effect of 16" to 17" rims
Wider tires in the front will help braking performance. Also, since you are going with the 275/40/17s you should have a bit better handling due to the added width of the tire and also due to the reduced tire sidewall height and increased stiffness of the sidewall. Remember that the middle number is a ratio. On a 245/50/16, the 50 indicates that the sidewall height is 50% of the width of the tire. On a 275/40/17, the sidewall height is 40% of the width of the tire.
So, in a nutshell, as long as the tire diameter stays the same as stock, you don't change the gear ratio and you also don't throw off your speedo.
Manny






