I'm looking into getting new wheels and tires and REALLY like the 5-spoke look. I've been eyeing (sp?) the O.Z. Chrono Evolutions on TireRack and I guess my first question is 17's or 18's? I live in Montana and am worried about the abuse 18's might take. The second question i have is what do 18x7's look like? It appears as if the Chrono only comes in this width at 18". I am hoping they are decent, as i have been having a hard time coming up with alternatives. Any info would be appreciated.

almost forgot. These have to fit with eibach springs.

17" for a street driven car, esp one that travels on rough roads/pavement. Tires are cheaper too.

18" for appearance purposes. WRX's have HUGE fenders, esp sedans (see below)

most 18" applications for the WRX are 7.5 wide or more. IMO, a 7" wheel is too narrow to fill out the WRX fenders, esp on a sedan. 7.5" seems to be the popular choice and 8" puts the wheel flush w/the fenders, but might require fender lip rolling for clearance, depending on what make & size tires you run and offset of the wheel.

btw, I saw the OZ Chronos in Tire Rack's ad and in a post by Luke of TR. The wheels do look pretty nice though and are priced nicely. :)

Originally posted by clsmooth71
8" puts the wheel flush w/the fenders, but might require fender lip rolling for clearance, depending on what make & size tires you run and offset of the wheel.


I have Prodrive PFF7's 18 X 8 and they do not have any clearance issues. They may look a little flush with the fenders but on close inspection you can tell there's no chance of fender rub.

A friend of mine had SSR Japan Spec Type C's 18x 8.5 and did not have to roll his fenders.

Mind you I'm talking about sedans. I'm not sure if the same holds true for wagons.

Mike
http://kanedasrealm.net

Originally posted by de Rookie
I have Prodrive PFF7's 18 X 8 and they do not have any clearance issues. They may look a little flush with the fenders but on close inspection you can tell there's no chance of fender rub.



Originally posted by clsmooth71
8" puts the wheel flush w/the fenders, but MIGHT require fender lip rolling for clearance, DEPENDING ON what make & size TIRES you run and OFFSET of the wheel.

clsmooth71, I was just giving him info on two particular wheels and the fact that there were no issues. Not sure why you took offense to my posting :confused: and CAPPED your keywords.

:rolleyes:

BTW, on both setups we are/were using 235/40 R18s.

Mike
http://kanedasrealm.net

de Rookie:

my apologies.....i misinterpreted your original reply and quote of mine as criticism instead of merely an account of your personal experience.

Guess, I'm a little cranky.....10pm and no dinner yet! ;) Anyways, thanks for your input.

Thanks for the suggestions. Also, what kind of driving conditions you guys in? Am also worried about the wear and tear on 18s. Any problems there?

Originally posted by samekh
Thanks for the suggestions. Also, what kind of driving conditions you guys in? Am also worried about the wear and tear on 18s. Any problems there?

City driving. Lots of residential and highway. I try to avoid potholes because of the lower profile tires. If you live in an area with nastier streets than your typical bad-patch job/pothole ridden city streets I'd suggest considering going with 17's.

The nice thing about 18's with our cars is the tire isn't just a rubber band around a wheel. 40 series tires still have a decent sidewall to buffer your 18's from the pavement and some bad roads.

Overall I'm impressed with the ride comfort of 18's. They almost feel like the stockers. I've been in many WRX's with 17's too and I couldn't tell any difference in ride comfort from the stockers.

Also, I run Prodrive springs (made by Eibach ;) ). I haven't had any issues.

Mike
http://kanedasrealm.net