Wheels - style or substance?

[Racer7]

I've just fitted (well partly) some 17" Advan SA3Rs. They look lovely and fill the arches very nicely (after squeezing, literally, past the Toms sideskirts).

In doing the swap I did however notice these were waaaay heavier than my Buddy Club P1s. Now those are 16" so I get there will be some weight difference but it felt to my weedy arms to be significant.

So I wondered whether there would be any discernable difference in this change handling and performance wise? Also as in the poll, what you guys would go with.

Bear in mind this is going on an N/A which doesn't really feel like it goes anywhere very fast*...


*based on an actual dyno showing lower than stock BHP

[synXero]

IMO, it depends how you drive your car and what you want out of it. There's nothing illegitimate about fitting 17s. I like the looks of the SW on 17s more than I do on 16s. If you like the way it drives now, don't fret about the absolutes.

[craig]

16s for comfort, but no biggie sticking 17s on an SW20.

[rgb]

ive got 17s but the best handling mr2 I had , had 16s

[shinny]

I'd expect over 50% of SW20s in the scene are on 17s... it's certainly easier to find decent secondhand 17s and the tyre selection is a fraction better. However, a 16" wheel will be lighter than the equivalent 17", give fractionally better handling and ride quality. That's part of the reason why I'm in the process of refurbishing some 16s to replace my 17s...

[Racer7]

Thanks for all the responses.

My research shows that 16s are the optimum. My 1st world problem is that the Buddy Clubs are way light compared to the Advans. I don't know if that is just because of relative jump to 17s or if Advans are generally heavier.

My TE37s did feel different compared to the stock rev5s I replaced originally. But that could just be the placebo effect.

Would heavier 17s make much real world difference against lightweight 16s?

[shinny]

Would heavier 17s make much real world difference against lightweight 16s?

Well I noticed when I went to test drive a turbo with lightweight 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2s after arriving in an NA with 17" TSW Heat... I barely got off their driveway before I was asking about the difference in feel.

It's good to reduce mass. It's doubly good to reduce unsprung mass but even better again to reduce rotating unsprung mass!

[JD]

Who dictates that 17s look better than 16s? Pssshht

[shinny]

Who dictates that 17s look better than 16s? Pssshht

Good wheels are good wheels in whatever size. Smaller wheels are nothing to be ashamed of, especially if your car is setup for go rather than show.

As it happens, there was a near clone of my car on 15" TE37s rather than my 17" which I can use to demonstrate:





That said, some wheels do look better in larger sizes, IMHO, such as Enkei RP01s:

[jimGTS]

Bare in mind a 16inch tyre will likely weigh a little more than a 17 (taller wall). Maybe very close if your comparing 245 17 to a 225 16.
So what you save in the wheel weight, you may lose a little in tyre weight. Relatively speaking.

As for ride comfort, imo there won't be a huge difference in a 16 and 17. Sure a 15 to 18, but it's going to be marginal from 16 to 17. Unless you go for a 50 wall 16. Suspension quality still has a big part to play.

A lighter setup, wheel/tyre, will improve performance a little. Unsprung weight is an ideal place to loose weight.
Easier to get up to speed. Will also be easier to slow down!

Not all 16s are going to be lighter than 17s, but in this case it is. If you like the look of the 17s, then go with the 17s. Life's too short to worry about a small performance gain.
Ideal world get some light 17s.

[juliankv73]

If you like the look of the 17s, then go with the 17s. Life's too short to worry about a small performance gain.
Ideal world get some light 17s.

This /\/\/\ I agree with Shinny and Jim here, for the marginal gains, I personally wouldn't bother.

Ive had too many sets of wheels to remember, Ive had 15's, 16's and 17's and the only discernible difference will marginal.

All depends what you like the look of best. Shinny's pics show the TE37's in 17's compared to 15's. If you like the wheel filling the arch go for it, if you dont, then go for 16's.

17's balance the mr2 quite nicely, most of my wheels have been 17's as they compliment the car IMO.


By bar the biggest impact will be your suspension set up. Whether you go for OEM struts, renew them with lowering springs and matching dampers or coilovers, this will all affect handling and comfort.

This is something Ive been torn between, hence now having both to try out back to back OEM struts vs coilovers.

Id always stick to 17's tho

[masterbateson]

I'll stick with JD on this one

[shinny]

Bare in mind a 16inch tyre will likely weigh a little more than a 17 (taller wall).

Agreed, although as I said to you on MR2OC just a couple of days ago, basic physics tells us it is easier to rotate a mass if it's closer to the pivot point - thus bringing the mass of the rim closer to the axle via smaller wheels will still be beneficial even if the tyre does cancel out some of the overall gain.

Not all 16s are going to be lighter than 17s

That's VERY true. The wheel make and model is more important that the size here. My 17" TE37s are the same weight at my 15" RP01s.

Pick a wheel cos it's good and you can the tyres you want for it... I wouldn't get too hung up over an inch diameter for weight reasons. A light 17" will be more performant than a heavy 16".

Therefore I completely agree with this:

If you like the look of the 17s, then go with the 17s. Life's too short to worry about a small performance gain.

Pick wheel you like... if you're concerned about "go" more than "show" then pick a light wheel you like. If you care particularly about tyres then check you can get the tyres you want in the sizes you need before buying.

Part of the reason I've gone for 16"s is I've found I can get staggered 16" AD08Rs for £104/£114 fitted, which is a stonking price for top quality rubber. And with that grip, wheel weight becomes less relevant (although my new wheels are even lighter than either my TE37s or my RP01s)

[Racer7]

I have both.

I will run the Advan SA3Rs for now as I do like how they fit. Plus they raise the front bumper a bit more to stop me from wrecking it.

I will keep my Buddy Club P1s as I do like them and I guess if I ever go the coilover route then I can get the lowering and rake that I would want for that visual effect.

[Race Idiot]

There is definitely a noticeable difference in how the car feels on 17's. I remember swapping from my 17 inch SSR's to 16 inch buddyclubs.

On rougher surfaces you feel like the dampers are working more and the steering feels more leaden at low speeds.

You get a nicer initial response on turnin on 17s, due to the smaller sidewall. But the tyres seemed to transition quicker from grip to slip.

On 16s with a bigger sidewall you get a bit of 'squidge' on initial turn-in due to the softer sidewall but its not that bad. The larger sidewall also seems to slow down the transition from grip to slip.

One thing 17s have over 16s is a decent selection of modern summer tyres. Honestly for the road they arent that bad, unless your car is realy stiff and low.

But a nice set of lightweight 16s and some AD08R's are also very nice!

[pandb2]

I don't race or drive mega hard occasion boost now and again sprinted on straight roads so 17s do me fine but I always read 16s are better for handling and weight?