Evo Performace / Handling experiences with 17” vs 18” wheels

[LevinBZR]

Zhars,

I’d like to know of people’s experiences with 18” versus 17” wheels.
This post doesn’t really address my concerns
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=270650&hilit=rims

I know rim (and rotational) weight is a factor but my partner’s Evo 4 feels like a rocket on the oem 16” wheels and lazy on my old 17” tme wheels and I’m certainly not willing to sacrifice handling/ performance for a “flush” looking wheelwell . But I’ve heard people talk of benefits to the bigger wheel in terms of rigidity and reduced dependence on your tyre walls.

I know that certain tuners remove their 18” wheels for solodex etc. Just wanted to hear of the experiences other Evo owners may have had with 18” or 17” and how their cars handled with the different setups (assuming there’s no substantial weight difference between the two wheels).

Thanks

[paskey]

help with finding a good mec

[paskey]

LevinBZR u know anybody

[MISHI]

Zhars,

I’d like to know of people’s experiences with 18” versus 17” wheels.
This post doesn’t really address my concerns
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=270650&hilit=rims

I know rim (and rotational) weight is a factor but my partner’s Evo 4 feels like a rocket on the oem 16” wheels and lazy on my old 17” tme wheels and I’m certainly not willing to sacrifice handling/ performance for a “flush” looking wheelwell . But I’ve heard people talk of benefits to the bigger wheel in terms of rigidity and reduced dependence on your tyre walls.

I know that certain tuners remove their 18” wheels for solodex etc. Just wanted to hear of the experiences other Evo owners may have had with 18” or 17” and how their cars handled with the different setups (assuming there’s no substantial weight difference between the two wheels).

Thanks

If the rolling diameter on the 17's are larger, then yes of course... it will be lazier, but your top end will be better. Basically in a nutshell it's like lengthening your gears...

Wider wheels, larger diameter wheel/ tyre combos more affect the performance of a car rather than weight... at least in most "sports" alloy wheels. Smaller will give you better response especially for a thing like Dex, but I also think more change em cause 17's are easier to get than 18's to rough em up.

18's with same rolling diameter will have less sidewall and therefore theoretically should have better handling due to less tyre flex... that would be the only advantage basically if you get say, the exact same width of rim 17-18 and the overall diameter is the same.

[Death-Row]

i myself have experienced this, had some 17 inchers on my 3. car was nice on the highway (top end) but steups, an evo is known for its brutal acceleration, i put back on the stock 15" rims now, my gawd, response like dat lol.

[MISHI]

Makes a big difference what a couple inches can do... (no sex pun intended)

But that is on a stock car. Situation changes when there has been a mix and match between engine and drivetrain... as in my lancer for example... I have to use 17's for its larger rolling diameter to help with the short gear ratios on the 4G93T

[LevinBZR]

LevinBZR u know anybody

Will pm you on that matter. Don't want to upset the finely balanced politics of the Mitsu world.

Makes a big difference what a couple inches can do... (no sex pun intended)

Hilarious

Mr. MISHI, I get what you’re saying. I assume then that this assists with traction issues etc. when stock diffs are used. My cousin in Miami said that he opted for some heavier aftermaket brake rotors for this reason. Top end isn’t much of a concern for me, never has been, given the nature of the activities that I put my cars through. I’ll probably be sticking to 17” for the time being but probably try for something going 9” across.

Thanks bro

[Kronik]

Well i had 17s on my evo 4 when i got it, after about a month i went to 18s. acceleration was no problem, it actually increased but i have an RS drivetrain so is a shorter ratio and is like MISHI said, you need bigger rims from the shorter ratio.
My braking actually improved, because before when i mash real hard tires would skate a little (ABS has been disabled), but never had that problem with the 18s. and the 17s were actually 0.5" wider.
So i not going back 17s, if i still have the car later on i will go bigger than 18s if i get a good deal somewhere.

With regards to solodex, another reason guys dont run on their 18s, is that the price difference between an 18 and 17 is quite a bit, so you saving some $ there

[crazybalhead]

No discernable difference. Tyres do make a difference however, must compare apples with apples.