I bought a base SE a few months ago and as you all know, the 16"" SE rims are standard on that car. Last night at Home Depot I parked next to another 2K Gray Lustre SE but his was all loaded out with Leather, Bose, 17" rims etc.....standing back I couldnt belive how much more "Meaner" the SE looks with the bigger tires and the visor etc....

Besides kicking myself in the *** right now for being to cheap to buy the model I wanted(Loaded SE 5spd, leather Satin Blue etc, plus not to mention all the other crap my car has given me), I've been thinking of at least moving up to the factory 17" rims.

Besides looks, is there any real, real noticable difference in handling, ride quality, cornering etc....I remember when I test drove my car I also tested one with 17"...I didn't notice any real difference in feel that day so I pinched pennies and bought the base model Probably would keep the 16" on for the winter though

Hell I may wait for the 2002 mdel to see if it does come with the 3.5....that would be a pretty hot ride

Maybe not ...I think the 3.0 has more than enough power......having tough time finding 2K1 5spds on the lots though..

 

Lets see, they are heavier, more expensive to put tires on, terible in bad weather and more frequently stolen...oh wait you said adventages, hehe just trying to make you feel better bud.

The main difference I belive is in the tires, the Toyos are not as good a tire as the Bridgestones therefore the 17's have better traction on dry pavement. BUT the Bridgestones are very soft (treadwear=160) so they wear out quick, they don't grip well in the rain or at all in the snow. So basically if you get better tires for the 16's I think you'll be just as happy as you would with the 17's performance...except of course the looks aren't the same.

I actually bought my Max in Aug of '99 before the 17's were availible, pissed me off b/c I got the C&C package so it should have come with them! So I used the 16's thru the winter and got a set of the 17's this summer. Now I have a set of 16's for winter tires and 17's for summer tires. Keep looking around this winter and you'll find a set if you really want them.

 

I would get some aftermarket 17s. For one you can find some that look very similar but are much lighter than the OEM. And they would almost definitely be way cheaper too.

 

Lighter yes, cheaper no. I couldn't get 2 wheels with tires for what I got all 4 of the stockers for. Based on retail pricing sure they're hella $$, but no one pays that.

Aftermarket wheels draw attention too, as a victim of theft before I want to keep my car as ordinary looking as possible now...and people are that much more suprised when I do lay the smack down, hehe.

 

The handling is better with 17" tires and, as you said, they look great. The stock Bridgestones grip well on dry pavement but kind of suck in wet conditions. I would get some aftermarket 17" rims if you have 16's right now. For me, I like the looks of the stock 17's and will probably keep them for the time being.

 

so what is a LIGHTER weight??? in actual pounds??
What do stock rims weigh? and what would an IDEAL lighter weight actually be??? thanks

 

Yeah the lighter wieght, as in pounds, is desireable. You want to get the lightest rim you can find. Well, the lightest one that wont break, that is. With cars, lighter is always better. I cant think of a situation where it isnt.

 

what would a good weight be for a 17" rim ?

 

If you got something under 25 pounds, that would be pretty good.