# 18, 19 or 20 inch wheel?



## aniksaha (Mar 24, 2013)

Hi
I have a 2012 chevy cruze with 16inch stock wheel. What is the best size for upgrading? 18, 19 or 20 inch? Does anyone know a good shop in buffalo for rim and tire package? I will be driving from Toronto. 


Thanks


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

well 19's are not relativity available here in the sates, But if you wanna spend the money they can be made or shipped from over seas. I heard 18's feel better than 19's on our cars that's why i'm going with 18's.But I don't know any good shops there so sorry on that.


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## gt_cristian (Apr 7, 2012)

Would like to buy 18" RS wheels? I am in Montreal. I posted this topic for trading for ECO wheels, but I am looking to sell my brand new 18" and buy ECO wheels.

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/53-c...-trade-18-rs-5-spoke-eco-rims.html#post181469


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## Lightz39 (May 14, 2012)

18s, you're not driving a lowered suv.


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## MjC (Dec 23, 2012)

from what ive seen, the 19s look really good but its def a lot harder to come across


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## emanon9297 (Oct 10, 2012)

Honestly I think its personal preference. I seen alot of cars on here with 18's and 19's but I chose 20's because you don't see many with them and because they were a stock style wheel. Here in Houston i have yet to get a bad comment on them. Most people think they are factory wheels because of the Chevy center cap.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

I'll break it down for you:

18s - BEST size if you're looking for performance.

- Reason: Biggest rim you can get without becoming too heavy, or sacrificing tire for rim in order to protect your suspension and wheel(see reasons for 19s and 20s below).

19s - Look nice on the Cruze, but are more suited if you're going more for looks than performance.

- Reason: The larger the rim the larger it gets(obvious right? lol); which means a heavier rim/tire, a bigger contact patch, and a thinner tire. What this results in is higher rotational mass, and more weight attached to the hub, which will wear your wheel bearings, and cause you to lose mpgs.

20s - Unless you're getting an air ride suspension to slam your Cruze for shows, you would be an idiot to go this big IMO. 

- Reason: In order to obtain stock overall wheel diameter to avoid having your dealer re-tune your odometer/speedometer you will be running either a 25 or 30 aspect tire, which means you hit a pot hole too many times and your tire will blow, or your rim will bend; not to mention your wheel/hub bearings will wear out faster(same reason for 19s).


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## arsmitty86 (Feb 26, 2013)

18's are as big as I'd go. To be completely honest the 17"s that come on my 2LT look great already and for me personally just having a 50 series tire is already a pain. I can't even imagine having to worry more about potholes and such. If/When I get aftermarkets I'm probably going factory size at 17". Keep in mind the bigger you go the more your ride quality will suck.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

18s good for driveablity.19s are eyecandy.20s are just tooo big
and for reference 19s










[/URL] chubster cruze by burns760, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## carid (Jul 20, 2011)

aniksaha said:


> Hi
> I have a 2012 chevy cruze with 16inch stock wheel. What is the best size for upgrading? 18, 19 or 20 inch? Does anyone know a good shop in buffalo for rim and tire package? I will be driving from Toronto.
> 
> 
> Thanks


I always said that 18" is the perfect size for cars like yours. Bigger options are more expensive (rims and tires). And having 18"s will not effect your speedometer, handling and braking too much.
LEXANI® R-FIVE Wheels - Machined Black with SS Lip Rims

Lexani R-5 is my favorite 18" rim)


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## Kingsal (Sep 21, 2012)

18s with spacers are perfect, be different with your rim selection, don't do two tone rims (chrome and black), they look ghetto as **** in my opinion. Go with a solid color that compliments your car, for example:


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## Suns_PSD (Feb 16, 2013)

All of those are a downgrade in performance from your stock 16s.

The car will take longer to stop, take longer to accelerate, and will lose mpg.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

Suns_PSD said:


> All of those are a downgrade in performance from your stock 16s.
> 
> The car will take longer to stop, take longer to accelerate, and will lose mpg.


I disagree.

Determining your stopping distance has almost nothing to do with wheel size. It has to do with tire grip, car weight, speed, and your brakes. You could argue that bigger wheels mean a heavier wheel, but realistically its not that much of a weight gain, if any gain at all. Also, with a bigger wheel, chances are you're going to end up with a slightly wider rim, which means a greater contact patch, more grip, and therefore improved braking.

As for acceleration and mpg, they can be affected, but unless he's buying a wide rim your point has no validity, as the only thing that could affect accel and mpg by keeping the same overall tire diameter is how big your contact patch is, and therefore how great your rolling resistance is.

Lets put it like this;

A Cruze 1LT with 16" stock rims achieves estimated 26 city/38 highway
A Cruze LTZ with 18" stock rims achieves estimated 26 city/38 highway

Notice the wheel difference? Notice the LACK of mpg difference?


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