S13 16" vs 17" wheel pros/cons

[i cant drift worth shit]

If there is already a thread on this then go ahead and flame me, but i can't find anything.
Here's the deal, I'm stuck on whether i should run 16x8 or 17x9 wheels. The car is my daily and i occasionally do some drifting too. I need it to be practical but still look nice. I'm not so worried about it being "hellaflush" but obviously i don't want a huge gap either. I like the 16’s cause i can go lower without worrying about the tires rubbing, but i like the 17's cause i don't have to go as low to get rid of wheel gap. To me the 17's look a little classier, but the 16's use cheaper tires and are lighter. With the 16’s i wouldn't have to worry about rubbing when turning, but 17's would probably look better if/when i get a body kit.
I'm just so stuck on this. So if someone can give me some opinions, that would be awesome.
Also i'd like the see a pic of 17's that arent super flush. All the pics i can find are really flush.
I'm getting coilovers at the same time btw.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Why do you think that running a 17" rim will cause you to rub? Rim diameter doesnt mean jack and shit. Tire sizing/diameter and total circumference does, this is why you usually shoot for the same overall diameter as the stock OEM wheel.

[i cant drift worth shit]

Why do you think that running a 17" rim will cause you to rub? Rim diameter doesnt mean jack and shit. Tire sizing/diameter and total circumference does, this is why you usually shoot for the same overall diameter as the stock OEM wheel.

9” is a decent amout wider than stock though. I didn't mean the larger diameter would make it rub but the width. I would need more backspacing and offset to run a 9 inch wheel... I could be totally wrong but that's my thinking.

[FaLKoN240]

What car do you have? That might help.

Are you planning on rolling your fenders? What size tire are you going to get? What offset do you plan on running?

16" tires and 17" tires are almost the same exact price, just 16" tires are harder to find (used)

I would NEVER go back to 16s after having a set for a while.

on my S14 17x9 looks way too small. I wouldn't do anything smaller than a 9.5 with a 215/45/17

If you have an S13 you can run 17x9 or 17x9.5 +15 or lower offset with 215/40/17 all day if you have rolled fenders and adjustable camber, and have no issues with rubbing

It's really up to you and how far you are willing to go to make your set up work.

[brndck]

If you have an S13 you can run 17x9 or 17x9.5 +15 or lower offset with 215/40/17 all day

Nailed it. Personally I find it much harder to find good tires in decent sizes in 16" and the likelihood of scoring used tires is low. (For drifting purposes, not daily duty)

[i cant drift worth shit]

Thanks for the responces guys. Its an s13 hatch btw. Seems like 17's are where its at. The wheels I'm looking at come in a 17x9 +20, sound good? Can I run that all around?

[Croustibat]

, but the 16's use cheaper tires and are lighter.


Did you even search for 16's tire prices before writing that, or are you just assuming "the smaller the cheaper" ?

17" tires are cheaper, from experience.

Now If you are concerned about stance, flush and all that BS, wheel weight is the least of your worries.

If you want to go low, keep a good suspension geometry and have good quality dampers / springs, you are looking at a 5000-6000$ price tag on suspension parts. Without labor, wheels, tires, brakes. Just good/custom adjustable suspension arms, good coilovers and corrected knuckles.

But as you are already concerned about tire price and stance, i fear you are not going to do this.
While i'd really like you do to things correctly, i fear you will be doing like most folks here: crappy isis/ebay adjustable arms, oem knuckes (maybe with ichiba crappy 5 studs conversion), and some cheap hard as a rock ebay coilovers that have form way over function so you can get that low stance without grinding tires on every bump of the road.

This is the cheap way. The car wont handle, and will eat through tires ultra fast.

The last way is just not to get the car low. It wont cost an arm and a leg, wont require custom knucles or redesigned suspension kit. And this will handle, while being confortable too.

TL;DR:

cheap, low, handling.
pick 2.

[KendallH]

I'm guessing the wheels he's looking at getting are square g6 so its going to look terrible either way

[i cant drift worth shit]

Just cause i metioned the cheaper tires doesn't mean i'm cheap. I was simply listing it as one of the pro's of 16”wheels. I decided on the 17’s though, if you saw my last comment. And i don't know what the fuck a square g6 is so no.
If you read my first post i said i was NOT worried about stance and flush and all that. I just want to go low enough that it doesn't look retarded and i can get rid of the massive wheel gap. As for suspension i'll admit i was looking at the isis adjustable rear kit. All the reviews i read said it was actually nice quality, including a magazine article. I'm not set on it by any means but it seems like a lot of people are very happy with their isis parts.
NOW back to my other question: Will 17x9 +20 be ok for front AND rear or will i need smaller for the front?

[g35gabby]

can't you do what everyone else does.... and search the fitment thread?

Not trying to be a ass about it, but figuring this stuff out with all the information provided there is kind of almost too easy..... you don't even have to know how to read, just look at the pretty pictures.

[zooopreme]

NOW back to my other question: Will 17x9 +20 be ok for front AND rear or will i need smaller for the front?

Yes. You can even run wider tires (than the norm) if you wanted.


Next time, use the search function for this forum or google. Wheel fitment questions belong in one thread. Find it.

[i cant drift worth shit]

can't you do what everyone else does.... and search the fitment thread?

Not trying to be a ass about it, but figuring this stuff out with all the information provided there is kind of almost too easy..... you don't even have to know how to read, just look at the pretty pictures.

I did search it but there's not really a comparison of 16 vs 17. I did see some people running 17x9 +20 on the front but some stick out a lot and some don't and i dont know what their setup is cause the just say wheels size not if the fender is pulled or theres spacers or anything like that. So i was just hoping to find out for sure if that size will be practical for a somewhat lowered daily driver car. And since i already have a thread i don't see what harm it is to ask in my already open thread.

[brndck]

I did see some people running 17x9 +20 on the front but some stick out a lot and some don't

17x9 +20 does NOT stick out of stock fenders. maybe they were running additional spacers.

[i cant drift worth shit]

17x9 +20 does NOT stick out of stock fenders. maybe they were running additional spacers.

That's what I was hoping, thanks.

[Croustibat]

[...]If you read my first post i said i was NOT worried about stance and flush and all that. I just want to go low enough that it doesn't look retarded and i can get rid of the massive wheel gap.


Congratulation, you just discovered what stance and flush is about !


As for suspension i'll admit i was looking at the isis adjustable rear kit. All the reviews i read said it was actually nice quality, including a magazine article. I'm not set on it by any means but it seems like a lot of people are very happy with their isis parts.


When all you do is hardparking, any piece of shite will do, so of course many people are happy with cheap parts. Ask any guy who drives his car seriously.


NOW back to my other question: Will 17x9 +20 be ok for front AND rear or will i need smaller for the front?

Cant you see it is a stupid question ? It depends on tire dimensions and camber more than on wheels...

i use 1.5° camber, 235s on 8" front et35 + extended lower arms (so that should be like an et15 or et10), and it DOES stick out quite a lot.

Same goes for the rear. But if you just stretch 205s on it (yes, that is stance too) and run 5° camber, it wont.

[i cant drift worth shit]

I don't think I'm going to be low enough to need any major mods. Just the adjustable camber arms should be enough. So I'll run the 17x9 all around with a slightly stretched tire and I should be good. Cool, thanks for the help guys