17's vs 18's
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
Most likely because your placing weight farther from the center of rotation, but depending on the weight of the entire wheel and tire combination, the overall effect may not be that significant.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 607
Likes: 1
From: Anna, OH
It depends on a lot of things. Are you still keeping Z06's, but at 18"? And are you talking about straight line or twisty performance? You have to look at total rim/tire weight. The there's the tire size/profile/compound. It will likely also screw up your speedo reading 1-3%, so that affects your ability to measure changes.
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
From: Boston, MA
I went from 16" lightweight racing wheels to 18 X 9 boyd smoothie II's now that was a difference I could feel but only during highway rolls. It felt a bit more stable due to the extra weight of the wheels and better compound tires but man its a big heavy wheel to get moving. If I did it again it would be a 17 due to sizes, pricing of tires and wheels and weight.
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
I went from stock 16" 99 camaro rims/tires to 17" zr1's with 27540zr17's on all corners I feel it hurt performance a lot and fuel economy, but the car is much more stable and the ride is much more comfortable. I feel less bumps on the road. I think I will be putting the 16"'s back on before it snows with some winter tires.
