i was wondering what is the difference between putting 17 and 18 inch rims on my v6 '04 mustang. i was told that with the 17s i would be getting a better perfomance out of them, but with the 18s look nicer, but dont want to ruin the ride. if i could get your opinions on the difference between 17 and 18 inch rims as far as performance and style go, that would be great. pix would also be appreciated, thx
18 have a lower profile tire to keep same ride qualitites such as height and mph and stuff. 17s are more sporty and better for turning than 18. im going with 17" wheels next year when i have more money. im thinking about some AFS cobra replicas.
I dont know about performance but you would get a better ride with 17's. If you got 18's on your car then you would most likely have to get 30/34 series tires which are like rubber bands. I have 17's on mine and the ride is still great. I would go with 17's so they wont be as heavy and you can still keep the comfortable ride. But if you want to go for the all show no go then I wold go with the 18's. But dont put 18's if your gonna lower it.
WTH!! NO dont get both just get a bigger offset in the back and then it will look good, like 17x8 in the front and 17x10 in the rear that will look GREAT!!!
why shouldnt you lower it with 18's? Becaue i have 18's on(not for the winter), but was hoping to get it lowered so the gap between car and wheel doesnt look too big.
only problem with lowering 18s is bottoming out if you lower more than 1.5". i wouldnt lower more than 1" because if you put people in the backseat and a suitcase or groceries in the trunk, you might bottom out.
Have you checked the price of replacement tires lately? If money is not a concern, then do what you want. If 17's run at least $132 each, I wonder what the cost of 18's are?
only problem with lowering 18s is bottoming out if you lower more than 1.5". i wouldnt lower more than 1" because if you put people in the backseat and a suitcase or groceries in the trunk, you might bottom out.
Why in the world would 18's bottom out more than 17's We are talking wheel diameter here, not tire diameter.. When switching to an 18" wheel you are supposed to change the aspect ratio of the new tires so you keep the same overall diameter, Keep the same "tire diameter" and you will bottom no more than a stock wheel/tire combo and if if you don't you will throw off your speedo, and odometer...Not what you want.
Edit: yea if you kept equal sidewall %s on 17s as 18s, it would look wierd and maybe bottom out. sorry i didnt specify on that. i would definitely do a low profile tire on 18s if your going for show but an egual overall height to stock tire height to keep same speedo #s. id do 17s if you turn a lot. ive seen 18s and it looks nice, but i dont know about them in deep turns
< Message edited by AtlanticBlue99 -- 1/8/2005 10:11:29 PM >
Team MF #2001 Posts: 11751
Joined: 9/23/2004 Status: offline
I had 18"s on my wife's GT and they looked great, handled well, but didn't lauch for sh*#. When I went to check out prices for new tires, I about had a heart attack. If $$ is no object go with the 18"s, if you want basically the same looks and handling, but alot less $$ for new tires, go with the 17"s.
k, thx for you help, i went along with the 18s and some low profiles. looks great and is still a smooth ride, now my next project is getting new brakes or pads (not sure what its called, im still new) for a much cleaner look in between the rims, and i appreciated your posts
Team MF Member #420 Posts: 14532
Joined: 7/24/2003 Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: Leadfoot
Have you checked the price of replacement tires lately? If money is not a concern, then do what you want. If 17's run at least $132 each, I wonder what the cost of 18's are?
Odd because the place I get my tires at, the 18" tires were the same price as 17's, and in some instances were even cheaper.
_____________________________
Black 04 Cobra For Sale. Will trade for 93 older/non 4-eye fox + $$.
Have you checked the price of replacement tires lately? If money is not a concern, then do what you want. If 17's run at least $132 each, I wonder what the cost of 18's are?
Odd because the place I get my tires at, the 18" tires were the same price as 17's, and in some instances were even cheaper.
I never checked out the price of the 18's. So far I have learned that anything to do with a mustang is big $$$$$. That is from comparing routine maintenance and mods between a 'stang vs. a Honda. So far, the mustang is costing me more. But IT'S WORTH IT.
the only problem i see with my 18s is the space between the tire and car..thats why i was interested in lowering. My tires are low profile too, so im obviously not going racing with them or driving in the show at all, and even in the rain i do about 20 mph just to be safe ha
but in all seriousness, i think 18s are the way to go. not only for appearance..but the chicks love them
_____________________________
2002 V6 Magnaflow dual exhaust cold Air intake soon to come: u.d pulley?
I have Cobra style rims on my 2000 V6. I have 18X11's with 335-30's on back and 18X9's with 265-35's on front. Looks tough as boot leather and the gaps between the body and tires are the same as stock because the overall tire diameter is almost exactly the same. I will post pics ASAP.
One caveat - I would not be able to lower my car because of bottoming out on the rear tires, but that has nothing to do with 18 vs 17 size rims. It has everything to do with track width of the tire and width of the rim. If you were to put 17X10.5 rims out back with 315-35's, you would have trouble if you lowered your car. But if you put 18X9's with 265-35's all the way around, you could still lower your car 1.5-2". Check out this website to do some research on track widths and overall diameters. Both are important for different reasons.
My ride quality did not suffer much - the car feels more 'rigid' and it DEFINITELY hugs the road better. I would go for the 18's with a wider package out back.
I have Cobra style rims on my 2000 V6. I have 18X11's with 335-30's on back and 18X9's with 265-35's on front. Looks tough as boot leather and the gaps between the body and tires are the same as stock because the overall tire diameter is almost exactly the same. I will post pics ASAP.
One caveat - I would not be able to lower my car because of bottoming out on the rear tires, but that has nothing to do with 18 vs 17 size rims. It has everything to do with track width of the tire and width of the rim. If you were to put 17X10.5 rims out back with 315-35's, you would have trouble if you lowered your car. But if you put 18X9's with 265-35's all the way around, you could still lower your car 1.5-2". Check out this website to do some research on track widths and overall diameters. Both are important for different reasons.
My ride quality did not suffer much - the car feels more 'rigid' and it DEFINITELY hugs the road better. I would go for the 18's with a wider package out back.
what about handling in inclement weather (aka snow and rain). did the wider tire make the sliding a lot worse? or do you not drive in those conditions..
_____________________________
2003 True Blue convertible V6. grill delete, chinspoiler coming in - magnaflow catback, 4.10/t-lok, bilstein shocks/struts, MM subframes and an STB, dont have a sig.
get the 17 inch rims they look sick plus my mach 1 looks amazing in its rims i keep them clean all the time. though the rims on the 2004 mustng gt looks amazing because their chrome and they are 17.5 inches so its up to you if you go with the chrome get 18 but if you donr go with chrome then get 17
get some chrome 18's maybe 9" in the front 10" in the back with some low pro's and some springs and it'll look bad@ss..
< Message edited by 00redGT -- 1/12/2005 10:18:07 PM >
_____________________________
MAC 2 1/2 catback system,MAC cold air intake, 373's,underdrive pullies,UPR x-pipe,cobra R front bumper,01+hood scoop,cobra R wing,stalker side scoops...(02 GT engine swap, RIP old engine!)
Printable Version
17 or 18 inch rims? need opinions - 
RE: 17 or 18 inch rims? need opinions - 
