I originally posted in the Tire forum, but I don't think there's that much exposure there. Here's my original post:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=223409

Anyway, the short of it is that I just bought a new 02, but it came with 18" wheels that are horribly missized. (Superleggeras with the anthracite finish). Since those wheels are discontinued, I think I've decided to just dump the whole set and get new wheels.

This also means that I now have the option to get 17s instead. Why does everyone say the handling suffers with 18s? In what way is it worse? Is it that the ride is just harsher? Is overal cornering grip less?

You can get 18s that weigh around 16lbs each. If you get such lightweight wheels, isn't the "handling" problem mitigated?

Also, how wide can you go on a 9" rear? is 265 too much?

 

I found that the s2k is a killer on good tires they just go out to damn fast. The cost of getting new tires for 18 a lot more compare to 17 because of the small side wall. But if money are not much of a big issue you would lose on performance and they tend to lag a bit more. I think 18-19 gives the greatest aww affect if you are just looking for show.

 

18's are heavier, AND the weight is further out. not only is this unsprung weight, but the inertia adds even more of a penalty. Honda engineers have always favored lighter rims...they caved on the 04 from marketing pressure.

 

I have to disagree.... a little. You can find 18's that are as light or lighter than most 17's. What you lose with 18's is ride quality during daily driving on the crappy american roads, but you will see the difference in performance on the track with 18's !

Just a matter of driving preference and $$$.

 

Ok, but what I don't understand is what do people typically mean by "performance?" Are they talking about accelleration? Turn-in? Lateral acceleration? All of the above?

As I understand it, the larger inertial mass translates to larger drivetrain loss, not a "handling" penalty. Is this true?

Can't you just get gears and a supercharger to compensate? Wouldn't you then have superior looks AND "performance" (vs. stock, of course).

 

Actually, a bigger rim doesn't give you any performance improvements. Your wheels act like a gear, just like the gears in the transmission. Thus, a bigger wheel = a bigger gear = less acceleration. Its not a very big impact, but it is there. You can gain performance out of the wider tires available for 18in. wheels, which is really only necessary when your acceleration is limited by traction/you need more traction to stay on the roadcourse. The S2000 doesn't have enough stock power to worry about peeling out at every stoplight, and the stock S02's are sticky as hell.

Since you don't have stock wheels, choose a wheel that works for you. Most 17's are going to be lighter, and offer a little bit quicker acceleration, but 18's are generally considered to look better. Just make you sure you get a good performance tire along with it.

 

I choose 18's mainly for looks and also the wider stance which comes with aftermarket rims. Also the bragging rights of having 275's in the back is cool heh.

 

18" rear
17" front

nice balance of stiffness and ride comfort

 

well actually my buddy has a tire shop, and he assured me that 275's would work well with my 04 stock 17's. I didn't believe him, but we put on some tires in the rear, and the dam thing fits rather well and looks amazing.

 

Picts???