17 or 18" wheels

[LDB]

Can someone tell me the advantages/disadvantages of 17 vs 18" wheels. My 67 camaro will never see a track but sees a lot of mountain roads. I drive it as much as possible, the local roads are anything but smooth. I was thinking 17's because they'd allow for more tire? And they're a little cheaper than 18's. Any help would be appreciated.

[ctcz28]

I went with 17's on my '69 Camaro. I wanted a bit more sidewall and was concerned about rubbing the fenders. Aesthetics are important and I'm not a fan of the large wheel look (bigger than 18). I could have gone with 18's, but that would have been the limit for me. If you have or plan on going to a big brake conversion in the front, the 17's are the smallest that will fit a larger rotor and caliper, but not all 17s will fit, but I think 18's will. I'm putting on C5 front calipers with 13" rotors and had to use a spacer given the inner configuration of my wheels. The 17" wheels with a flat barrel from outer to inner rim would have been no problem, my wheels are cast and flare up (thicken) on the inside where the barrel meets the spokes and thus I had to space them out a tad to clear the outer top edge of the caliper. I'd suggest that if you plan on ever making a change to larger front brakes, figure that out first and then buy the wheels to fit. Regardless of wheel diameter, the overall tire diameter relative to OEM tire diameter will affect the moment arm and torque on the brakes. I don't know at what point a larger than OEM diameter wheel/tire combo negatively affects braking if you're runnng the standard 11" discs in the front.

[oleyeller]

I am in the same boat as you. I built my 67 Camaro in 1982 and it is time for an update. I decided to tub it, and now I'm looking at wheels and tires. I went with 13 inch rotors in front, and had decided to stay with 17 inch wheels for the same reason as you stated. I don't care for the wagon wheel look of the huge wheels. BUT, that said, tire selection is really limited, and I am still debating the 17 or 18 question. I am planning on 11 inch rear wheels, and that is where tire selection starts to get dicey. I am leaning towards 18's because I believe that quality adjustable shocks will determine the ride quality, not the height of the sidewalls, and there seems to be a larger selection of 18" tires. I just keep looking and reading and hoping I can make up my mind before I finish the update. I am also amazed at how much money one can spend on wheels........ I think my taste in wheels is out of range of my budget. I think IF I could afford a set of Forgeline wheels, it would not matter how big they are, they will look awesome.... I could get over my "big wheel" thing.
Regards,
Dazed and confused.

[kimosabi]

I have 17x8 and 17x10 wheels. No problem getting a 275 or 285 tire here. Federal has good offerings in 17.

[HandOverFist]

Hard to beat those 143 Vision's in 18" for the money...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2016/11/Vision20wheel20image_zpseocmcyxd-1.png

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2016/09/change20of20plans20002_zpsnhefnqwg-1.jpg

[Paul Huryk]

A 17" wheel and tire of the same width - all else being equal will be lighter and have more sidewall than an equivalent 18" offering. Of course the 18" will give more brake clearance and may have more tire choices, but 17" is in the sweet spot for 26" tires - 18" is close to optimal also.

[ccmc]

Billet Specialties Street lites in 17136489

[MangeMD]

If cost is a factor, the 315/35-17 rears are decently cheaper overall than trying to get the wides 18" back there. The new G2 Nitto's are just under 200 per tire for the 17's, whereas a similar width 18 would be 100-200 more per tire.

[32deucecoupe]

I keep looking at the american racing vn477 in 17", modern look and affordable.

[gray86hach]

Go 18. The 17" tire is going to become harder to find and it not going to be offered in performance tires.

Plus you can get a taller tire that does not turn into a lite truck tire

Tim

[Tynitty]

I just ordered some 18"s it seemed easier to find tires like some others have said. I also felt the 18" was a good compromise of wheel and side wall...not too much or too little of either.

[arden_dean]

It's all about the Brakes VS the Ride select the smallest rim that will fit over your brakes and the tire with the most side wall without rubbing with the right ride height. All of that needs to match the driving you plan to do, so choose wisely with all the information you can get your hands on.

[ilikeike]

It seem like with your driving and needs, 17" might soften the blow a bit. (Bumps and wallet)

I sold my 17" and bought 18".

[rohrt]

When is comes to a C5 brake setup and a 17" rim what is usually the fitment problem. Is it in the drum or the face of the rim?

Is it possible to look at a Rims specs to know if it will fit?