Difference between 18-inch wheels vs 17-inch wheels?

[wuitsung]

has anyone switched from 17-inch wheels to 18-inch wheels? any difference in ride quality?

[0wn3r]

one inch

[matthewcxii]

I believe he was asking the difference in ride quality and not the difference in the tires physical appearance on the vehicle.

[marlin29311]

There are a couple of things that could happen -

1, depending on the weight of the new wheel, you could actually lose performance/mpg's (if your new wheel is several pounds heavier)

2 - you could 'feel' the road more - the 18 has a lower profile tire on it, meaning that it won't absorb as much of the road bumps as your 17 would.

That's about it really though. And generally, the larger tires are more expensive, but not really too much with this kind of change.

[jmess]

has anyone switched from 17-inch wheels to 18-inch wheels? any difference in ride quality?

My 17" wheels with Michelin snowtires have a smoother ride than the stock 18s.

[BROUDIE]

has anyone switched from 17-inch wheels to 18-inch wheels? any difference in ride quality?

Yes, I moved from the stock 17" to stock 18" wheels. There is definitely a difference:

Comfort: for the first day or 2, I felt an irritating vibration from the wheels. Bumps were also felt more distinctly. This is a completely common feeling in a sports car, but is definitely a new experience in a luxo-wagon like the EX. Afterwards I completely acclimated to it.

Handling: handling is definitely improved (I put a very high premium on handling). The lesser flex on the lower-profile tires is very reassuring.

Fuel Economy: I probably lost 1/2 - 1 MPG after I made the switch

[lemond]

I went with 18 stock as well.

Does anyone know if the 18s Stock are clear coated or just polished? I found like blue dots paints on 2 rims and they need to be removed. Paint thinner a good idea ?

[yellowbear]

I went with 18 stock as well.

Does anyone know if the 18s Stock are clear coated or just polished? I found like blue dots paints on 2 rims and they need to be removed. Paint thinner a good idea ?

I don't know if they are reused but the blue dots on the rims match the red dots on the tires. I think it is a balance issue based on the selection of both. I would believe this is a factory thing to save time mounting and balancing the tires at the factory. I guess you can remove it.

[ayap888]

When I test drove the EX, I had 17s ... the ride was smoother / better.

So when I got mine with the 18s ... the ride was harder and I could feel the road connection more. However, the handling with the 18s are better.

I'm sure the 17s may be more fuel efficient. And accelerating from 0MPH to higher speeds feel heavier with the 18s.

[RedwinGV]

Hmm,Not a lot of comments

So here's where I'm at.I just ordered my EX. With premium one has to get the 18" wheels. Now I did read above about some things on odometer and the like, but both the 17's and the 18 are about the same diameter since the tire profile is lower on the 18's. So I'm thinking the biggest difference would be in the ride, handling, and MAYBE MPG.

I can understand the handling and ride. I saw one post saying they saw a bit of a drop in MPG. I'm surprised one would see much, unless it's a lot of stop and go traffic.

So, my dealer mentioned that he may find someone wanting those and he'd swap out the 18's for the 17s (and yes give me the cash!)

Anyone think this is worth it? Is this a too much of a "it depends on what one wants?" I drove both, but the ride didn't feel that much diff either way. Some, but not a lot. So for $400 some bucks I was thinking of doing the swap.

Anyone wants to chime in on what I should do? FWIW, IF the 18's weren't required to be bought along with the premium option, I would not have added them to my EX.

TIA

[EXceptional]

The crappy ride quality of the 18's are due to the Tires being of the Dunlop brand.

I'm looking forward to garbaging the Dunlops and putting on a sent of Michelins.

I find the Dunlops track in ruts a lot... it's almost annoying. That being said, I think the EX35 is twitchy also, compared to something with a longer Wheel-base.