going +1 isn't going to change the ride characteristics much, nor will it make a HUGE difference in looks, but it does help some.
Personally, I don
t get having the monster wheels with black rubberbands wrapped around the outside...those look like sh*t IMO...and I always LMFO when those kind of people hit a speed bump or pothole, and FUBAR a $500. wheel...
 
Originally posted by: Apex
It really depends on the vehicle. It really isn't that hard to notice though, as long as you're paying attention. I do agree, sometimes it is silly, though whatever sells cars, right?

For my vehicles, the stock wheel sizes are: 18", 18", 19", 20".
Click to expand...

True. With vehicles having more power these days you are going to see larger wheel sizes and along with that increased handling. Bigger wheels do not always = better handling of course.

So bigger wheels are a combination of asthetics and performance....to a point.

About not noticing a difference between an ENTIRE INCH in wheel size. It's a pretty big difference. IMHO nothing has a "feel" difference more than your shoes and feet.
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Apex
It really depends on the vehicle. It really isn't that hard to notice though, as long as you're paying attention. I do agree, sometimes it is silly, though whatever sells cars, right?

For my vehicles, the stock wheel sizes are: 18", 18", 19", 20".
Click to expand...

True. With vehicles having more power these days you are going to see larger wheel sizes and along with that increased handling. Bigger wheels do not always = better handling of course.

So bigger wheels are a combination of asthetics and performance....to a point.

About not noticing a difference between an ENTIRE INCH in wheel size. It's a pretty big difference. IMHO nothing has a "feel" difference more than your shoes and feet.
Click to expand...

To someone who actually pays attention to driving, yes. The difference would be noticed. But to 98% of people, who use their car as an A ==> B appliance, and buy cars based on fuel economy, practicality, and resale...you could probably fill the tires with cement and they wouldn't see a difference.

Generally,non-enthusiasts seem to be oblivious to characteristics of their cars, unless there's something majorly wrong.
 
My Speed 6 came with 18's and a 45 series sidewall. It has a very smooth ride and handles very well. I put new rims on it that were still 18's so I can put snows on the stockers, and the ones I got are lighter and wider than stock. If the car is setup right, it can be fine. The problem is you are generalizing...in some cases 18's will be a "rougher riding" when they are just thrown on the wrong car and ultra-low profile sidewalls are on there, but a lot of cars that come with them are designed around that tire setup, and don't come with super low sidewalls, and ride fine. You can't just make a blanket statement about 18's and apply it to all cars...

Here's mine with the old and new rims...note I don't have a super thin sidewall or super low riding...

http://insane.bluemonday.org/pics/main.php?g2_itemId=62

Those are 18 x 7 with 215/45's...

The new rims are 18 x 7.5 with the same tires on them...

Here are the new rims..

http://insane.bluemonday.org/pics/main.php?g2_itemId=120

The new rims were about 4.5lbs lighter ea.

All that being said, a 16/17" wheel/tire combo would be lighter and you would feel a difference with the lower rotating mass...

 
Thanks...they aren't for everyone, and that's fine. I wanted a 5 spoke design, and there is very little in the high offset this car needs.

The good thing is the new ones weren't super expensive...

I got all four shipped for $560.

🙂
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Apex
It really depends on the vehicle. It really isn't that hard to notice though, as long as you're paying attention. I do agree, sometimes it is silly, though whatever sells cars, right?

For my vehicles, the stock wheel sizes are: 18", 18", 19", 20".
Click to expand...

True. With vehicles having more power these days you are going to see larger wheel sizes and along with that increased handling. Bigger wheels do not always = better handling of course.

So bigger wheels are a combination of asthetics and performance....to a point.

About not noticing a difference between an ENTIRE INCH in wheel size. It's a pretty big difference. IMHO nothing has a "feel" difference more than your shoes and feet.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. When I got my first pair of decent running shoes (Reeboks when I was 8) I could tell the difference even then. And when I upgraded to bigger feet, it was impossible to miss the enourmous bulge in my shorts.

Also - all else being equal, unsprung weight goes up as wheel size increases, but the tires will handle better, if by handling you mean 'on smooth pavement'. This doesn't include drag racing, even with a better axle.
 
Originally posted by: jcuadrado
nice price...plan on dropping the car? would look more agressive IMO...
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Maybe at some point...if it's a minor drop. The problem is at this point there are really no springs for the speed available...just the "normal" US made 6's...

The only ones I know of right now are the AutoEXE's, and they are crazy expensive because they are imported from Japan...

I did get it tinted though...

http://insane.bluemonday.org/pics/main.php?g2_itemId=132

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
What? You don't like my rims?
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LMFAO! :Q:Q
 
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Originally posted by: Howard
I'm guessing 17" wheels perform better, too.
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I've been meaning to compare the weight of tire to wheels to try and get an idea of which combination is the best, this is unsprung mass and so having it be as light as possible is best for performance.
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This totally depends on the size of the car. For most sport compacts though, best performance can be had with 16's or 17's, while still running a relatively comfortable profile tire with a stiff sidewall. Tire weighs less than wheel, and just as important as unsprung weight is rotational mass. Larger wheels place more rotational mass a further distance away from the hub, which means more inertial resistance to changes in speed, which means reduced performance.

People who buy big expensive bling bling wheels to be cool = idiots
 
I think some factory tuned sports cars (Mazdaspeed, SRT, SVT, AMG, M, Nismo, etc.) have larger wheels just to clear the enormous brakes put on them, but I doubt 18" are necessary just to clear them.
 
Originally posted by: 3chordcharlie
Also - all else being equal, unsprung weight goes up as wheel size increases, but the tires will handle better, if by handling you mean 'on smooth pavement'. This doesn't include drag racing, even with a better axle.
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As I already noted, it's more than just unsprung weight. People have been known to lose a few horsepower from the increased rotational mass of big brake kits.
Plus, lower profile tires do not always handle better (I assume by handling that you meant cornering on smooth pavement). All things being equal, I suppose they would, but a good performance with stiff sidewalls will handle better (less sidewall "cupping" during cornering) than a "touring" tire with softer sidewalls, even if it has a lower profile.
 
Originally posted by: Xyclone
I think some factory tuned sports cars (Mazdaspeed, SRT, SVT, AMG, M, Nismo, etc.) have larger wheels just to clear the enormous brakes put on them, but I doubt 18" are necessary just to clear them.
Click to expand...

I know when I wanted to pick up some winter steelies, I was SOL because the smallest I can put on the car is 17's. In the the US, 17" steel wheels are pretty much non-existent, but they are available in Canada..The spare tire is a 17" donut. Anything smaller will not clear the calipers...
 
I personally prefer a lot of sidewall. But that depends on the type of car. If I had a sporty handling car, I'd want a low profile tire, and I'd realize that means a harsh ride.
But I don't understand these dudes that put low profile tires on their Suburbans and such. Then you see these idiots still trying to tow a boat or something...that's really stupid.
 
Originally posted by: Insane3D
Originally posted by: Xyclone
I think some factory tuned sports cars (Mazdaspeed, SRT, SVT, AMG, M, Nismo, etc.) have larger wheels just to clear the enormous brakes put on them, but I doubt 18" are necessary just to clear them.
Click to expand...

I know when I wanted to pick up some winter steelies, I was SOL because the smallest I can put on the car is 17's. In the the US, 17" steel wheels are pretty much non-existent, but they are available in Canada..The spare tire is a 17" donut. Anything smaller will not clear the calipers...
Click to expand...

Move to a warmer state. 😛😎
 
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