I have a 99'Se and am considering upgrading to 17" wheels with 235/45/Z17 tires I saw at the Tire Rack website. Can anyone who has done this upgrade please tell me if there is a noticable visual diference as far as size is concerned, and how the handling and ride was affected? I just want to make sure it's worht it before I spend the $ Thanks for any input~J

 

I really don't think it's worth it...Here's the pro's and con's----Pro's--Looks good,High performance tire(better handling)----Con's--Exspensive,road noise,don't last no time,speedometer off,perfect set of tires and wheels setting in the garage your not using...Thats my 2cents...But most of all...DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD!!!!!!!

 

I have a 99GLE and I just upgraded from my stock 15 inch OEM wheels to the 17 inch OEM wheels found on the anniversary edition...

there's a big difference in my case...i feel the road much more now...i'm thinking because there's less tire and air to cushion the car...i can also feel more body roll when i'm driving (turning)...

but it handles much better now...the tires stick more because there's more surface area on the road...and the wheels and tires look nicer too!...and when i upgrade my springs and shocks...the roll should be much less and the handling will improve even more...

i think it's worth it...

i don't think you have to worry about the speedometer...the wheels are getting bigger, but the sidewalls of the tire are getting smaller...the profile of the tire is staying the same, so the speedometer should not be affected...

GO FOR IT!

 

What people need to understand about wheel/tire upgrades is that its not just about the wheels, its about the whole aura the car gives off. in my opinion, wheels and tires add to the look of the whole car. in my experience, girls and non-car freaks typically say "you dont need new wheels the ones you have a fine" but when the new wheels and tires are actually on the car they tend to say "wow that looks really nice." they arent just talking about the wheel, they are talking about the whole package. anyhow, do what makes you happy. people try to talk me out of modding my cars all the time, but its something i LOVE to do, and i do it because i want to be happy with the car i am driving around in. so do it for you, not because of what anyone else does or doesnt say.

Neal
96 GXE 5-Speed

 

looks nicer.. havier feeling on the steering wheel, tires doesn't scream as much *well, stk tire sucks, so anything aftmkt is better than stk* a little stiff on the road, but not much.. there is a difference in braking though.. i need to apply more pressure to brake..road noise.. not much off from the stk.. tire wear.. hmm..i have pirrali (sp?) super sport 7000.. last a long time.. mine's 245zr45r17, installed on 30k and now @46k, have about 1/2 thread left.. so it should last atleast 30k.. oh, and i am still on stk spring and strut

 

I put 17's on my car a few months and they are great. In most cases they will hurt your acceleration a little, but handling is improved and, of course, so are the looks.

Also, about the speedo. If its off at all ( and with 235/45's I don't think it will be ) then it will be off somewhere in the neighborhood of 1%. Meaning that if your going 100mph then it might read 101, and a half a mph off at 50mph and so on. Not really a big deal.

 

I put 17's on my car a few months and they are great. In most cases they will hurt your acceleration a little, but handling is improved and, of course, so are the looks.

Also, about the speedo. If its off at all ( and with 235/45's I don't think it will be ) then it will be off somewhere in the neighborhood of 1%. Meaning that if your going 100mph then it might read 101, and a half a mph off at 50mph and so on. Not really a big deal.