jevansio Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I'd like to hear from people who have dropped from 18's to 17's in the interest of handling. I've just dropped from 19's to 18's (dropping around 2.5kg per wheel) and the difference was pretty amazing. I just want to know if I drop from 18's to 17's (again with 2.5kg per corner) will I get the same increase in performance/feel all over again. I'm torn between dropping to lightweight 17's or 18's (both prolly around the same weight), I know the 17's won't look as good, but if it handles great I think I can live with it. If I won't notice the difference I'd rather just go with lightweight 18's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz1 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 i went back to 17"s for track days, and sometimes for normal driving the 19" felt better until i had the geo reset for 17"s one of the reasons i was going to keep the black one with stock wheels, great drive on 17"s when set up right;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 When I had my Supra's I also went from 19's to 18's and it was like night and day. On my UK spec it came with 18's and I put OEM 17" wheels on and once again the difference was noticeable. I loved my Supra's handling with 17's on it. Obviously my cars were only TT's and not lush single like yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I work with this principle in mind! smaller wheels, more side wall = more grip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdzC Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I'm yet to change from aftermarket 17s with stock tyre sizes. The car handles really well at present but bigger wheels do call to me regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannoSupra Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 woo hoo, cant wait to drop to 18's then what about 20's?? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 How much do OEM 17's weigh? when i went from OEM 17's to 19's i never noticed much difference but then when i changed to lightweight 18's i noticed a huge improvement, maybe some super light 17's would be great:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Thanks for the feedback guys. I think with a single it's even more important to have a good wheel setup, my 19's always felt unsettled, Michel said so, & Ro did too. The 18's feel amazing. I just want reassurance before I ditch the TRDs that I'm making the right move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 How much do OEM 17's weigh? when i went from OEM 17's to 19's i never noticed much difference but then when i changed to lightweight 18's i noticed a huge improvement, maybe some super light 17's would be great:) This is what I'm pondering, I want to know that given 17's & 18's that weigh the same (albeit lighter than my current 18's) will I be able to tell the difference between them, ie is it the weight I can feel or the weight combined with the size difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Id say its a bit of both. Only thing with 17's is they look a bit naff imo, you have to get the car super low to make them look ok and then you have clearance issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian W Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Gotta be a combination of both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 So how will i feel dropping from 20" s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axle Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 In regards to better handling, does the offset not also play a role too though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 If the 17" and 18" alloys really are the same weight then its probably worthing noting that the 17's tyre will be heavier than the 18's assuming the same widths are used and the 18's have the correct lower profile..............so all up weight of the 17's would be more than the 18's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 In regards to better handling, does the offset not also play a role too though? Not as much as people make out imo, you dont see any racing cars sticking to stock offsets. "waits for somebody to come along saying the suspension is set up for them wild offsets":blahblah: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkR Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 If the 17" and 18" alloys really are the same weight then its probably worthing noting that the 17's tyre will be heavier than the 18's assuming the same widths are used and the 18's have the correct lower profile..............so all up weight of the 17's would be more than the 18's. Good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Another +ve for 18's is I already have brand new 18" R888s, if I go 18 I can just swap them over & sell the rims. I'm thinking of the Weds SA-70 at the mo. Any pics of bronze SA-70's on black Supras? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I've never had 19's on my cars, but the difference between 18's and 17's was significant, the car felt more settled and eaiser to control with the 17's. That said, the 18's were quite heavy. The difference between the two sets was much greater with the single than the TT, mostly notably when exiting roadabouts. That said, 17's don't look to good on a body kitted car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I'm thinking of the Weds SA-70 at the mo. Any pics of bronze SA-70's on black Supras? Not bronze, but if you look in Dash Rendar's garage he has them in black chrome. It has stock jspec suspension too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 I'd def say the car feels easier to control on the 18's than the 19's, it inspires confidence now, before it was like it wanted to spit you off the road at the first opportunity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian W Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 That said, 17's don't look to good on a body kitted car. I dunno. Geo's CE28n's look pretty good on his Ridox kitted Supe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I went from 19's with a medium poor offset to 18's with almost stock offset (clearance required some caliper moving) but the difference was very impressive. Miles more turn in, stability, and straight line grip with a smoother ride Never tried 17's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I went from 19's with a medium poor offset to 18's with almost stock offset (clearance required some caliper moving) but the difference was very impressive. Miles more turn in, stability, and straight line grip with a smoother ride Never tried 17's... I have to say that im not supprised, my car handled very strangley with them wheels, pulled about a lot with very little grip compared to my other 19's i was running at the time, might have been down to tyres, my others was on R888's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_jekyll Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 i noticed a big difference goin from just changing my rears from a 265/35/18 to a 265/40/18 , rear grip went up a lot felt a lot like 17s feel to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magictorch Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I changed from aftermarket 17's with an aggressive offset and 10j rears to stock 17's and the car feels miles better....really noticed a difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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