With larger diameter rims you generally install a lower profile tire - that is it has a shorter sidewall. A shorter sidewall on a sports oriented performance tire is generally stiffer than a taller sidewall like you have on a 16" rim and this makes turn in sharper for crisper handling. It also makes pot holes more noticible as you lose some of the cushion that a taller side wall provides.

I have 17" with the low profile 45 series tires and I like them. I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S PLUS tires.

 

pros would be the looks (if you prefer the look of bigger wheels) and the increased cornering performance.

cons would be decrease in speed. smaller sized wheels are lighter than the bigger ones.

17 would be your ideal choice.

 

Danny:

The larger diameter wheel allows for a lower sidewal height (aspect ratio). You are stuck with an overall diameter for your tires of about 24.5 inches (give or take fraction or two). Therefore, when you go to a 17 inch wheel, the sidewall must be smaller to permit the tire diameter to still fall in the designed range. That's why the center number in the tire size goes down when the end number goes up (like 195/55/16 vs 205/45/17).

The small sidewall will flex less and therefore the handling will be a bit sharper. The larger wheel will almost always also be a wider wheel to accomodate the wider aspect ratio tire. The wider tire body also results in a wider tread contact patch, so traction will also increase. The trade off is that the small sidewall, in flexing less, will also stiffen the ride, and some have found that the wider contact patch also results in decreased fuel mileage.

But -- they sure look good. Most ignore the drawbacks in favor of the way the little car looks with wide meaty tires.

Then there are those who don't like black rims.

In the end, you have to please yourself. In the meantime, you can have one heck of a good time looking at all the options and trying to pick the best for your car.

And dreaming is free.

Neat huh??

 

Wow, thanks for the great response! I appreciate all the detailed explanations.. very helpful. I definitely do like the look of the larger wheel, and since I don't have the "S" I'll be getting my kicks via tight corners, so maybe 17" with low profile tires is the way to go for me.

Can anyone recommend some good light weight rims?

Also, I noticed up thread someone had an air compressor in the boot. It turns out I have one of those in there too, but it seems like an odd pairing with the RFs?

 

I recently bought a second set of rims (OZ Allegerittas 16x7 in Anthracite) and wrapped them w/ Continental ExtremeContact DW's 205/55ZR16. BIG difference in ride and handling. And the price for those tyres isn't that bad either.. less than $100 per, for a Z rated tyre.

 

Are these the wheels?



Very nice, close to what I have in mind. In general would you say ~$1200 would be a good rough estimate for a set of wheels and a decent set of sport tires?

 

those be the ones... I think the whole package ran around $1400-ish but I bought the TPMSs also! Here's the pic I took after I installed them on Branwen. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...2&id=667780938

they are a lot easier to handle (cleanliness wise) than the stock White Bridgespokes... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...b&id=667780938

 

I just checked my order history on Tirerack... $1456 was the item total +$88 for shipping. $1544 out-of-pocket. All I had to do was reomve the old ones and install the new ones; they came mounted and balanced at no charge. Although, I did have to wait almost a month for them to arrive because of the backorder on the centering rings from OZ... but it was worth the wait!

 

Looks great! Thanks! I'll just budget for $1600 to stay on the safe side.