P10 16" or 17"

Well, the tires are almost gone, and its about that time. Been looking on tire rack for some new wheels and I do like the OZ F1's...or the ASA's. Pretty expensive stuff...however I always have had the notion that you get what you pay for, and to do it right the first time. So on that note...as a matter of handling, keeping it closer to stock (for speedo and stuff) and ride comfort/noise what you guys think?

It should be about the same either way, as far as ride, comfort and speedo. The main difference between a 16 and 17" wheel would be cost, and weight... Also, with extra weight comes slower acceleration and not as good of handling. But, the 17's would look better, IMO. It's up to you. I went with 16's quite a while ago (over 2 years) cause at the time those were big, they were still pretty light, and they didn't cost too much. I'd say now 17's are almost the same as 16's were back then.

If you can afford them get 17" if you don't mind a slight decrease in performance. Get the 16s if you're more into performance than looks.

Originally posted by G-Forces
If you can afford them get 17" if you don't mind a slight decrease in performance. Get the 16s if you're more into performance than looks.

I think this is extremely misleading. A 17" wheel/tire will not adversely affect performance any more than a 16" wheel/tire will *so long as they are the same weight and the weight is distributed similarly*. People don't get 17" wheels to decrease performance, they get them to *increase* performance. Performance is more than just accellerating in a straight line. Unless you plan on never taking a corner, i think the 17's will be a better choice. The ride will be somewhat more harsh, but the shorter, stiffer sidewall will give better feel through the turns. And as long as the wheel is not overly heavy or very weighted on the outside, you won't take a hit in accelleration (straight-line performance).

Just find a nice, somewhat lightweight 17" wheel and you'll be happy.

You'd have to get a substantially lighter 17" wheel, in comparison to a 16" wheel, to get the same acceleration. Don't forget, even if they are the same wieght, the 17" wheel has the outer lip of the wheel half an inch further from the center, pushing the weight that much farther out. That and I don't think the smaller sidewall on the 17" wheel/tire combo would be enough to increase turning response to the point where it'd make up for the difference in straight line acceleration (205/45/16 or 205/50/16 vs 205/40/17?). The handling differnce may even out on a track, but how many people rip around turns on the street all the time, as fast as they could on the track. I know I can't, I can't go that fast on the street, there's way to much stuff in the way to do so, that and i'd be starting into the turns way over the speedlimit, and seriously breaking the law (and endangering others) if i were to actually apex the turns.

17" wheels. You can get them for decent prices with a relatively low weight these days.

Here is a pic.
http://www.nx2k.com/G20/g204.jpg

My 17" wheel and tire combo weighs 38 lbs. Stock is 33 lbs.

http://www.nx2k.com/eclipse/wheel_weights.htm

Originally posted by JustinP10
You'd have to get a substantially lighter 17" wheel, in comparison to a 16" wheel, to get the same acceleration. Don't forget, even if they are the same wieght, the 17" wheel has the outer lip of the wheel half an inch further from the center, pushing the weight that much farther out.

No, you would not need a lighter 17" wheel than 16" wheel to get the same accelleration. You would just need a 17" wheel that carries more weight toward the inside of the rim (not the outer edge). That's why i stated "so long as they are the same weight and the weight is distributed similarly". You are correct that a 17" wheel which has it's weight further outside will hamper accelleration more. And, in general, most 17" wheels are heavier than 16" wheels. However; this is not always the case. My 17" RH Evolution M7000's are lighter than many of the 16" wheels i've seen. And i'd be willing to bet they're at least 2-3lbs lighter than the stock 2002 sport 16" wheels.

So, i agree that in many cases a 16" wheel is going to give you better accelleration than a 17" (especially when comparing the same make model of 16" to 17"). But, i also would point out that this is only true if you buy a high quality 16" wheel that's built for performance and not just looks.

I personally feel that a 17" wheel/tire combo (high quality, not some heavy crap wheels) is the best compromise between looks, accelleration, and cornering. I would say that 16" comes in a close second. Anything over 17" is purely for looks and 15's and under have too tall of a sidewall for good handling.

i got 17's on my P10, with 215.40.17 tyres and they still look a bit too small...maybe cos the car is fairly large. anywayz they look da deez beez so get em on! car still has 150 horses and still rips so i aint complainin

Sorry, but I'm going to have to go for 16's. Granted, I have my shitty 14" stock wheels on my P10, but the benefits of 17's (aside from looks) entirely push the 16's ahead in my book. I'm all about go and not so much show, anyway. I love the whole sleeper thing, so the performance curve and sleep-a-bility of the 16's again wins. For me it's no contest, but I'm sure you all figured that much out already.

Originally posted by saturntangerine
Sorry, but I'm going to have to go for 16's. Granted, I have my shitty 14" stock wheels on my P10, but the benefits of 17's (aside from looks) entirely push the 16's ahead in my book. I'm all about go and not so much show, anyway. I love the whole sleeper thing, so the performance curve and sleep-a-bility of the 16's again wins. For me it's no contest, but I'm sure you all figured that much out already.
Gonna have to agree with saturnt here... 16's are much cheaper to wrap, so, if your an agressive driver, you won't be spending yoru inheritance on tires....