Re: There is no benefit to an 18" rim.... (archive)

There is no handling benefit unless the rim is wider. I'm sure you can get the same width that you're running in 18's in 17's and probably 16's. Diameter of the wheel does not effect handling. The only reason for 18" rims on a car is for looks(unless you need to fit massive brakes under them). If you have a full out race car then maybe 18's are necessary, but other than that tey are not.
Just my thoughts.
ADA///M

Then should all run on some 14x8.5s. Heck, better yet, all you speedsters, I would recommend you to get 13s!!!
Thank you all!

Sarcasm aside, sidewall flex does figure into the equation when going around corners.

BUT

You know what? For straight line performance, you aren't that far off the mark. (Top fuel) dragsters use those really big tires (small wheels) for a reason; at launch they bunch up like an elastic, and give you more spring off the line. Yes, it's true.

Um, and Adam is right about 18" rims being a little large; I think they go too far in the tradeoff between grip and gearing. You don't want to gear yourself to oblivion with tires that are way too tall for the car. 16" rims and relatively low profile tires will be fine for an E30 M3, especially one that isn't pushing out in the realm of 250+ HP. I feel that it's primarily an appearance mod at that point. 17" is even slightly dubious as an option, but that depends on your sidewall height and tire width. I won't run larger than 16".

Greg.

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