Why are 17" wheels ugly and 18" beautiful
 

There seems to be such a great variety of 18" wheels around. I love what volk and enkei have in their range, and other brands are also tempting.

As for 17", the only wheels I like are a set of Advans but they are a distant second to many of the 18" options.

From the reading I've done, 17" is better suited to this car for performance/handling. Is this true? Please tell me 18" performance is fantastic or that there is a hidden cache of good 17" wheels I'm yet to research.

what makes one wheel "good" compared to another wheel for you? is it just looks and thats why you like 18s? the "performance" of a wheel that it can offer comes down to wheel height/width/offset/weight... PLUS the tire choice.

but then again, depending on your suspension (or lack of for stance people), none of the above matters other than looks.

too many variable for a vague question (your post seems more like a rant than a question though...)

If you're gonna rock stock suspension, a set of 18" wheels (but not too wide, 18x9 max) fills up the wheel gap better. With 17" wheels that are wider than stock, you need to also lower the car to make it look good... IMO

I'd go with 17" tires since they are cheaper than 18".

When I find wheels that I really like the look of, they are 18" or above. This is the spoke design. I'm not after "stance" but I don't want wheels I don't like the look of.

Obviously tyres make a huge difference - I'll chuck on whatever is best for the size.

I'll also do my suspension.

So the question kind of remains - why is there such great variety in 18" wheels compared to 17"? I'm not asking about width or offset. Tyre wall size is something I'm interested in.

All things considered, is there a performance advantage of sticking with 17"?

It's all subjective and dependant on wheel design. For instance this BBS would not look as good in 18" size:

http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/minka...t=79d65f88c665

All has to do with number of spokes and their shape, generally the thinner the spokes, the better it will look at 17"...


And the wheels I have on my FR-S, I prefer in 17" over 18". Saw someone with 18" version at a car meet and it just didn't look right to me:

17"
https://vracer111.smugmug.com/Cars/S.../6-17-15_2.jpg

18"
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...0&d=1394244415

I've had both, I like both for looks... But the 17's are way better for what really matters:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0BRZ/bbs15.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0BRZ/Weds6.jpg

Everything else being equal, a 17" wheel should be lighter than its 18" equivalent. I mean comparing same model, width, offset.

How much difference is that going to make? Probably not enough to matter unless you are really skilled and are pushing the car to its limit.

What are those wheels in the bottom pic? Hubba hubba

Wedsport tc105n 17x9 +35

17" wheel with spacers and a suspension drop 1" will look decent imo.

Actually its all about the 19s! hehe

Spacers are illegal in Victoria :( So I'm told.

Why are 17" wheels ugly and 18" beautiful
 

Because you want new wheels and are trying to justify what they're gonna cost :iono:

Nope, ive been reading the performance sections and some are saying 17" for performance.

I'd love a set of te37sl... I'm not bothered by cost, but I am bothered by buyers remorse. I don't want a car that looks rad but handles less optimally.

#1 performance
#2 looks

Looks are very important, but not If it sacrifices performance (grip, cornering, speed)

mate i have the exact same problem as you can't find a 17" that i really like the look of except for a set of advans. i think 18's are just a more popular size in general plus when you take into account the 5/100 pcd which in itself seems to be less catered to it compounds the problem it's annoying I'm looking for 17's as i want a meatier tyre look plus the fact that they are cheaper than 18's lets me get better tyres, there's the less weight argument which is always a good thing.

how wide are you willing to go? because the rays gram lights 57xtreme's are a good wheel but are 17x9

I am really liking the following, 16inch:

Someone who knows the dilemma! :D

Maybe up to 9... it's a lot of tyre, but I plan to get FI at some point.

Since I bought a house today, I'm feeling a bit like my car fund has suffered a bit. Mixed feelings.

I just got a new low driveway, and I think I'd still have trouble clearing it with that setup.

The handling difference between 17" and 18" wheels isn't really worth worrying about. Yes the wheels may be slightly heavier and you'll feel more bumps in the road with less sidewall, but if the wheels you like only come in 18", you should just go for those.

http://www.worksevo.com/images/ft86club/cs_brz_01.jpg

Personally, :) I really like my 17x8 +42 Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 wheels in matte black with BFGoodrich G-Force Comp II (245/40R17) tires. Thank you @WORKS :thumbsup:

I went from the stock 17x7 to an 18x9.5 and noticed little to no difference in handling. I keep trying to pretend like the car feels slower due to a heavier rim, but I don't notice that either.

It's just an inch difference that will make amazing aesthetic differences and very few performance differences you won't be able to notice. But hey, you don't know till you try!

I used to have 18's...I don't miss them!

17x9 +35 Forgestar F14

http://www.modbargains.com/images/Pr...s/ft86club.jpg

it is allot of tyre but i keep coming back to it, but then again they are the only ones that i keep going back to

yeah my car fund has hit a wall i've moved from sydney to melbourne all my money has basically all gone into that

love the car

oh what tyres are you running? were there any rubbing issues?

I couldn't agree more, except for the used to have 18's part.

17X8.5 +38

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7787/...015e8086_b.jpgIMG_2606 by Tom I, on Flickr

17s because you're not a fuccboi

245/45/17 rear (Nitto NT-01) and 245/40/17 front (Toyo R1R)

Front is perfect, the rear tire is too tall, so it rubbed on part of the rear bumper tabs.

Turns out, the factory installed "self clearing bumper tabs" lol, and they wore away after a while.

I would do 245/40 or 255/40, if I was doing it again-that should have no rubbing.

I prefer the look and the feel of the 17s. The 18s I had were just a bit too big and bulky. Attachment 133759


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17s look best on this little car I think

But what if I am and still like 17s?


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It's all in the eye of the beholder. Like art or women, each individual has their own preferences of what they like to look at.

I have had 17 and 18. I like my 18's.

what wheels are these?! and please tell me they come smaller than 19's

BBS wheels they make a few models that look like it. FI/CI-R/FI-R/SR


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18s for looks 17s for performance

Googled them, they look very much like Niche Targas. given price, I'm assuming the targas are a knock off of these BBS wheels? Don't wanna buy the Targas if they're just cheap replicas

That's car in the picture is the brz sport premium which includes BBS wheels. Niche are reps.


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If everyone is spamming their 17s....
http://i.imgur.com/ez3mFAa.jpg

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

oh cool thanks i was hoping 255/40 would be good:thumbsup: