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: