What wheel size gives the best upgrade to performance? I've read all the previous "16 vs 17 v 18" threads, and there not really a solid answer in either of them, besides aesthetics. Sometimes there contradictory information in the threads, which also hurts when trying to come to a conclusion. Usually it goes like, 18s for aesthetics but disagreement on how it affects performance, 17s for middle road but middle road isn't defined in any sort of parameters (useless), and 16s nothing much is said beside its stock.

So, what does each wheel do best? And which of the 3 options are better for increasing my performance and why? Or does size not matter and rather simple weight reduction does?

Thanks!

 

The tires make MUCH more of a difference than wheel size. Focus on the size of wheel that you can buy the best tires for. 17s and 18s are both a good size for this car, but I would really only recommend 18s if you could get lightweight forged wheels. I personally would not recommend running anything heavier than an OEM wheel, regardless of its diameter.

And again, reduction of rotating, unsprung mass is great, but the difference is relatively small and the cost for such savings is usually large. Tires are going to make much more of a difference than the wheels, ultimately.

 

Possibly the biggest problem with the 16 inch wheel is the lack of available higher performance tires. If you can find a wheel that can take a Michelin Super Sport, you're starting at a good place. I have Super Sports on my M3 and they are night and day better than the Potenza S-02's I ended up settling for on the S2000.

 

I'll throw my two cents in... I have 18" work rims on my S. They look friggin' Awesome! But as they are old and heavy, they dramatically affected the handling of the car.
they make the the steering far heavier so it is not as quick handling as before. But on the other hand, they are pretty nice on the highway, smooth and quiet...

ps. I read a test of oem wheels. they tested an ap1 and an ap2 on they track, then swapped the wheels (16" vs 17") , the ap1 with the 17" was actually faster while the ap2 with the 16" wheels was slower... they attributed it to the fact that the 17" wheels were actually ligher than the ap1 wheels, plus the lower sidewall helped handing response...

 

This is the link for that video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSpaWMFFpn0

Good old Hot Version. I wish I could have Mr.Spoon standing around telling me what to do with my car.


I personally just picked up a set of 17's to replace my 16's, the main reason being tire availability. Sadly, I still cannot run Michelin Super Sports since I want a 255 in the rear and they don't make it in that size.

If money is no object, forged 18's would probably be the best to go with, since you'd have more tire options and the weight would probably be less than stock. However, if you live where there's lots of potholes or bumps - cracking, bending or otherwise ruining a rim is far more tolerable with some reasonably priced 17's.

 

You'll need 17s for BBK or RCA clearance.

If you want to maximize front wheel width under the fenders, you'll need to go to 18s in order to have additional A-arm clearance (plus you need to go to 18s for additional tire model choices in 285+ widths).

At a given wheel width, I suspect 17s will be faster, but if you take advantage of the extra width options in 18s, you'd probably be quicker that way.

I suppose there might be a point where you have trouble getting enough heat into 285+ slicks to make them work properly.