I'm in the market for a new set of rims..but can't decide whether to go with 17's or 18's. How do you guys feel about either? It seems like most 3rd gens go with 17. Is 18 too much of a hassle?

 

18"s man dont bother with 17" already. I mean I have 17's now and im selling them and getting 18", but it also depends on the roads you got, where ever you live. But i think 18's look much better.

 

Okay man, no matter what anyone else tells you, this is what it comes down to: Do you want to be FAST more, or are you going for LOOKS more? 18's are nicer looking than 17's in most people's opinion, but they're a lot heavier than 17's, and you WILL notice a performance difference. I'm glad I went with 18's, personally.. people mistake them for 19's or even dubs sometimes, and nobody ever thinks they're 17's.. so there must be a pretty big difference in appearance between the two. 17's are more common than 18's on any cars because they're cheaper.. not only the rims but the tires that go with them.. which is why lots of people here have them, as well as lots of 3rd genners just go with 4th or 5th gen SE rims because they're the cheapest! Okay my rant is over now.

 

you got's to admit that the 98 se wheels look good though...

 

Thanks for your input. so are you saying that 18's would look better but not be as fast? I always thought bigger wheels would be faster, no?

 

how much for? do you have any pics?
oh, and...

no no...i thought that too once i think...the bigger the rim, the heavier, hence, slower...but, if you get a bigger rim you want to get a tire that is not as wide so the overall circumference of the rim/tire will be the same as it is now. that way your speedo and odometer will still be almost completely accurate. take a look around some time...most bigger rims you will see will have a smaller tire width. not sure of the terminology...i think it's the sidewall width.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by noleafclover
[B]

how much for? do you have any pics?
oh, and...



Ye i have pics, ill try to scan them very soon ill let u know. They are ADR 17x7 with Nitto's NT455 215x45x17

 

Yeah, as the rim gets bigger the "sidewall height" gets shorter to keep the tire the same overall diameter. For example stock 205/65 R15 size tires will be just as tall as 235/45 R17, but the sidewall will be shorter to compensate.

Use this page to help you: www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Besides weight (and maybe cost) another thing to think about which was mentioned above is ride quality. The short sidewall will make the car ride harsher and you will feel the bumps in the road more through the suspension as well as the steering wheel (it will jerk in your hands more as you drive over ruts and such - called "bumpsteer"). This is because the short sidewall is stiffer.

How bad it is I don't know, since I have stock rims right now, but this is what most people say and is accurate AFAIK. The harder ride and bumpsteer aren't going to change my mind about getting 17" rims though. (Also I almost never hear anyone complain about it )

 

18's if you have the money and are going for look. 17's if you want some good performance. Also remember that the jump from 17's to 18's is pretty big diff. 18's also are heavier.

 

About two weeks ago I switched from 16's to 18's. They seem to help that car handle alot better. I love they way the car looks with them. However the ride definatley is rougher and after dropping all that money into them you take scratching them alot more badly.

 

Personally I would never put anything bigger than 17's on my max. And then I would only go for 17 if it was light. But I'm more about performance.

 

Yeah right Randy, I heard you wanted dubs YO!

 

Oh man, you trying to make me ill Donald?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bman
[B]Yeah, as the rim gets bigger the "sidewall height" gets shorter to keep the tire the same overall diameter. For example stock 205/65 R15 size tires will be just as tall as 235/45 R17, but the sidewall will be shorter to compensate.

Use this page to help you: www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Besides weight (and maybe cost) another thing to think about which was mentioned above is ride quality. The short sidewall will make the car ride harsher and you will feel the bumps in the road more through the suspension as well as the steering wheel (it will jerk in your hands more as you drive over ruts and such - called "bumpsteer"). This is because the short sidewall is stiffer.


"Bumpsteer" eh... thanks for the info, I was just about get an exorcism on my Max.. as for the ride quality.. this is just my experience with 18's.. I have a stock spring/strut setup, and 18s with Kumho Ecsta Supras on em.. the ride quality is maybe a tad bit rougher, but the increased grip with the tires is the most noticeable thing with my new wheel/tire setup. handling is DEFINETELY better. I feel a lot more confident taking a steep turn now, don't really have to slow down much at all (of course that would be even better with sway/strut bars..) in direct response to your question sTAE, I think 18's look better than 17's. I'm sure some people think 17's looks better.. 18's are definetely slower though.. to give you a comparison. 17" Konig Subzeros are 16 pounds. My Konig Imagines are descently weighted for 18's.. either 22 or 24 pounds, I forget which. So with 4 wheels assuming mine weigh 24, you're gonna be adding on 32 pounds to your ride with 18's over 17s, maybe more if you get heavier 18's. Also, physics isn't my strong point, but for some reason since they have a longer diameter, 18's also require more force to revolve, thus slowing you further. If you want to see pictures of a Max not dropped w/ these rims, check out my homepage.

 

18's look better hands down. But as far as ride quality. 17's have it all. Look, Performance, Weight Factor...etc...Some people will go with 16's due to performance. But in my books 17's are the way to go, due to the above reasons I mentioned. Also less money buying 17's. When I put my 17 X 7.5 Zenetti Flex with 235/45/ZR17 BF Goodrich Comp T/A's on. The handling was like nite and day compared to the stockers. Now Brian V had 18's on his Max. They looked tight, but he switched back to 17's due to ride quality, performance, and weight issues. All in all, 18's look phat, but not my choice. Just my opinion!

 

He seriously went from 18's to 17's? Damn, prolly took a nice money loss on that eh? I noticed pretty bad performance loss, which doesn't really matter when you have a VG.. weight would be the same as performance, right? And ride quality... I don't think it's bad at all still. The "bumpsteering" is slightly annoying, but it's not like riding on bad springs or something.. I can only feel the road a tiny bit more. If I had a 92-94se I'd rather have 17's too though. Definetley don't go with 18's if you're the kind of guy that strips his interior to get an extra .2 on their 1/4 mile!

 

i've seen this done a lot. i just wanted opinios. having 16's in the front, and 17s in the rear. what do you guys think? seems like the best of every world.

 

nonononono, that's the worst idea ever I think. Just personal opinion I guess, but I think 2 different sizes looks whack unless you got an old Charger or something.

 

Me agrees this is whack The "bigs 'n littles" look is for the land of RWD musclecars. The idea was for skinny tires upfront that are light and have little rolling resistance, with really huge, sticky, and poofy (good for 1/4 mile launching) tires in the rear.

Even if you keep the rims the same diameter and have wider rims/tires in the rear, it will look "okay"... until someone realizes this is a FWD car! Besides, better gripping tires in the rear will only exacerbate understeer.

I've got no problem with "dare to be different" but....

 

i was just looking for opinions cause i've seen it a lot lately, and i didn't understand it. i also see a lot of people with 2 stock rims, usually in the front, and 2 nice ones in the back. i guess their just saving money or something?

 

ROFLMAO I hope they weren't Maxima owners? I seriously doubt they were on the layaway plan.. prolly think that looks good or somethin.. take a picture of one of em next time, I could use a good laugh :P

 

You've fallen victom to ricer math.

Don't know what this is? This occures when you look at the box a part came in, for example a K&N filter. On the box it will say "up to 25hp gain" Now, the ricer, in his infinate wisdom thinks that he will gain 25hp by putting it on the car, another 5 if he puts the sticker that comes with it on the car somewhere.

 

I never knew there was a "technical" name for it!