17s on a mk2?

[16v]

I know it's not the "done thing" and the purists will spit at me but I reckon the 17" BBS RCs I've put on look ok.

They came up with virtually brand new tyres for £250 so I couldn't turn them down at that!

Do you reckon they look better than the standard RAs or not?

Still got my RAs which may now become a winter wheel or I may sell as I've some rather nice BKs that I'm spraying up that look pretty mint too that i got for daft money on ebay. Dunno what to do.

Opinions welcomed.

Original





17" RCs





BKs I'm spraying graphite grey (15")

[rowlers]

RAs look much better IMO!!

[tobz.]

Yep sorry I'm obviously a purist, the RA's look much more in proportion with the rest of the car.

[Gambit]

bargain at £250 defo, but id just be buying them to sell them on for a wee profit, must ruin the handling/performance a fair bit

[takethefifth]

I've just gone from 17's to 14" RA's for a couple of reasons....  Firstly I did like look of 17's originally but every boyracer out there wanted to race me! The RA's look more Dubber style imo and draw less attention. Like you i got 'em cheap 

The other thing was ride quality, the roads round here aren't the best and my 40 profile tyre wall made sure i felt every bump! It was kind of cool in a racing 'knowing the road' kind of way but damn every time i hit something i just cringed at the thought of wear on my car.

So i am back to 14's which make the acceleration feel considerably more lively. In dry weather the grip is comparable but in the wet the 17's were WAY better. Handling in general is sharper i am finding with the smaller wheels. Turns in tighter for sure.

Finally tyre prices! I needed a loan each time i needed a new set of 17's!

My opinion - definately try it for a while but i'm convinced that once you have had a few months on them, then put the RA's back on, you won't change again!

[16v]

bargain at £250 defo, but id just be buying them to sell them on for a wee profit, must ruin the handling/performance a fair bit

Yeah it does a bit.

It's VERY hard, especially on coilovers.

Had 14" Montreals on over the winter so the difference is even more pronounced.

Wet grip is actually better as takethefifth says and it does hang on a bit more but it doesn't feel as fluid as before and if you get an uneven surface it's hard work. So grip is better but handling is worse.

Acceleration does feel slightly less too.

Main reason for changing is my RAs are in need of a good refurb as they are corroded on the inside and the tyres keep going down. I'll run the 17s for a bit til I get the 15s refurbed I think.

Had to raise the ride height too at the front as I had it very low and it was catching under compression when he wheels turned.

[Gambit]

wet grip will actually be less because wider tyres = less contact pressure on ground. must have had crapiola tyres on the 14's

[mk2mark]

It's actually the same contact pressure, the contact patch just changes shape to be wider which is worse for aquaplaning.

The 17's don't look bad IMO, but I don't think they look as good as the ra's. I'd sell them on for a bit of money. Personally not gone on the bk's either, but if you like them by all means go ahead

[Gambit]

It's actually the same contact pressure, the contact patch just changes shape to be wider which is worse for aquaplaning.

it cant be the same contact pressure, same contact weight yes

but pressure is calculated using weight exerted per unit area. so same weight over larger unit area (wider tyre x 4) is less pressure

[mk2mark]

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html scroll down about 2/3rds to"fat or thin" for an explanation.