Should I go 17 or 18 inch rims

[Polar3series]

I've just had my car for 6 months, I was wondering if anybody has some views as to 17 or 18, pros/cons etc. other than pure asthetics, I wasn't sure as to how much it affects handling and ride,

[fcotanis]

It all depends.
What do we want here? What is our purpose here?

I think the 17s the car come with are the perfect compromise.
If you wish to make a "looks" statement anything below 19 is not going to make a real difference towards awasome looks. But 19s will be costly as far as tires and you will be limited pretty much to pirellis. Not to mention hitting a pothole when driving a bit tired might cost you a bit too much. Now on german highways and backroads - ahem ...wow!!! what a nice handling and looking car.

if you still think you want 18s I think you are ruining a perfect ride for nothing since 18 won't make a bold enough statement. 19's is what make the E46 look good as far as nice wheels.

On the stock 17 you can put a handling tire (with very stiff side walls) and still survive the experience with all your filling and body parts attached. 18 - weeeeell - I'm not so sure - it's defn going to be very taut. perhaps a bit austere? not to mention a bit more stress when hitting potholes (did I bend it this time?) Just not really getting your moneys worth unless you have a track car and you are buying 18 as the ideal compromise between handling and rotational mass.
Best of luck,
Filip

[MarvelPhx]

Again, this is a opinions situation.

Most people buy for looks, I don't. I am about function first, then beauty. If you can find a synergy between the two, you have a good product!

My biggest beef with larger wheels is weight and lessening the amount of rubber protecting my wheels from potholes and bad paving.

I would personally never go larger than 18s on our cars since 19s+ reduces the tire sidewalls to such a small amount of rubber that there is nothing much from bending a rim on a rough patch of road.

They also cost so much more, the tires cost more, the tires get extremely difficult to mount, and the weight!

Ahhh, the weight... Unless you fork out some serious dough on large +1/+2/+3 lightweight wheels, the more wheel, the more weight. Weight is our enemy of performance, especially unsprung weight! There is a point where getting rid of sidewall for better handling and the loss of ride/comfort/$$ just don't add up. I would use 17s on the track and 18s on your daily ride... the lightest, strongest, most affordable ones you can find.

[Darius]

I tried 18" for a week (swapped wheels with my friends BMW) and went back to 17". The ride was smoother and I felt like the acceleration and handling was better with 17". I like the look of the 18" It does make the car look nicer.

[Polar3series]

well thanks for the great feedback, I think with the nasty roads we have in canada I might be better off sticking with 17's, I guess the next question is what do you think the best width is ie: 7.5/8/8.5 and is it worth offsetting the front and rear wheels 7.5 or 8 front and 8.5 - 9 rears.

[Anixter]

Hey Dude,

I was thinking of going 18x8F & 18X8.5R with some sport summer tires and use the stock OEM rims as winter tires.

[BruinX97]

I bought 18s for my 330 and I couldn't be happier. As Todd pointed out, there is more weight and I did notice a decrease in acceleration from a complete stop. But I have lots of mods to do to my car, so that will change. I liked the OEM rims, but they always looked smaller than 17s to me (maybe just a subliminal message from my brain to buy 18s :screwy: ). Hope you make the right decision that will make you happy!

-George

[Polar3series]

well I took all the advice and ended up with a set of 17's. after thinking about weight/ride/looks/overall performance it seemed to be the obvious choice. I'll post a pic as soon as I get one downloaded. I'm very pleased with the overall performance and think 18's or 19's really would sacrifice alot for looks. after all were driving the best sports sedans on the planet. It would be a shame to have to baby it around the streets for fear of that rogue pothole!

[fcotanis]

Two thumbs up. I applaud you!
Perfect choice!

Filip

PS When I have a wild dream I dream of a set of 17inch SSRs competitions with gunk metal spokes and polished rims. :lol:

[antetr95]

I love my MV spoke stock 18's. The ride is perfect for my taste and eye candy.

[europass]

Go w/ at least 18"

[Gomer]

My ride came with chrome 18s. I think they look good, sure are a b$#@ to clean.