Hello,

I was wondering does adding 18" wheels hurt the ride quality and performance of my vehicle? I know that they are 3" bigger than stock and was curious if it would make a different with accelaration and so on... please help!

 

i got icon w65 18" wheels and flaken z rated tires and my ride dips ... for a scion at least... maybe its cuz i got a high lfow cat and cusotm exhaust and intake, but 18" wheels are suprisingly smooth on the road.. jsut watch out for ppotholes and curbs

 

Well going to an 18 will definitely hurt your performance -- remember -- the best place to loose weight on a vehicle in in the rolling mass (wheels) So therefore the worst place to add weight should be there too.

I love the way my 18's look, but I did notice is takes a little longer to spool it up. Haven't noticed too much difference with the braking, but it also will be sacrificed somewhat.

The ride is firmed up somewhat and to me isn't uncomfortable at all.

hope this helps

 

If you can notice the difference, you're crazy. The only thing I have noticed with my new wheels is the increase in traction.

 

i got the trd 18s... ride is bumpy... you will feel every little things you run over with these cause the tires are so tiny, hitting a pothole will feel like killing your car. road noise is much much louder, i can hear road noise more than the exhaust sometimes. turning up the music takes care of that, i've gotten use to it, i remember when i first put them on i was like wtf is going on. you'll get used to it after a while. just gotta keep an eye out for potholes.

 

I have 18's too and the ride is somewhat good until you hit a bump or pothole. Other then that, it's smooth and nice looking on your ride. However, in the future, I may go with 17's with 40 series tires. Anyone got pics of their 17's with 40 series tires :?:

 

17's would probably be a much better idea if you're going for ride quality... 18's just look really good though

it's up to you, what you're looking to achieve. i swear, these tires on the 18's look like pure rubber, it's amazing that air goes in these tires.

 

i have to agree with hotluva, unless you drop the $$$ for a super light 18" wheel, you will notice a difference in acceleration ... i did when i switched my wheels, but that's ok since i'm not pretending to be driving a rocket ship. handling is noticeably sharper though so that's a plus.

one thing though, not sure how the roads where you are, but here in new york riding on 18s for even the shortest distance becomes an adventure in pothole avoidance. as careful as i drive, i've still managed to damage one of my rims. :? just be sure to have a little money put for the inevitable replacement rim/tire.