17 or 18 inch wheels, Pro's or Con's either way

[tyoneal]

To All:

Is there any advantage of either one of these sizes over the other?

17 inch:

Less rotating mass, 13 inch maximum Rotor size, ???

18 inch:

More rotating mass, 14 inch maximum Rotor size, ???

What are you using and why? (Looks are a reason, but I am particularly interested in performance reasons)

Thanks again,

tyoneal

[ProTouring442]

I was planning to run 17s but then made the decision to run the Z06 6piston front brakes, and they require 18s.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill
'72 442 "Iamorata"

[tyoneal]

Bill:

Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone else have have and thoughts or experiance?

Thanks,

tyoneal

[MaxHarvard]

I like my 17's because on my car i think 18's would have made it look weird and too 'gangsta'.

17's are definately an improvement over the stocker 15" jobs. The bigger the rim you go with, the more of the road you will feel.

[nitrorocket]

My decision was based on tire choice. This was 7-8 years ago, but when I bought my 17's There were not a big selection of tires, especially in 18".

[Derek69SS]

I will be going with 17s on my Chevelle.

I want to run a decent sidewall on my tires, and an 18 would require either raising my car's ride height, or a very short sidewall. I want my car low, and the tires to have some compliance for ride quality. :)

13" brakes should be all I'll ever need and then some.

[JayR]

I like my 17's because on my car i think 18's would have made it look weird and too 'gangsta'.

17's are definately an improvement over the stocker 15" jobs. The bigger the rim you go with, the more of the road you will feel.

17s look great... on Mini-Coopers and 22+ on passenger cars is "gangsta"
Look at any modern spotscar, even the tiny little Pontiac Solstice runs 18s from the factory. They're inspired by european sportscars, not gangsters....

[XcYZ]

I've had both on my car and I prefer the 18's. There also no shortage of tire selection for 18's as well.

As for gangsta, the 06 ZO6 has 19's on the rear, and that thing is pretty much a factory built race car.

[Payton King]

I have the C6 package on mine 18's on the front and 19's on the rear

[jy211]

I like the looks of 18's better... :thumbsup:


See Picture Here (http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/733/51406ot6.jpg)

[rocketman]

I like a split,like 17/18's,18/20's,etc. I dont like to run the same size on all fours.I think 17/18's look best on a 1st gen

[MaxHarvard]

LOL

Maybe i should clarify... 18's dont make a car look gangsta'. Hell, on the right car/truck 20's look down right gorgeous.

I just felt with my car/tire/rim combination, 17's look best in my opinion.

[JayR]

I like a split,like 17/18's,18/20's,etc. I dont like to run the same size on all fours.I think 17/18's look best on a 1st gen

From a styling standpoint, be careful splitting the diameters on some cars that can handle the same size rim front and rear or your fronts will be surrounded by gap and your rears will fill out the wheelwells. On factory sportscars and hot rods, the diameters are varied because you usually can't turn lock to lock with the same diameter as the rear but in the case of a 1st gen or an A-body, you can turn an 18 or 19 with the right offset so try to stagger them with tire diameter or go with more wheel diameter in back like a Corvette or Viper, etc.
A good example would be a full size truck with 18s in front and 20s in rear. The gaps would be huge around the front tire but the rear fits nicely and you could have turned lock to lock with a 20 in front or put 18s all the way around and had a nice level stance with similar proportions front to rear.
Just my $.02 but I speak from experience....

[Steve Chryssos]

I've run both 17's and 18's on my Camaro and I say 18's all the way. The distance from the middle of the door to the bottom of the rocker is about 15". 17's kinda fit in between the middle character line and the bottom of the rocker, while 18's tend to bust out a little more. Makes the body look small and nimble. But it only works if the car is lowered properly.

And I agree about 17/18 combo's. To me 17/18's just look like the manufacturer shipped the wrong front wheels by accident. The car needs to be extra low in front to pull off the look.

[Stuart Adams]

18's.

[Serpa69]

18's.

[JamesJ]

17's here...

[chicane]

18's.....

Who said that an 18" wheel and tire package weighed more than a 17" package ?? It is more dependant on wheel and tire manufacturer..... sometimes the 18" package is lighter.

[MODO Innovations]

I have 17 x 8 s on the front and 18 x 12 s on the back. I wish I would have went with 18's all the way around with 18 x 9 or 10 on the front.

