[Keyan]

I've been reading around this part of the forum, and from what I've seen, I've come to the conclusion that most of you think that:
16 inch wheels are great for performance.
17 inch are great for looks.

but what about 18 inch wheels?
Is it even possible to use wheels that size as a daily driver?
Does the car bottom out?
How do 18 inch wheels look like on an Elantra?
Right now I'm debating between 17s and 18s, and I can't choose

 

[tharptroy]

you said 17" are great for looks, then what are you trying to accomplish by having larger wheels?

all I see in your future is damaged suspension, and expensive tires destroyed by potholes.

there used to be a guy on here with 18s, but i dont think ive seen him on the new board. phat01gls was his SN I think

 

[BlueGT]

IMHO, 17s look best on our cars. 18s are just too big for me.
Besides, 17s are cheaper, more lightweight and have better tire choices.

 

[SWortham]

To answer your questions, a few people have installed 18's and they have claimed that they're fine for drivability. It shouldn't rub as long as you use 215/35-18 tires and wheels with the right offset.

IMHO, 17s look best on our cars. 18s are just too big for me.
Besides, 17s are cheaper, more lightweight and have better tire choices.

I agree 100%. The super low profile tire you have to use on an 18" wheel just doesn't look as good. And they're not quite as practical seeing as how you're increasing the risk of damaging the wheel. And then there's all the other things BlueGT mentioned which just doesn't justify an 18.

 

[bcware]

What if you're on an unlimited budget and you're out to do nothing but bling bling to all tha ladies on tha street corners? Oh, well, i guess in that case you wouldn't be driving a hyundai... anyway, i'd like to know a little bit more about 18" rims on a GLS sedan 02 myself... some wheels don't list an offset, but are listed as rims that "fit" a gls sedan... tirerack, victoria, etc do this... i guess those have the right offset. What are hubcentric rings, spacers and the like and do i need them? Assuming spaces adjust the offset?

 

[2XDreme]

i have an 01 sedan and my 18"s will hopefully be fitted next weekend if i can book guy to roll guards
i'll let you know how i go

 

[Robit_28]

I just fitted 18" Lenso SHU 7.5 inch wheels to my Elantra and they look awsome. I think the 18's just give it a more expensive look. I don't have the gaurds rolled and I don't have any rubbing whatsoever. The tyres are 215/35/18. I say go for it, they ride great as well, not too harsh on the road, in fact, I only noticed a slight difference.

 

[Keyan]

Some of you questioned why I'm looking into 18s if 17s are "great for looks"

Have any of you seen the Crossfire with those GIGANTIC stock wheels?
Or that Infinity FX with those HUGE 20"?
Or maybe the Volkswagen Golf with those huge ones?

I just think they look amazingly good, and I want the same. That's all

And robit, nice pictures. Willing to take an entire body shot so I can see how the wheels flow with the entire car?

 

[tharptroy]

think about the additional rotating mass, a set of 18" wheels that are lightweight sure as hell wont be cheap. just another thing to think about...they'll slow you down

 

[bcware]

obviously if someone is considering 18" rims they don't give a shit about being slightly slower.

 

[slow 2K2GT]

I love my 18s, they ride and look great.

 

[tharptroy]

obviously if someone is considering 18" rims they don't give a shit about being slightly slower.

you give people too much credit, and it will likely make them more than slightly slower. unfortunately, there are people who dont know what increased rotational mass does to acceleration, and I think its an important factor to consider, especially when you have a low displacement economy car with a lack of torque.

 

[SWortham]

Yeah, acceleration is worse and it also makes your brakes less effective. I noticed that when I got my wheels, and it was pretty obvious. I wish I had shopped around a little more for something lighter.

And there's another factor that is overlooked a lot. The heavier wheels will increase unsprung weight which will worsen your car's handling and ride quality by reducing its responsiveness and dampening abilities over bumps.

But I'm not going to tell you what you should get. I'm just here to provide info.

