Quote:
Originally Posted by mit_peid
That sounds like what I remember seeing too. Seems like a lot of people who are taking tracking serious are going with 17x9 wheels and TRD decided on 18x7.5. Just seems kinda funny so many people are choosing to go with 18x9+in wheels deviating from years of Toyobaru R&D and people who track the car. Is it primarily people just want that wide tire stance look from behind? /rhetoric
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I can think of a couple reasons why TRD and STI chose those wheel specs.
1. 18" to fit a big brake kit. Some 17" will fit a BBK, but it will depend on the design of the wheel. It makes more financial sense to produce a wheel that will fit all aftermarket big brake kits than only certain ones with a 17" wheel. For example, if you know you want to run 215 wide tires, then you can get rims that are 7"-8" wide. The wider the wheel, the stiffer the sidewall, but that will also increase the weight of the wheel/tire package.
2. 7.5" wide to keep weight and cost down. A 18x9 cast made wheel may weigh more than the OEM wheels. In terms of performance upgrades, you want to reduce the weight, not increase it.
There really isn't a "perfect" wheel size when you take into account cost. If everything else is equal, you want lighter and wider wheels to accommodate for wider tires. I think the tire size should dictate the wheel size IMO. For example, if you want to run 215 wide tires, then you can choose between 7"-8" wide wheels. Fitting wider wheels will increase tire sidewall stiffness but increase weight.
However,
in general, you can't go wrong with TRD recommended sized wheels.