Upgrading wheels. Why stay with 17" instead of moving up to 18"

I like the style of the stock 1 gen R/T TT rims, but want to get something lighter, as mine are getting worn out in more than one way. Do I stick with 17x8.5 for ultimate weight loss and economy in wheels and tires? Or do I bump up to 17x9 with 255/40 wheels? Or make a bigger jump to 18x9, and live with the higher up costs of rims and tires. I am only interested in making a little nicer looking, well handling daily driver street car, without making a huge investment.

The pluses I hear about 18" is that they match the larger curvature of the wheel well, and that it often allows for better spoke styling if a more aggressive or concave face is desired.

The plus I see with 17" is lower cost, but can still have wider tires if I go 9".

Does the 1/2" wider tire of the 255 really make much of a visual difference?

Geordon

17"s clear the strut with wider tires...

larger rims allow larger brakes though :| WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Get some 5zigen FN01R-C. 17X9. It will change the look of your car and they are pretty light and won't break the bank. Also...they look great on a 3S.

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Originally Posted by blackjdmpower

Get some 5zigen FN01R-C. 17X9. It will change the look of your car and they are pretty light and won't break the bank. Also...they look great on a 3S.

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What is on your car, in that pic? Those look close to what I am looking at. The Advan RS are way out of my price range, so I was looking hard at the GTC01 Hyperblacks, however, Enkei has no stock in the 17x9. I could wait awhile, if I knew they were coming back. If the PF01 were in hyper, instead of bright silver, I would probably go that route to save on weight and cost.

In the 5z, I like the 6 spoke GN+ which TT Eric has, but those are not manufactured in 9". I think the FN01R-C leave the wheel too "open" or bare.

I could go cheap and get some Rotas. They have some nice 17x9 in DPT and G-Force
http://www.wheeldude.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=6300

One advantage I see of the 17", is if I move up to 9.5 wide, I could mount 265/40/17, which are a more common size than 255/40/18. With a 17" I would go with a slightly lower profile to reduce the amount of tire, but with 18", I would go (relatively) higher profile to make up for the 1" loss on the rim. Maybe I should just buy TT Eric's set, so he can upgrade to 18s?

I've got Advan RS in 18X9. What is your price range? GTC01 is a good choice. Me personally, I dislike any rota wheel.

I've got 5zigen fn01r-c's. 17x9's on the car in my sig. But my old stealth had 5zigen fn01r-c's 18x9.5. I have a set of the 18x9.5's sitting in boxes that I need to sell

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Originally Posted by blackjdmpower

I've got Advan RS in 18X9. What is your price range? GTC01 is a good choice. Me personally, I dislike any rota wheel.

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The $2100+ for a set of Advan RS is a bitter pill to swallow. So far, I have gotten a delivered price of $1460 for GTC01 18x9, which is hard enough to take. The $900 price of Rotas is quite comfortable, but in the end, I am not convinced I will be happy with them. If the GTC01 were in stock at 17x9, I would probably take it.

If I use Tein H springs (or must I stay at full stock suspension), is there any reason I can't do GTC01 17x9.5 +38mm with 265/40R17 (Dunlop Diressa DZ101) tires all the way around? I think the +22mm will be woefully off. Or, is this combination going to hit inside or stick out past the fender, or cause grief with steering?

My last 92 Stealth Had tein S tech springs w/5zigen fn01r-c 18x9.5 et 35mm. 265-35-18's and I'd say it was a perfect setup. Here's a pic or two so you can see what that size and offset looks like w/teins.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-a...79346_7971.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-a...79353_9556.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-a...79344_7519.jpg
Sorry I dont have any better pics at the moment, I'm at work :/

the 17x9.5 +38 may cause strut clearance issues. from my calculations, it will be awful close and may make contact.

the one problem i forsee changing to a non-standard tire size is that it may render your spare useless if there is a significant difference in rolling diameter.

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Originally Posted by i3igpete

the 17x9.5 +38 may cause strut clearance issues. from my calculations, it will be awful close and may make contact.

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I was afraid of that. Might have to suck it up and get the Advan RC 17x9.5 with +35mm offset, like The Hustler. However, isn't the Gunmetal a flatter, darker color than the Hyper? Or do I put the silver on my black TT?

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Originally Posted by i3igpete

the one problem i forsee changing to a non-standard tire size is that it may render your spare useless if there is a significant difference in rolling diameter.

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Hadn't thought about that. I have only used the spare once, anyway. Guess I will have to rely on AAA's 100 mile flatbed service.