18" wheels. Good or bad?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,833
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From: Orange County California
18" wheels. Good or bad?
Im looking to get new wheels and the selection in the 17 x9.5s is t=not that interesting. I may just end up getting ZR1 wheels, but I like these too:
They are 18X8.5 5-120.65 30S wheels and I am wondering if they will fit my '92. I am also concerned whether its a good idea or not. What is the consensus on this? What are the advantages of 18" wheels? What are the disadvantages?
Thanks! :steering:
They are 18X8.5 5-120.65 30S wheels and I am wondering if they will fit my '92. I am also concerned whether its a good idea or not. What is the consensus on this? What are the advantages of 18" wheels? What are the disadvantages?
Thanks! :steering:
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,857
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From: Yakima WA
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (atotalnincompoop)
I have 275/40/18's on rear of my 86 & they work great. I like the way the car has a slightly "raked" look, (265/40/17's on front) & the grip is sooo much better than stock 16's.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
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From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (McShagger)
Pros:
-they look fine
-they corner better due to stiffer side walls
Cons:
-they won't hook up as well due to narrower side walls
-you may get more "wander" on uneven roads due to wider tires
-they look fine
-they corner better due to stiffer side walls
Cons:
-they won't hook up as well due to narrower side walls
-you may get more "wander" on uneven roads due to wider tires
Safety Car
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,283
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (ld85)
18x8.5 is too narrow for a 275. Need atleast a 9 inch wide wheel for that tire. Find a wheel that is atleast 9 or 9.5. That wheel would look funny with a 265 on it on your car. Too narrow.
Elite Torch Red Member
Joined: Sep 1999
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From: Exit 89 GSP,Lakewood,NJ The Land Of Mojo
Cental/South NJ Events Coordinator
CI 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 Vet
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (McShagger)
see my reply to your post in "general"
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Instructor
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (65Z01)
Pros:
-they look fine
-they corner better due to stiffer side walls
Cons:
-they won't hook up as well due to narrower side walls
-you may get more "wander" on uneven roads due to wider tires
-they look fine
-they corner better due to stiffer side walls
Cons:
-they won't hook up as well due to narrower side walls
-you may get more "wander" on uneven roads due to wider tires
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,472
Likes: 0
From: Toronto ONTARIO
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (=Agent-Smith=)
Pros:
-they look fine
-they corner better due to stiffer side walls
Cons:
-they won't hook up as well due to narrower side walls
-you may get more "wander" on uneven roads due to wider tires
Decreased gas mileage
-they look fine
-they corner better due to stiffer side walls
Cons:
-they won't hook up as well due to narrower side walls
-you may get more "wander" on uneven roads due to wider tires
Decreased gas mileage
if the tire is wider than the original tire than fuel mileage may decrease ( more friction ).
8.5 sounds real narrow. base vettes use the 245s on 17s up front and smaller will give you better steering feel. I dunno about putting a 275/35/18 on a 8.5 though. I had that size on 9.5s and the tires kinda looked too fat (for my taste anyways). WHat will happen is more of the tread will end up not touching the ground- contact patch and if you do high speed cornering you will most definitely feel the tire flexing on the rim.
Oh.. and they dont look Fine... they look Awesome! ive never seen those wheels b4. :cheers:
Racer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
From: Pontiac IL
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (McShagger)
One disadvantage that no one mentioned is the extra weight of the 18 inch tires and wheels. It is important to keep rotating unsprung weight as low as possible for ultimate performance. Weight that rotates at axle speed is about 3 times as important as general or sprung weight. FrankLT4CE :chevy
Drifting
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,581
Likes: 2
From: The Motor City
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (JJ 86)
I think the question that is subtly being asked is: what about the potential for wheel damage due to pot-holes, bumps, expansion joints, etc... by going from 17" to 18"?
I know that 17" Corvette wheels take a severe beating during regular daily use since there isn't much tire side-wall to absorb big bumps. I've already refinised 2 sets of 17" Corvette wheels (1989 and 1990) which prove it! I can only imagine what it must be like a set of 18" wheels.
So all of you guys with 18" wheels on all four corners - any problems (or increased problems) with bent/damaged wheels?
Don't get me wrong - I think 18" wheels look AWESOME on C4s!
I know that 17" Corvette wheels take a severe beating during regular daily use since there isn't much tire side-wall to absorb big bumps. I've already refinised 2 sets of 17" Corvette wheels (1989 and 1990) which prove it! I can only imagine what it must be like a set of 18" wheels.
So all of you guys with 18" wheels on all four corners - any problems (or increased problems) with bent/damaged wheels?
Don't get me wrong - I think 18" wheels look AWESOME on C4s!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 871
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From: Costa Mesa CA
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (McShagger)
Try ROH 17".
If you want something few other Vette owners have (certainly not possible with the ZR1 repos) and the best looking wheel around, look below.
18" wheels will work great but I doubt if you will notice the diff when driving. And if you think the last time you bought tires for your Vette was a lot of money, you are opening yourself up to a whole new world of "expensive tires" that you won't believe.
BIG JIM
If you want something few other Vette owners have (certainly not possible with the ZR1 repos) and the best looking wheel around, look below.
18" wheels will work great but I doubt if you will notice the diff when driving. And if you think the last time you bought tires for your Vette was a lot of money, you are opening yourself up to a whole new world of "expensive tires" that you won't believe.
BIG JIM
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 3,420
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From: Lancaster County PA
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10
Re: 18" wheels. Good or bad? (FrankLT4CE)
One disadvantage that no one mentioned is the extra weight of the 18 inch tires and wheels. It is important to keep rotating unsprung weight as low as possible for ultimate performance. Weight that rotates at axle speed is about 3 times as important as general or sprung weight. FrankLT4CE :chevy
