TRACK: 17's vs. 18's
 

What do you use/think is ideal for track, 17's or 18's and why?

17's. Assuming they are lighter than a particular 18" wheel. I'm going with 18's because I plan on getting a BBK in the future. 14" rotors require at least an 18" wheel.

17's will feel awefully wobbly givin if you are sticking with oem spec overall diameter.

Can you clarrify?

I was leaning towards 17's, but I see most people running 18's. I'm on OEM Brembos, and don't want to get anything bigger, these will fit under 17's...

Any more opinions?

** what kind of track are you thinking of? 1/4 mile? road course circuit?
Assuming you are gearing for a circuit type of course then....

Go with 18's instead.

On tarmac it is best to get a good stiff sidewall tires or low profile tires that does not flex as much (hence the "feel" of the car).

17's with low profile tires would be great for the track because of the weight advantage and also shortening the the rolling diameter will increase acceleration out of turns but note that since your rolling diameter is shorter it means your wheels are spinning more but going the same distance which translate to you seeing your speedo saying 60 mph but you might just be going 54 mph. If you are a true track junkie or have another wheel/tire combo for daily driving then 17's would be great otherwise I would just stick with 18's. Plus with 18's you always have an option of going with bigger brakes a BIG necessity if you track your car often and if you wanna turn heads :biggthumpup:

Yes, I was talking about road course. I already have daily rims, so these would be dedicated track rims. I really have found the OEM Brembos to be more than enough for what I need on the track. I think most of those other ones do have bigger disc, but contact area is not much bigger... I have upgraded pads, rotors, lines and fluid and have yet to feel the need for more. So all in all, I think I'm still leaning toward the 17's

Thanks for all your input guys! If anyone else has anything to say, please chime in! :)

much better rubber selection in 18" wheels if you plan on going wider than 275, plus overall I think there are better/more wheel options in 18" nowadays...18's the new 17, 19's are the new 18...catch my drift?

Most don't stay with the overall stock diameter.

A typical, and what I think is perfect for the average road courser, is four 17x9 or 17x9.5" wheels with 275/40 rubber on them. There is nothing wobbly about it. :driving: This way you can maximize tire life by having full rotation, have good tire selection, and cheaper tires than 18s.

One can do the same thing with 18s, but you will pay more across the board for it (more per wheel, more per tire, more per dismount/mount/balance, etc.)

You wouldn't suggest staggered tires? Why not(other than being able to rotate)?

Larger tires than "typical" in the front to take out the understeer. I've run 275/40/17 for years, and have just been considering 285/30/18s at all corners now.

This would be the only reason to do it. Keeping a height stagger would be more beneficial IMO. Going like 275/35/17 and 275/40/17. This will prevent weight shift to the rear of the vehicle which could mess with handling dynamics

I was thinking 245/45/17 and 275/40/17? They have almost identical specs.

245/45/17:
sidewall: 4.3"
radius: 12.8"
diameter: 25.7"
circumf: 80.7"
revs/mi: 785.0

275/40/17:
sidewall: 4.3"
radius: 12.8"
diameter: 25.7"
circumf: 80.6"
revs/mi: 786.0

What track tires come in 245/45/17 and 275/40/17? I think you'll find more 245/40/17s.

I'm trying to maintain same overall diameter front and rear. Hoosier R6 and Kumho V710 both come in 245/45/17