17" the real limit on performance?

[Cruiznblue]

I have been reading...and am starting to think that I should go with 17" rims. Moving up to 18"ers....is there that much of a difference?

I guess looking at the practical side of things...it will be mostly a weekend cruiser, and will not hit the track very often.

What I wanted was 18x8.5s in the front, and 18x10 or 11s in the back.

Practical for a 68 camaro?

[Steve1968LS2]

There is a better sellection of racing tires for 17" wheels. Plus 18's have more rotating weight.

Going to 18's is more about looks than performance.

All that aside, I have 18's on my 69 and I love the look of the wheel. I had 18" HRE's on my 2000 SS and they did very well at the track but then again they were HRE's and probley weighed what a average set of 17" wheels weighed..

My theory is that it is better to get what you like for the street and then pick up a set of track wheels/tires. Track days are MURDER on your street tires and in time this will pay for itself.

Just my .02

[Cruiznblue]

Yeah I hear you on that...I guess I might as well go for looks at this point.

Do you know a link where I can find these HRE rims?

Thanks again

[Ralph LoGrasso]

The way I see it, there is really no set answer as to what is better. There are too many variables that come into play when trying to answer that question. Vehicle weight, size, suspension design, etc. A lot of this comes into play when deciding what width wheels / tires to run as well. I'm running 18s on my car, and the car is being built to perform. My reasons for going with 18s, were looks, and I can run larger discs. That and the fact that I got my pair of 335s for $375 bucks shipped when tire rack had them on sale . If you see any performance gains with 17s, it will be minor. I doubt you'll see a huge difference, or even notice a seat of the pants difference. 17s will launch better than 18s, though. 17" wheels are generally cheaper than 18s, and more practical for people that do a lot of driving on the street due to road imperfections and such. There are, however, a lot of 18" slicks available for the road racing crowd, which sometimes sways people to run 18s. I'm pretty sure most of the GT/GTR type (LeMans) cars (porsche, viper, vette) run 18" diameter wheels.

I say run what you want, and what you think will look good on your car. If you go with 18s, go with something light weight. The less rotating mass, the better.

I think the link for HRE is:
www.hrewheels.com
I'm going to run Kinesis wheels on my car
www.kinesismotorsport.com

[USAZR1]

When you get above a 275 sizing,18's have a better selection of tire sizes. 335/30/18's are easier to find than 335/35/17's.
18's are also available in more aspect ratios(profiles).

[Cruiznblue]

From some of the help and advice I have received, it looks like the amount of performance you lose in an 18" wheel is generally insignificant to most of us....unless your a hardcore racer. I will be mostly cruising around, so will stick with the 18s.

I am probably going to do some modifications to my wheel wells, to give myself some extra room to work with. I 15x8s on the back right now...and already have wheel rub on both ends.

[USAZR1]

I am probably going to do some modifications to my wheel wells, to give myself some extra room to work with. I have 15x8s on the back right now...and already have wheel rub on both ends.

If you're having wheel rub with 8" rims,your backspacing most likely needs correction.

[Cruiznblue]

Go figure...

I had a guy up the street who was helping me with my car for a few years. I finally told him to take a hike after he was costing me a ton of money screwing up my car. He ordered these rims for me a while ago.

[Stielow]

Don't forget you can get BIGGER brakes in an 18 inch wheel.

[CoryM]

The smallest rim that will fit over your brakes is usually a good way to go. That way you keep your unsprung weight to a minimum and your tire costs down. Simply put the most enjoyable part of cars is shredding tires off them (front and rear). If your tires cost so much that you cant afford to tear them apart at LEAST twice a year you arent having fun. Thats how I look at it anyhow.

[Salt Racer]

...If your tires cost so much that you cant afford to tear them apart at LEAST twice a year you arent having fun. Thats how I look at it anyhow.

Amen.

[Cruiznblue]

Yeah I definitely want to the disc brakes to fill the wheels up...and these are what I got.
http://www.touring-classics.com/Brake%20Kits.htm

[Tom Nickols]

Anyone thought about or had problems with bending rims with very low profile wheels?

Just a thought...

Also I have a friend with an Audi, he has lost 3 tires to side wall cuts attributed to low profiles getting pinched by the rim...

[RobM]

i went with a 17 inch wheel because i like more side wall for slip angle/driving feel reasons. plus more side wall doesnt put as much vibration into the car. i also like the look of having some side wall over the "rubber band" look. also i tend to burn through tires pretty fast and enjoy every second of it :3gears: so cost of 17s was an added plus also the roads in new england are pretty rough and i didnt want to dent up my wheels. i used to work in a wheel/tire shop and saw high end cars with low profile tires (lots of BMWs and audis, kids with aftermarket rims) come in with trashed wheels from pot holes ect. on a DAILY basis. i think a 13 inch rotor with a big caliper and hydrabooster will be plenty for me

[Steve Chryssos]

From reading all of the above replies, there seems to be a general assumption that 40 series tires are not available for 18" wheels. With some measuring and research, it is possible to find and fit 18 x 40 series tires and therefore have the best of both worlds.