16" or 17"

1

1000ny

Guest
i know this has been covered before cos i`ve read all the post`s in the search function but it still does`nt seem clear.

we all know the formula- bigger wheels=less acceleration + higher top speed + poorer handling, and this has been stated wheneer a wheel size question has been asked.

but i want to know if anyone here has gone from 15`s or 16`s to 17`s or 18`s and actually FELT a significant difference in the cars acceleration or handling.

thanks dude`s
 
N

Ninja_tune_factory

Guest
i had 16"on my R befor i got my 15" i fink that the 15 are the best wheels by far the cars a lot beter handling and off the start its beter also you can get big brakes under 15 iv bin told 305mm disck will just fit :D i fink 17 look the nut but i dont fink there as good of performans.
 
C

Cris

Member
So far I've gone from 14s (stock) to 15s.

Found the handling much improved, steering gain feel and responsiveness. Acceleration and top speed unaffected. Ride quality actually improved a little!

As soon as funds permit I will be putting tyres on my 17s.

I would have though that 16s would be the best compromise - they are what a rally driver would run on tarmac.

The acceleration thing is interesting - if the rolling radius is the same (a 205/45R16 is pretty much spot onto the stock 185/60R14) then it's just down to the weight of the wheel being more - buy light-weight rims then...
Top speed would be the same as the rolling radius is identical.

As 1000ny says has anyone actually tried the difference sizes back to back???
 
J

jaigtir

Guest
My plan is to run 17's for everyday use, and shove on some 15's for track days.
 
A

AZ STE

Guest
When going from stock 14" to 16" it took a lot off the acceleration you could feel the difference
 
G

GTI-R Kid

Guest
Went from 15's to 17's about 3 months after buying our GTI-R and found it handled a whole lot better (probably due to less tyre flex). Didn't notice much difference in acceleration and the only real minus point was that it tramlined a slight bit more.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
i went from big heavy 17's to stock 14's, handling felt terrible (like driving a boat) prob not used to so much tyre wall roll. But the car did feel faster in a straight line, braking performance was a little better too. I Then switched to 17 inch light weight wheel (rays engineering volk te37) and it now handles very well and i didnt notice any loss in straight line speed over the 14's. From this i would conclude that rolling diameter isnt all that crucial to performance where rolling weight is.

And for christ sake if your going to buy heavy 16's then the compromise in performance has been made so you may aswell get heavy 17's because at least it will look nuts.
 
N

Ninja_tune_factory

Guest
gtiarr lets see sum pics of your R with them wheels on it
 
N

NickB

Guest
OK, don't get upset people, but I have driven R's with 14/16 and 17 rims on. Mine has 17's and after driving I have seen no noticable drive quality between 16's and 17's. Me personally I feel safer with the 17's because I THINK I can feel the road better...just my opinion!!
 
E

Edd

Guest
I was driving with 16's around, fitted the 14's back on and it felt loads quicker 8)

swap ur big old 17s for ur std 14s if u have them still and i bet u feel the difference straight away :wink:
 
G

gotoinstant-redline

Guest
mmm my dream wheels.
its them or a turbo.. sorry wheels, you'll av to wait.

i went from 15" to 16".
the 16's felt a lot better than the 15's.. not really a fair test as the 15's had snow tyres on them and had no grip at all in all conditions and the 16's have got f1's on em..

one thing that i did notice was the lack of tyre wall flex on the larger wheels.

i went for 16 as i thought 17's would be too big and mess up the handling. with more rotating weight in the gyroscope of the 17" wheels, you have to work harder to change their direction.

L.
 
J

J-GTi-R

Guest
What on earth were you doing driving around on snow tyres?? I know it gets cold here in the UK, but not that cold...

I went from standard 14s to Compomotive MO 15s. The Compos aren't a light wheel by any standard (very strong and excellent brake clearance though), and I did notice an increase in skipping over rough surfaces. I couldn't compare grip though, as I went from soap-made Falkens to pretty grippy Toyo Proxes and they grip increased by a HUGE amount.
 
K

kingy

New Member
i had my r for a month and changed the standard wheels coz the car didn't feel safe,ive now got some 17" on and its like driving a different car now. :p
 
U

Urban_R

Guest
arent 16's meant to be more expensive when it comes to changing tyres because of the size?? therefore 17's are the better long-term investment :wink: 8). surely if u get a light-weight 17" wheel and compare it to a normal 16" then surely the 17's will be better handling wise??
 
K

kyepan

New Member
it sounds like a compromise between the weight of the wheel and the ammount of flex in the side wall..

check here http://www.wheelweights.net for wheel weights.. and if you see somthing you like that is big and light then your onto a winner..

ps. if you want to fit nice big brake calipers behind yours, some pretty boy designs reduce caliper clearance.

J-gtir's wheels have bags of room cause they are racing wheels. (am i right j?)..




 
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