ride quality/performance with 18"

[ZoomVT]

So i ordered 18" wheels but now i have been reading in this forum quite a bit and a bunch of people say that there will be a noticeable difference i ride qualityt and even worse there will be a drop in perfomrance.
is that true?
how bad is it?
if thats the case then im tempted in just calling and changing my order to just get 17"s, it will be cheaper now and in the long run, since 18" tires are more expensive. What do you guys think?
By the way, the wheels im getting are 20.7 lbs and the 17" are 19.5 Lbs.
Im also afraid of the ride quality if i go ahead and also drop it, then it will be quite stiff, right?
Appreciate any comments/help you guys can give me.

 

[PaulMP3]

18's in burlington doesnt sound like fun to me. If you ride around downtown often, it will suck. My stock wheels are 17, with 215 45's and they dont get along well with all the potholes and bad roads in burlington. Also i had my car lowered for the a short time while in burlington, and i had to go back to stock hieght. Im not sure how low the 3's drop, but my MP3 with a 2" drop bottom'd out all over town.

 

[ZoomVT]

im not having trouble with potholes in burlington, as a matter of fact not that many potholes in b-town anymore.

i still want to know if i shoudl expect a dip in performance with the 18" wheels.
wonder if it would be the same with 235/40/17 or if 235 is too much

 

[mazpro]

yoe you will notice a difference in power. put it this way, my frind has an 03 es with intake exaust pullies and 18's and around 60-70MPH, I was still in his rear bumper or half a car lenght behind, and I have a 1.6L with 17's. now he is wating to finish this tires to sell the rims and get 17's

I suggest yout get the 17's.

 

[tsunami]

not really sure if you will notice a huge difference from the 19.5 to 20.7lb wheel wieght, the tire weight is also pretty large, i am not sure what an 18 vs 17 tire is goin to weigh... are the 18's any wider then the 17's? with that slight of a wieght diff i don't think the performance is going to be overy noticable... i remember reading some where the 3lbs diff per corner is noticable.... (not sure bout that one, but i did read it on the internet so it must be true) as far as drop with those wheels i think it will look damn hawt... and then in the winter you just toss on some 16' steelies and some snow tires and away you go...

 

[ZoomVT]

yeah i really want to know if there is power loss. there is so much speculation is tough to know who to believe. i think im gonna stick to the 18" if i dont like i will just turn around and sell them and then go to 17's next summer, summer in VT only lasts like 3 months anyways.
Either way i will switch to my 16" stock wheels for the winter cause i really dont like the silver wheel look.

yo what do you guys think about the canuck motorsport springs? they go for really cheap but i worry if the ride will get to stiff. They are just considerably cheaper than the Eibachs or the H&Rs.
I think it will look hawt a couple of inches lower but i also worry about some rubbing.

 

[Mace Windu]

This isn't really a response, but damn, Zoom. You keep making awesome threads. I've subscribed to every one so far.

P.S. Awesome Rally Smilies, where did you get it?

 

[ZoomVT]

you are beign sarcastic right?
thanks for the props dude.
i was actually wondering when the moderators were going to kick me out for starting threads that basically discuss similar topics but im glad you like them. I used to read all the threads but never had anything to say being a newbie and all, but now that i started doing some mods i just have so many questions and people here are great with commenst and answers.

the little smilies i got from the options when i registered in the first place.

 

[tsunami]

if you think the prices are a bit steep for the eibach and h&r try tein...?? they are a bit cheaper and in my mind anyways a bit more reputable then canuck motors...?? never heard of them till recently... tein makes to kinds as far as i know s and h... what either of those means i have no idea... i think its just the drop but i dunno haven' done much research yet.... and i see the tein goin for around 160 or so as apposed to 2 bills....

as far as power loss you need to weigh your new wheel tire combo and your old wheel tire combo...(just grab it and jump on a scale and then the same with your old) if the new wieghs more then the old then you will need more power to turn the new and will have a slight power loss...(depending on the wieght will determine if it is noticable or not....) i think i remember some one sayin 46lbs was the stock 17 wheel and tire combo...