Which OEM wheels are better for performance, 17's or 18's???
 

I'm curious to know which wheels are better for strictly performance on a coupe? I know the 18's look better, but which one performs better? I thought I read somewhere that the 17's weigh almost the same as the 18's, is this true? Does anybody know the weight of both stock wheels?

since the steering response is not as nimble as most sport cars on
the market, i would use 18's for performance.

Plus, aren't the 17's only 7 inches wide?

What's the application: street, track or autox?

Mainly for street and long road trips. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but arent the 17's 7.5 inches in front and 8 in the back?

I would obviously think the 17's are lighter than the 18's, but is it a good difference where performance will be lost? Aren't the 18's only 1/2 inch wider in front?

The 18's are 18x8 f/r and would allow you to put more rubber down. They'd probably "feel" better due to the shorter sidewall. I suspect a couple of pounds either way would make no noticable difference on the street.

OEM 18's are incredible....its been raining for about 1 1/2 months here in WA and the OEM's w/ OEM tires are unstoppable.

from what i've gathered in magazines (this might be hype, correct me if i'm wrong) bigger wheels = stiffer ride/better handling (at least until you hit diminishing returns - read: going too big will hurt - 19's are probably the biggest you ever wanna go).

from what i've gathered from friends who are into racing (not dragracing, but road coarses, etc.) - smaller wheels and beefier tires = less unsprung weight/better handling. I know the 19's weigh as much as the 18's but the mass is further out from the center, which still increases the momentum of the unsprung weight.

From what we all know about drag racing - smaller wheels = bigger trap speeds.

Aren't the 17's - 17x7.5 in the front and back?

The sedan is 17x7 Front and back, right?

Coupe Front = 17 x 7.5 et 30
Coupe Back = 17 x 8 et 33