Unsprung Mass From Bigger Wheels?

[lsimpson0226]

Still sitting on the factory wheels. Found some that I like the look and fitment of, but some people that I've talked to have warned me about adding more unsprung mass to the car.
The wheels themselves are 18x9.5 and only weigh about a pound more apiece than the factory 17s.
My thought is that it's such a small difference that it can't have too much of an impact on ride quality and such. Anyone have some input?

[tyler_win_photo]

When I moved from 17s to 18s I barely noticed a difference in ride quality. What I did notice was that the 18s felt more sluggish when I got on it. You also need to take into account that larger wheels will require more rubber --> more weight.

[go_a_way1]

Originally Posted by lsimpson0226

Still sitting on the factory wheels. Found some that I like the look and fitment of, but some people that I've talked to have warned me about adding more unsprung mass to the car.
The wheels themselves are 18x9.5 and only weigh about a pound more apiece than the factory 17s.
My thought is that it's such a small difference that it can't have too much of an impact on ride quality and such. Anyone have some input?

Yeah by the time you add rubber it's gona be a lot heavier then OEM. If you don't care about prefomance go for it

[phrosty]

Not sure about other tires, but with PSS going from 7" to 9.5", lets say 215/45 R17 to 265/40 R18, means adding about 6lbs per tire -- nearly 30% increase!

[Ashikabi]

Unless you race hard, you won't notice. Tons of people run 18s(myself included) and they aren't painfully slow. Unless you are demanding the absolute best performance just get what looks good