18" alloys. Is it worth it?

[Phila67]

Hello. Just purchased my first scooby, an 03 2.0 WRX with 53000 on the clock. It has been remapped to 280bhp but other than that is pretty much standard. The car has 17" alloys at the moment. Other than looks, are there any advantages or disadvantages to fitting 18" alloys instead.

[JJ55]

I'm guessing ride comfort would be a big one. After having a fair few cars with 18+ inch wheels I love the 17's on my scoob. Bumps & General poor road surface no longer matter to me the car just rides over anything with no fuss. It's nice to get out after a long journey without feeling I need spinal surgery! However the 18's do look very nice

[HonestIago]

Other than looks there is no reason to fit 18s and several reasons not to: ride comfort, extra unsprung weight, tyre cost etc. The only exception being if you want to fit big 6-pot calipers which I don't think fit under 17s.

[My Evil Twin]

I had 2 sets of summer wheels on my old WRX, new stock suspension (KYB)
18 Oz Superleggera with Toyo T1R 235/35R18 (which were considered a softer side wall by the Impreza forums).. I found them Hard, uncomfortable and tramlined alot.
OEM WRX 17" wheels with 215/45R17 Goodyear eagle F1. comfy, felt grippier more feeling from road.

I have 18s on my Jap Leggy GT Spec B with STI springs (read: hard)..
I just put on Uniroyal RainSport3.. actually not bad ride.. but I did go for the OEM size 215/45R18.. these were suggested by the UK Leggy forum and so far so good.
Same car on same wheels on Bridgestone 225/40r18 spiked winter tyres was a bh, hard, uncomfortable so much so that Im selling them to get the same 17" Nokian spiked winters I had on the WRX, which were excelent.

so what Im saying is that.. 17" will give you a better ride and feeling.. you can get nearly as good from 18s, just I would steer clear of the sporty 18 tyres if you like your lower spine.

Edited by My Evil Twin on Saturday 4th April 22:30

[Ved]

17s and tyres with stuff sidewalls like Potenza will be far better. Add a thicker rear roll bar if you want a sharper drive.

[paulmoonraker]

Ved said:

17s and tyres with stuff sidewalls like Potenza will be far better. Add a thicker rear roll bar if you want a sharper drive.

This. I have 18's on my STi and they make the ride worse. RE070 on 17's is the smart choice. They're a great tyre.