 

[bcware]

so apparently there is a HUGE difference between 17's and 18's? I never hear any controversy about 17's but as soon as we extend the barrier an extra inch dozens of detrimental things start to happen. Why not get 14 inch rims then titanium? Why stop there, i'm sure you can find smaller.

 

[Elkane7533]

The cars that you mentioned with those 18"s and 20"s from the factory... they all come with brakes that are 14 to 17" in diameter. They can use those big wheels because the engine has enough power to move those wheels and they got good enough brakes to stop those wheels.

Now, if you are willing to buy bigger brakes with the 18" wheels, then it makes sense. The car might be slower, but at least you have better brakes to stop those heavy wheels.

I suggest you read these articles before buying the wheels.

Motor Trend Article, Titled: Hey There, Big Wheel

Motor Trend Article, titled: A Taste of Tire Testing

And bcware if you have been here long enough you would have been able to see some posts by myself, jay, or others about having 17" wheels. Personally 16" is the most i would go with the elantra, as it costs way to much to find anything light that are larger than 16". And i am not willing to spend that much money on a car that costs 14K new. And you could try fitting a 14" or 13" wheel on your car, but you are gonna need smaller brakes.

 

[SWortham]

OK, here are my thoughts:

16"
- Good improvement over stock in looks and handling
- Popular choice for autocrossers
- Very practical for daily use

17"
- Even bigger improvement in handling due to less sidewall flex
- Slightly harsher ride due to a lower profile tire and more unsprung weight
- Most people say they look better than 16's
- Still practical enough to drive over average roads without damaging them

18"
- Even less sidewall flex, but not necessarily better handling than 17's
- At this point, there just isn't a huge difference between a 45 series tire and a 35 series tire in terms of sidewall flex. And since an 18" wheel is heavier than a 17" wheel, again the unsprung weight is a disadvantage. So, it becomes a tradeoff between tire sidewall rigidity and unsprung weight. In a lot of cases a 17" would provide a better ride and handling than an 18".
- 18's aren't as practical since they're more risky to drive around on poor roads when all you have to protect them are 35 series tires
- Looks are debatable when it comes to 18's. Some people think that the sidewall looks too thin.


Our fellow member GLS2NV offered some great advice about all of this:
http://www.elantraxd.com/yabbse/ind...display;threadid=1978;start=msg23204#msg23204
http://www.elantraxd.com/yabbse/index.php?board=8;action=display;threadid=562;start=msg6034#msg6034

He has modified a lot of different cars in the past and he knows his stuff so I respect his opinions.

 

[bcware]

It's all relative, but if you're a good driver and not poor you have nothing to worry about. Pay attention when you drive, don't use a cell phone unless it's handsfree, don't get 18" rims if you're driving through grand canyon type pot holes, common sense type stuff. And if for some reason you roll a curb.......... buy a new rim.

I live in a small area, but all the roads are pristine. Driver error is the only way to fuck up your rims here. And if you're not paying attention or driving carefully there are two possibilities... 1) you didn't pay for/work for the car or 2) you're handicapped

you cannot catagorize these pros and cons by rim size. It's impossible, as they exist in all size rims, just to a greater or lesser extent, it's very biased.

 

[SWortham]

you cannot catagorize these pros and cons by rim size. It's impossible, as they exist in all size rims, just to a greater or lesser extent, it's very biased.

Maybe so... this is just based on my experience and the experience of many other owners. It's your job to make the decision. If I hadn't said anything you may not have even known some of those pros and cons existed.

I can think of at least two people on this forum specifically who have bent their rims. One was with 205/45 tires on 17" rims and the other was with the 15" stock steel wheels. There have been many others though. So yeah you're right the pros and cons do exist in a greater or lesser extent for every size.

 

[Steve]

16x7 with 215/45/16 Falken Azenis Sports, Ecsta MX's or R compound race rubber if you can afford it, anything else is stock or totally just for show. :tongue:

 

[hyunelan2]

Fact is, if you're looking for 18s, you're not lookinf for a performance wheel. If you're looking for pure-bling-factor, then of course you have to look at 18s. If you're building a performance machine- you'd be looking into a completely different wheel.