# Pros/Cons of larger wheels?



## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

I currently have the 16 inch alloy wheels. I love how quiet the car is and smoothness of the ride. They look decent, however, I like the look of the 17inch wheels better. I figure if I am going to upgrade my wheels, it should be now as I am going to need a second set of snow wheels and I could just use my current wheels as my part time snow tires. 

My ultimate goal for the car is to improve handling/sportyness with minimal loss of ride comfort and fuel economy.

It would cost me a $1000 extra to get new 17inch wheels and tires (on ebay) or $700 to get used wheels and the crappy Conitenental Tires also on ebay.

Would paying all that money for bigger/wider rims make sense, or will I get closer to my goal by simply buying really nice tires when the stock tires go bad and saving all that extra expenditure?


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

To be honest the answer is yes and pretty much all fronts. if you like the way 17's look and don't mind a minimally harsher ride (they will ride a little rougher and handle a little better) then go for it. It never hurts to have a second set of wheel with snows either. If you have the money I personally don't see a downside to it


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## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

17s wont have a harsh ride. if you like the way they look and you want to spend money on it, go for it!


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## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

honestly until you start getting into the 18's and 19's you probably won't notice a difference in the ride. the 17's still have a good amount of tire. if you got the money and want them then i would say go for it.


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## gfxdave99 (Feb 26, 2011)

I have the 17s on the eco and they are fine. I used to roll 18"s on my subaru and while it handled better it didnt take bumps quite so well and tended to transmit more road noise. 

But if you want the look, going just to 17"s isnt going to be punishing by any means, especially if you are just going from chevy stock to chevy stock.


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## Ian_12 (Aug 19, 2011)

Your tread width, aspect ratio, tread/sidewall ply layers, and load rating are all factors into how harsh a tire will be. I bet there are some tires close to the overall diameter, within 3%, of the stock 215/60R16 that would be more harsh then some of the tires in the 17" diameter close to overall diameter of stock size tires.

But none of us can make the choice of which way to go. If you have the money and want something, then do what you want. Personally, I want some 17 or 18" wheels but I have found some nice tires in the 225/55 size. If you check tirerack right now, they have Kumho Ecsta SPT for $88 since they are old stock. They are some awesome tires.


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## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

well said ian i agree with you because i have ran several different low pro tires on my old car and they all had different characteristics when talking ride quality vs. handling. there are so many things that factor in. with that said a 17 will always give you a better ride quality than say a 19.


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