So whats better 17" or 18" rims?

L

LightngSVT

New member
OK thats a pretty broad question to ask. Let me narrow it down a little bit, Im looking for new rims/tires for my daily driver 98.5 Ford SVT Contour. The car is transportation, not a race car but I would like to track it once or twice. I like the looks of the 18" but think the 17's might be a better combination of performace, cost, braking, and MPG. Any opinions out there?
 
I would go with the 17's. You'll be able to get a slightly larger sidewall which will protect the rim from potholes and improve the ride by better absorbing bumps.
 
splattj said:
I would go with the 17's. You'll be able to get a slightly larger sidewall which will protect the rim from potholes and improve the ride by better absorbing bumps.
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I agree with the above, but I"d never use anything smaller then 18s:D
 
You will have to compare both sizes and see for yourself. I personally feel that after a certain size, it gets to be too much wheel and not enough car. However, depending on the right balance, some cars look great with bigger rims. I tend to hate anything bigger than 18, but its all in the imagination and the balance of car and wheel...
 
Thanks everyone, thats what I was thinking. I was also thinking 18"s may hurt braking a bit since there is more rotational / unsprung weight.



LouisanaJeeper said:
17's would be better for drag racing



there is also a noticable increase in tire pricing for 18's



btw they are wheels not "rimz"
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What the heck are you talking about? I cant find anywhere in my post where I said "rimz"? The title does rimS though. What is wrong with that? :rolleyes: And why would i want to drag race a FWD, 200hp sedan when I have an 02 Lightning and a 93 Lightning with a built 396 CID motor in it? :cool:
 
well you said "but I would like to track it once or twice."

i did not know if you were referring to a autocross type track or a race/drag strip. so i specified for drag the smaller wheels would be better. for autocross the bigger wheels would probably be better for stiffer sidewalls but would also decrease braking performance as stated above



i realize you did not type rimZ, you posted rimS. people often call them rims because that term is popular in rap etc so i posted rimz for fun



the rim refers to the outer portion of the wheel, the round part. back when the wheels were composed of several pieces, the rim was used to name the outer part of the assembly. wheel is the correct termonology
 
So your going to get me on symantics? OK, its all good. I wasnt neccessarily using the term rim as a slang term, just kind of an interchangable term, like Kleenex in "normal" slang.



Yah a Contour is not a drag car, although Ive heard of a few Focus' in the 11's and one in the 10's! I was thinking road course or autocross, but if I get lucky enough to score an M3, Im sure that would be the track that car instead and save the trucks for the drag strip.
 
SpoiledMan said:
Eh, 19's!! OK, really I'd go with the 18's as they will be more aesthetically pleasing on that car.
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Funny thing is that I know of a set of light weight Centerline's 19"-ers for a good price right now. Ive seen them on the same model car and they look great, but just seems like to much rim for that car. Heck I think 20's are big enough on trucks.
 
LightngSVT - Since it sounds like your other vehicles are pretty "serious", I too would go with the 17" wheels. That extra bit of sidewall is nice to have on at least *one* vehicle (I'm assuming the roads in MI are about as bad as the ones in OH ;) ). FWIW, I'm gonna run 60-series tires on *our* beater; it's nice to not have to worry about damage all the time.



And I agree that anything bigger would look too big on that car. I'm not a fan of the "huge wheel/rubber band tire" look, especially on regular cars.
 
I went with the 17's. I got a set of the European Ford Mondeo ST200 wheels. They are a little heavier then I expected, but at least I know they are OEM quality. Ill post a pic when the rain stops and I can wash the car.
 
Chuck,



Not sure if you have already poked around at www.contour.org but, there is a forum specifically for wheels/tires as well as a huge archive. I went there a lot when I had my Contour and there are probably about a zillion and a half threads on 17 vs 18 wheels. The archive is huge, I would suggest the search feature :D



http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=wheels



There is also the wheel/tire archive.



http://www.contour.org/archive/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=UBB31



I went from the stock 15s on my 98.5 SE to E0 16" SVT rims. It is just me but, I thought the 16s with KDWs were just about right proportionately. Some like the really low profile look though.



2760tour2.jpg
 
It really depends on you needs looks vs praticality. There really is no handling advantage of a 18" compared to a 17" on mild cars like a Contour or an Accord. Their suspension would never be able to take advantage of the shorter sidewalls like a Corvette or Porsche can. 17" are lighter, ride better, and less prone to pot hole damage. 18" looks better. It really depends on you, but I would not get the 18" if you are not lowering it to remove that excessive wheel well. IMO the short side wall tire looks funny when there is too much space between the whell well. I have seen many Tahoes with 20" and they don't look right because Tahoes sit rather high above the tires. If your looking for handling get some nice performance tires like Bridgestone S03.
 
jetskie said:
It really depends on you needs looks vs praticality. There really is no handling advantage of a 18" compared to a 17" on mild cars like a Contour or an Accord. Their suspension would never be able to take advantage of the shorter sidewalls like a Corvette or Porsche can. 17" are lighter, ride better, and less prone to pot hole damage. 18" looks better. It really depends on you, but I would not get the 18" if you are not lowering it to remove that excessive wheel well. IMO the short side wall tire looks funny when there is too much space between the whell well. I have seen many Tahoes with 20" and they don't look right because Tahoes sit rather high above the tires. If your looking for handling get some nice performance tires like Bridgestone S03.
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jetskie summed it up great. 18" looks better but 17's have performance advantage and cheaper tires. I had been debating this for awhile for my Stang. I wanted Bullitt replica wheels with a wider rim in the back , they had 17X10.5 and 18X10. I went with the 17X10.5 in the rear and they look sweet with the 315's on there plus was a whole lot cheaper cause if you drive a sports car you can go through tires real quick. I need a tire fund:(
 
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