[ecko]

So even though it's January I can smell spring in the air...I have been searching sites the last few months and I have found the wheel I want....Here's the dilemma....I am still undecided on size...It's either 17x8 or 18x8...

What I need to know is will going to a 18" wheel be okay for my Forte EX? I know it will fit, but what I am worried about is the weight of the wheel. Will it be too heavy compared to the stock 15"? Will it cause me to go through break pads/rotors or bearings prematurely? What about performance? I know I don't have a 400 HP car but will I lose allot of performance going to a wheel this size? This is all mechanical stuff I just don't know anything about. I thought a few of you on here might know about this stuff....This is the last question I have regarding what my plans are for my wheels...next step is taking this advice and getting ready for my purchase...

 

[missourimule]

So even though it's January I can smell spring in the air...I have been searching sites the last few months and I have found the wheel I want....Here's the dilemma....I am still undecided on size...It's either 17x8 or 18x8...

What I need to know is will going to a 18" wheel be okay for my Forte EX? I know it will fit, but what I am worried about is the weight of the wheel. Will it be too heavy compared to the stock 15"? Will it cause me to go through break pads/rotors or bearings prematurely? What about performance? I know I don't have a 400 HP car but will I lose allot of performance going to a wheel this size? This is all mechanical stuff I just don't know anything about. I thought a few of you on here might know about this stuff....This is the last question I have regarding what my plans are for my wheels...next step is taking this advice and getting ready for my purchase...

You can never go wrong by putting stock wheels and tires of an upgrade model which will work and has the same circumference. That's what I did with my 2009 Sonata when I put the Limited wheels and tires on it and got rid of the steel wheels and plastic wheel covers. You can find such items here and on ebay for a fraction of the new price.

If you intend to keep your car forever it may not make that much difference but you won't get a dime more by spending a fortune on non stock wheels. In fact you will probably lose gobs of money when you go to trade it in. Most buyers will rightly assume it belonged to a young person who abused the car. But I'm just an old fogey so it may not mean much to younger people who want the looks to impress their contemporaries.

However, if you are bound and determined to do this, go to Tire Rack or Discount Tires and see what the wheels and tires will look on your car. They will also know what will fit properly. Tire Rack is pretty good about helping out by telephone in recommending brands and specifics.

If you put very large diameter wheels on your car you will also need very low profile tires to maintain the same circumference which will then ride like a log wagon and will wear out quickly. For example, the 50 profile tires on my 2008 Fusion wore out in 15,000 miles. And they cost more and have no warranty either.

 

[corytate]

a larger wheel size will negatively affect speed and acceleration but can positively affect handling. A size over the largest possible stock size (17") can mess up the vss, which affects the ABS system and many other components. as missourimule was saying the aspect ration will make a difference also. A normal tire size looks like this: 205/45/R 17
in this example the 205 is the width of the tire, the 45 means that the profile is 45% of the width, the R stands for Radial, and the 17 is the wheel size. A larger aspect ratio will provide a more comfortable ride, smaller will be stiffer but can improve handling if it isn't too low. When you have a wheel size as big as 18, 19, or 20, on a wheel that isn't too wide, it is hard to find a tire that isn't low profile, and most 20" wheels are wide anyway. If you got a 17" x 7" wheel, though, you'd more than likely be safe going with a 45 or 50 profile tire.