I'm speccing a new FR and have a bit of a dilemma. The 17 inch wheels are not nice (to me) but I'm concerned with a potential harsh ride on 18's. Especially with a child in the car. I will be test driving both but wondered what people's real life experiences are?
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17 or 18 inches wheels?
- Thread starter Discopanda
- Start date
17's are the better option on cars with the basic rear suspension (150PS or less). 18s on those with the independent rear suspension.
Having driven both options alongside a former Aston Martin development driver it was clear that the smaller wheels and hence slightly higher profile tyres have more compliance. That really helps control rear end float when you're pushing on and the road surface is anything other than track smooth. 18s were very lively on the rear, and clearly compromised the handling, ride difference wasn't huge between the two, but noticeable.
Having driven both options alongside a former Aston Martin development driver it was clear that the smaller wheels and hence slightly higher profile tyres have more compliance. That really helps control rear end float when you're pushing on and the road surface is anything other than track smooth. 18s were very lively on the rear, and clearly compromised the handling, ride difference wasn't huge between the two, but noticeable.
I find the ride on my 17's much more comfortable than my 18's but the 18's look and handle way better. You really feel the difference when changing from one set to the other. Difference for me might also be due to changing from summer tyres to winter tho?
Given that the specification of the tyre and wheel are exactly the same (ET offset, wheel width, tyre make and width) then the 17" wheel and tyre combo should perform better.
OEM 17" alloys are narrower and have a different offset to the 18" OEM alloys and so just these two factors alone will alter the driving dynamics of the car. Add into that equation a higher sidewall on a narrower alloy that sits within a slightly narrower footprint due to ET offset and the 18" set-up will outperform the 17" one.
OEM 17" alloys are narrower and have a different offset to the 18" OEM alloys and so just these two factors alone will alter the driving dynamics of the car. Add into that equation a higher sidewall on a narrower alloy that sits within a slightly narrower footprint due to ET offset and the 18" set-up will outperform the 17" one.
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