advantage of 18" wheels

so... I know ALL the disadvantage of a larger diameter wheel, but what are some advantages if any?

 

What are the disadvantages besides scrubbing and wieght?

I feel my 18s get better grip then stock size tires do

 

Are we talking daily driver advantages or track advantages

 

inputs for both would be nice

 

From a street perspective....they look cool

From a track perspective, to keep the same rolling diameter you get a shorter sidewall, shorter usually means stiffer.

In the case of the Advan Neova AD07 and AD08, the shorter sidewall makes for a much more responsive tire and the car turns in much better.

 

that is the feeling i got when i drove my friends wrx with similar mods but with 18" wheels... turn in felt much sharper, and I doubt that on the streets your butt dyno will be able to tell the heavier corner weight

 

Your butt can feel a conference in unsprung weight,i promise.

In acceleration, braking, and turning

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so the only few reasons why high-end sportscars go for large wheels is for looks and to be able to fit larger brakes?

 

For the most part. A larger diameter wheel is pretty much a performance decrease, you're focusing the majority of your rotational weight further away from the center of the wheel.

 

But wouldn't you also new decreasing the amount of rubber in the tire, making it lighter? would it offset the weight increase of the larger wheel? Just a couple thoughts - I don't have an answer.

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larger brakes...yes, more rubber...yes, a must since the consumer all but demands it...yes.

but the "high-end supercars" you refer to also have 400-500+ hp from the factory so it doesn't matter all that much to them. with consumer cars everything's a compromise.

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q1/effects_of_upsized_wheels_and_tires_tested-tech_dept

 

great find - i have a subscription for the shitter and I was about to reference that

 

seems to be a trade off between lateral G and acceleration... i suppose getting a lightweight 18" would outperform a 17" with the same weight then...

 

for a DD it will also affect gas mileage, though it may not be that noticeable

 

i noticed a slight inscrease from coming back to the 205 width vs 225...

 

Higher lateral Gs mean faster corner exit speeds, faster corner exit speeds equal faster straight away speeds.

 

Depending on the wheel(s) 18" just look damn sexy!!!!

 

i went with 17" (particularly this wheel for few reasons)

1. cant afford the BBS lol
2. oem enkei = proven durability
3. 17 over 18" because of tire cost

butt dyno:
car bounces WAYY less than it used to with 16" stock wheels, and feels more direct in steering feel. definitely more planted in the corners.

however, even with just an inch of an upgrade i do feel more lag in power delivery and braking. I dont think it's the weight of the wheel, but i think it has more to do with taller gear ratio. but the diminished straight line speed is a small price to pay for how much stability you get in the corners.