Quote:
Originally Posted by 100_Percent_Juice
Is there a benefit to going bigger? I always thought it was best to stay stock size if everything else is stock?
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Bigger tends to mean more traction, which means better braking, higher lateral G's, better acceleration (if you were traction limited to begin with). But it also means, more tramlining, more noise, worse mileage, and worse acceleration (if they're heavier and you weren't traction limited to begin with).
Really, the process to pick wheels/tires for performance is to do this, and I'll include my own answers for my TT car:
Q: What width tires will meet my performance goals?
A: As wide as friggen possible that will fit under the car w/o a widebody kit
Q: What type of tire will meet my performance goals?
A: R-Compound DOT legal race tire
Q: What diameter tire do I need?
A: As small as possible while clearing StopTech Brakes, i.e. 17"
Q: What tire meets the above criteria?
A: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup, 255/40/17
Q: What size wheel is ideal for the selected tire?
A: 17"x9"
Q: What offset is necessary for the ideal wheel to fit?
A: +43 to +48
Q: What wheel fits the above criteria and matches the PCD of the car?
A: 5zigen FN01RC, 17"x9" +43 5x114.3
Granted, I've done a lot of other work to open up my possibilities, like converting to the '05 STi hubs, rolling my fenders, cutting fender liners, going to coilovers, etc. Most people can't start out looking for 255's... 245 is usually pushing it... but the process is the same.
For you, you're probably looking more along the lines of this:
Q: What width tires will meet my performance goals?
A: Something that will increase handling performance w/o drastic fuel economy or comfort sacrifices, probably a 225 or 235.
Q: What type of tire will meet my performance goals?
A: High-Performance All Seasons
Q: What diameter tire do I need?
A: 18" for decent bling factor w/o clearance issues
Q: What tire meets the above criteria?
A: Falken Ziex 512, 225/40/18 or 235/40/18 (both are very close to OEM overall size, 225's are a little short, 235's are a little tall, but both are fine)
Q: What size wheel is ideal for the selected tire?
A: 18"x7.5" for 225's, 18"x8" for 235's
Q: What offset is necessary for the ideal wheel to fit?
A: +48 to +53 for 7.5" wide, +45 to +50 for 8" wide
Q: What wheel fits the above criteria and matches the PCD of the car?
A: I'd go with any 18"x8" +48, or 18"x7.5" +48 in 5x100, the lighter the better