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Old 03-02-2004, 10:03 AM   #1
Chuck H
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WRB

Default 16x7.5 vs. 17x7.5 wheel

I finally have the budget to get a decent set of summer wheels/tires for my WRX. I've always liked the SSR Competitions for a lightweight wheel. The only thing I still can't make up my mind on is whether to go with 16x7.5 wheels with 225/50-16 tires or 17x7.5 wheels with 225/45-17 tires. Weight difference is only about a pound (11.5 lbs for the 16's, 12.5 lbs for the 17s) and I don't know the weight difference between the tires. I would assume the 17's might actually be lighter with the smaller sidewalls.

Any recommendations on which way to go. The price difference is about $200 for the wheels and $20 for the tires to go to the 17 inch package.

And just to throw a final monkey wrench in the works, does anyone have any opinions on the Kosei K1 TS wheels. They're only $200 each for 17x7 compared to about $305 each for the 16 inch SSR's and $355 each for the 17 inch SSR's. And they're only 13.5 lbs each.
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Old 03-02-2004, 10:21 AM   #2
fliz
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My personal preference is to go with 17's. With a light tire (like Toyo's) you aren't sacrificing much weight.

Do you plan on upgrading the brakes? If so, a 17 will allow you to go to a 330(?)mm rotor, 16s will be stuck ~300mm.

I think from a performance/weight standpoint, the smallest wheel that fits over your brakes is the best bet. You can get a hi-performance summer tire with stiff sidewalls to negate the sidewall flex in corners.
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Old 03-02-2004, 02:35 PM   #3
Chuck H
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I was pretty heavily leaning towards the 17's myself, but will probably agonize over the decision a bit longer.

One more little thing I noticed on the Tire Rack site. The 16's have 48mm offset and the 17's have 50mm offset. I know that everyone recommends not going lower than 48mm offset on a WRX, but will the 48mm vs. 50mm offset difference make any difference at all in performance?

And as long as I'm asking a million questions, which color is best on a WRB car, Anthracite or silver? I know gold is also available, but I don't think I really like that look.
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Old 03-02-2004, 02:42 PM   #4
YinUCSD
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i dont think there should be that much difference in 2mm offset. but i would think 48 would better if anything because of the wider track.

ive seen wrb with silver ssr comps and it looks teh HAWT.

Last edited by YinUCSD; 03-02-2004 at 04:29 PM.
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Old 03-02-2004, 03:04 PM   #5
fliz
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Quote:
Originally posted by Chuck H
And as long as I'm asking a million questions, which color is best on a WRB car, Anthracite or silver? I know gold is also available, but I don't think I really like that look.
As long as I'm answering when I don't know what I'm talking about...

I don't like Anthracite on blue. Silver looks good.


P.S. I'm getting gold 17's for summer tires, and will still have to be able to put the stock 16's back on for winter, so I won't have a bbk.
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Old 03-02-2004, 08:24 PM   #6
rexster
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Are you planning on track days?

If you're serious about track use I would get 17s only to allow for bigger brakes. The stocks brakes with better pads and better rubber is good for anything other than serious track use. On a track you'll probably have fade problems from the rotors overheating.

The advantage of 16s is that you'll save a little weight and money on tires. Plus you'll also have a better ride quality on the street and you'll have a little more sidewall to absorb potholes. But the grip will be just as good.
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Old 03-03-2004, 05:05 PM   #7
lucien2
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Quote:
Originally posted by rexster

The advantage of 16s is that you'll save a little weight and money on tires. Plus you'll also have a better ride quality on the street and you'll have a little more sidewall to absorb potholes. But the grip will be just as good.
this is good news for me as well. The stock Forester XT tire is a 215-60-16. Going to 17" means 225/50/17, and there are virtually no choices in a summer tire. Sticking with a 16" rim but using a 225/55/16 tire opens up tons of tire choices, most notably the Firehawk ZE50P (or whatever, I canNOT keep the name of that one in my head )
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