Switching from 17s to 18s

[s14nVa]

I've had some really crappy 17's on my car for a while now, and since three of the four rims are completely bent all to hell and back, (i actually broke two wheel stems off on friday night, driving around wondering what the heck all the banging noise was coming from my back end <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/crazy.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':crazy:'>) I figured instead of letting my steering wheel get tossed around like crazy @ 60mph. I should go ahead and replace them. I was thinking about going with 18's but i'm not too sure how hard the ride will be and how considerable a difference i'll see. I've currently got tokico blues/sport-lines on there to dampen things, but my 17's are a little unforgiving on city streets (cobble stone may be historically cute, but it sure hurts like hell <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/notify.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':notify:'> ). I also do a lot of highway driving as my fiancee lives 2 hours away, and am concerned about killing tires quickly. anyone have any advice on which route to go? i sure would like a wilder footprint on the back end, and 18's sure look nice on our cars.... but is it worth it? TIA

-Mike

[West]

Things to consider when deciding wheel size.

The larger the wheel the lower the profile and the more prone to damage it can become.

Larger wheels need bigger tires, therefore more $.

The lighter the wheel the less rotational mass you will have.

IMHO, Id go with 17 if it were me, just dont buy a cheap wheel this time around and it wont bend.

Id only go with 18's if your focus on the car is looks.

[jskim9]

For the rear, you could get pretty large tires with high walls as long as your suspension will allow it to clear the fender. Of course, most of the wheel bends do occur on the front wheels. There's you're limited by that strangely large spring rest on the struts. for 18's, I've had 225/40-18 tires on it. Doesn't offer too much protection to the rims, since I bent it a few times. Ride quality is still mostly determined by your suspension. Since your SN says S14, I'm assuming you got one, you can go with larger tires, but you're gonna have to get something like a 0mm offset with less than 8" width. something like 7.5" at 0mm offset. Doubt too many people carry such unusual size. My best guess is that would clear the springs and you could get maybe a 225/45 or a 245/40 size. That'll offer a lot more protection and ride comfort. But these are my best guesses based on the setup I had.

John

[S13FREEAAK]

If I were you Id go for the 17s because rubber will last longer and they are less expensive then 18s so you could a better 17

but thats just me

[MazingerS14]

If you're going 18" you better pay mad cash and get some high quality forged wheels or you WILL tweak these too. &nbsp;I would think you'd have to run a 35 series tire to maintain stock OD. &nbsp;That leaves very little side wall and an unforgiving ride. &nbsp;Like other have said 18's will cost noticably more for wheels and tires. &nbsp;More than likely you'll have more weight towards the outside diameter thus hurting acceleration. &nbsp;17's are the best compromise IMHO. &nbsp;I want to maintain 16" wheels on my S14 but nice wheel choices in 5 lug seem to be hard to come by (I don't want Kosei or Buddy Club) so I'm kind of forced to go 17.

Puck

[ghosts14]

In this case would it be wise to increase the front wheel size to 7.5 or 8 on a 17in rim and even 9in in the back. &nbsp;Would there be any issues with rubbing on the shocks and struts.

[s14nVa]

Thanks for the input, i'm really starting to think about sticking with 17's, since the camber is horrid and i know i'm burning up tires. Sucks i got a 4 lug setup, <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blush.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':blush:'> leaves me few options when it comes to some, but hopefully i'll find something good, or just wind up doing a 5 lug converstion while i'm at it. Anyone running 9in, in the back, cuz i'm sure that would help prevent the back end on the ground more often, but i'm def. worried about the rub? whats the tops you've seen running on a lowered car like that? could u do 8in the front? that would be kinda cool..... <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'>

[transient]

I'm going for 16x8's all around, unless I get a good deal on some staggered rims with 8's in the front. 17's are only for looks, if you want them because of the looks, then that's cool, but if you're looking for better performance, drop down an inch. Oh, and don't forget: Wider is better <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[JEdubz]

I wouldn't be too upset about having four lug wheels. I mean think of all the other Silvias and 240's you have seen with four. Try going to ebay and just searching "4 lug wheels" You will get alot of "set of 4 uni-lug" auctions but still theres quite a large selection on brands like Motegi, Enkei, and some other uknown aftermarket brands that have some nice wheels for damn cheap.