[RussMS]

18s (If I ever get a car :D )

[lil427z]

18" all the way
rick

[awr68]

Just sold my never been used 17" w/t package and ordered 18s...should be getting them REAL soon, yeah baby!! :thumbsup:

[tyoneal]

Thanks for everyone who has taken the time to add their thoughts.

It sounds like there might be a slight edge to the 18's all around.

Is there any handeling issues when useing 17/18 or 18/20's with the 1st gen Camaro's?

I noticed that wheels width's in rear rarely exceed 12 inches, with the mini-tubs.

Is there any reason a 13 inch wheel is not used? (Assuming a 335 rear)

Based on the fitment charts, a 13 inch wheel would optimize handling, wouldn't it?

Few people use the three piece wheels. Is it primary a cost issue, or pure styling?

Thanks again for all your participation.

tyoneal

[JayR]

I don't think the DSE tubs most folks use will allow a 13" wheel but not sure and a 12" wheel will weigh less and handle the same tire. While you're considering larger staggered diameters, remember most wheel & tire companies make 19s so you can run the same rubber as a 911 Turbo, Viper or Z06.
And lastly, 3 piece wheels are a little spendier but they look bitchin'! If you don't have H.R.E. $, try www.dpengineering.cc or www.forgedwheels.com and when in doubt, hire a designer! Ben has also chimed in with intelligent input on this thread too along with other very talented guys that frequent this forum so pick a favorite and somebody here can help you make that all important decision.

[fatlife]

although possible, from your line of questioning. I highly doubt you will push your car hard enough to warrant 3 piece wheels, or feel any negative results in handling going from 17 to 18' or vice versa, and if getting a decent wheel, the weight difference will not be noticable. Just get whatever floats your boat. If you have the money the 3 piece wheels look killer and usually are a higher quality, plus you get the option of buying new hoops if you want to change the backspacing. Basically IMO for you, just decide how much $ you want to spend, and which will fit/look better to YOU. There are plenty of tire choices in both sizes, and most aftermarket wheels will be plenty strong for whatever you want to do. Its possible that a 18" wheel will be heavier than a 17" but in reality if you are buyingi anything at all quality the differnece will be nill and hardly noticable.

My vote goes to a 18" wheel as you can package more brakes in them, you can get just as much tire profile, and they look better.

Oh, and don't stagger your wheels more than 1", no technical data other than it just couldn't be right just by looking at it, and plus it looks funny

[fatlife]

Oh, and a 13" wide wheel will not necessarily Improve handling. That is a loaded question with too many variables. Just keep it simple and you will be rewarded with a fun balanced car, no need for 13" wide rear tires, unless it is for a wow factor. a good sticky 275 series tire will have more grip than a standard street 335. Its not all about width. Look at some of the stock class drag racing cars, they are pulling off ridiculous 60 ft times with 10" wide tires. I know its apple to oranges but it still relates.

[rocketman]

You run the same wheels all around,the front end does look right,looks like the front end needs lowered,plus going like one or two inches differnet in the front gives it some rake.

[ArisESQ]

I highly doubt you will push your car hard enough to warrant 3 piece wheels



i dont think theres even supposed to be a difference in performance between a 1, 2, or 3 piece wheel... the only advantages that i saw was that it becomes easier to repair a damaged wheel, or you have the ability to make a wheel wider without having to buy a new set of wheels or cutting a rim in half....

and as far as 17s vs. 18s. it all depends on stance to me. when i was in the market for rims, i chose 17s because i thought most camaro running 18s looked awkward and out of place... recently there have been a few cars that have pulled the wheels off a lot better which kinda makes me wish i went with 18s. regardless, both sizes look fine on first gen camaro. just choose the right style. wheels will make or break a car.

[rockdogz]

I have 17's and IMHO they don't fill up the wheelwells enough. I may go to 18's...eventually :D

[fatlife]

a 3 piece wheel with perimeter bolts should be stronger than a 2 piece wheel welded together. But to be honest I am no expert on the differneces. WOuld be interesting to hear exactly if and why they are stronger, from what I heard they flex less. Of course this goes back to theory that you would have to be a competitve racer to take advantage of the extra strength

[tracy]

Go with the 18s and you won't regret it.

[USAZR1]

I have the C6 package on mine 18's on the front and 19's on the rear

Payton,are those standard or Z06 widths? I like that look.