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I don't have any history on why this was done but the '06 SC430 that I'm buying has 17" wheels and 225/55R17 tires on it. I like the look of the wheels and what I can find online the tires have the right load rating.
Will I get kicked out of the club for something like this? Has anyone seen this done before on a SC? (I have done a minus 1 or minus 2 for snow tires but never for non-snows.)
When I put winter tires on my car, I bought a set of used 17" rims from an '04 Solara. I like them as well as the 18's, and the ride has considerably improved, even with the snows. 18" wheels are simply eye candy, weigh more, and give you less sidewall for comfort.
When I put winter tires on my car, I bought a set of used 17" rims from an '04 Solara. I like them as well as the 18's, and the ride has considerably improved, even with the snows. 18" wheels are simply eye candy, weigh more, and give you less sidewall for comfort.
So, you don't use 17 rims all year for the looks, willing to compromise the improved ride (all year or only winter)?
I just purchased the car last spring, and use the original 18" on the car instead of replacing the existing wheels and tires. The 17's were purchased strictly for winter use - cheaper tires to buy, narrower profile tires are much better in the winter, and it's easier to find used 17" rims. The ride quality difference came as a surprise to me (and no, the 18" tires are not run-flats). When the summer tires eventually wear out, I may consider changing wheels at that time. I'm sure there will be someone looking for a pristine set of pie-plates.
A 17 or 18 inch tire has a much more comfortable ride than a 20 inch tire. Since the 20 inch tire has to be a low profile tire to fit the wheel well, you don't have the rubber/air to cushion the ride as much. I have 20 inch tires and am looking to go back to the stock 18.
An obvious point with the 17” wheels is that, unless the speedometer was recalibrated, your MPH reading will be slightly and perhaps negligibly higher than actual driving speed and vice versa if you were to increase the wheel size. With that said, if the tire size put on the "17 wheels had an increased sidewall height that matched the circumference of the 18" wheels and tires, then no change to the speedometer reading.
An obvious point with the 17” wheels is that, unless the speedometer was recalibrated, your MPH reading will be slightly and perhaps negligibly higher than actual driving speed and vice versa if you were to increase the wheel size. With that said, if the tire size put on the "17 wheels had an increased sidewall height that matched the circumference of the 18" wheels and tires, then no change to the speedometer reading.
The purpose of smaller wheels is increased sidewall.
The purpose of smaller wheels is increased sidewall.
Early morning response. Agreed in this case that since all of the 17" wheel/tire circumferences match the 18" wheel/tire circumferences, it's all about ride comfort.
exactly right .... here in the Pocono Mtns the roads are rough, low profile tires translate to cracked rims the extra rubber makes all the difference ...
01-22-19, 05:43 PM
17 inch wheels instead of 18, 19 or 20 inch?
