Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSt|G
So really, the tires were the upgrade.
Transitioning from 17" to 18" wheels would reduce ride comfort, increase rotational inertia(meaning that a similar or even lighter wheel will act like a heavier wheel than a 17"), and in the extreme sense will reduce the contact patch. Think of drag radials on drag cars, small wheels for additional flex and squish off the line.
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Not necessarily....Some hard data...
I had stock 17" wheels with 205 G/Y run flats and went to the setup in my sig. Front wheel/tire combo lost 13#s a piece and rear lost 10#s a piece.
Stock wheels were 26#s each and tires were also approx. 26#s
New wheels were 18#s and change each
New front tires were 21#'s each
New rear tires were 24#'s each
Front tires gained nearly an inch of contact patch
Rear tires gained about 2 inches of contact patch
New tire and wheel setup is noticably smoother and didn't notice much different in handling characteristics, maybe a tad more understeer but better traction...but now the car has new control arms and is at the shop to be aligned as I write this, so we'll see how it is after that.