18" Wheels on a GT benefits and info?

[wootiown]

I have a 2018 GT2, and although I love it I'm considering downsizing to 18" wheels. As far as I'm concerned, having smaller rims/larger tires yields a better and smoother ride, and dropping from a ~32lb factory wheel to a ~20lb aftermarket wheel will no doubt make a significant difference in handling and driving experience.
I would also get the new Continental DWS06 all season high performance tires on them, as I had those on my mustang and they were unbelievably fantastic even on the track.

So, what should I know about potentially downsizing wheels? Am I right, will it make a positive difference in ride quality and performance? If so, what is the benefit of keeping 19" wheels other than just looks? What other stuff should I bear in mind?

Oh, and what 18" wheels look the best? I probably want to go with grey/silver.

 

[87and66]

my stinger came with 18" wheels. Tires are cheaper. More sidewall helps prevent damaged wheels from potholes. Maybe a more plush ride, but probably not something you'd really notice.

Less sidewall on the 19s would aid in performance when cornering. Like you said, they look better. That's about it. weight will be about the same with the same wheel in either size.

Can't really go wrong either way

 

[RM7]

Except in wet, more sidewall aids in cornering, the same flex you don't want during dry helps in wet, tested by various tire manufacturers and reviewers. Ideally for dry traction at the limit, you want the skinniest tires on the widest wheels, for stiff sidewall, but we are a long way from being able to maximize that. 225s are comically undersized for a vehicle of this weight if performance is a consideration, so going to wider tires will help significantly in all sorts of situations, braking, accelerating (putting power down), cornering, etc.

Smaller wheels always accelerate better, so there's that. Rotational mass is a big deal, 5lbs off each isn't much weight overall, but it's rotational weight, and that's a big deal.

I think the large-wheel fads are out of control on some cars, 20" and bigger is just ridiculous, especially because they don't maximize the other aspects first, the wide wheels, skinny tires, low profile, light weight, etc. They just do it for looks and it starts to look ridiculous after a while, as performance is suffering.

I went with 18" square 8.5s with 255s, so I can rotate them around completely.

 

[turboAWD]

I went with the following for my "2nd set" (ended up destroying the OEM tires at an auto-x skid-pad, still trying to figure out what to do with them, whether to get new tires, or sell them, or what). Enkei TY-5 in gloss black. IIRC, the weights are tire weights.
245/40-18 653.2 (-1.21%) 23 lbs 18x8.5 ET+35
285/35-18 656.7 (-0.7%) 27 lbs 18x9.5 ET+35

Noticeably lighter than OEM - the 285s on the wheel are about as heavy as the OEM 225s.

 

[87and66]

Except in wet, more sidewall aids in cornering, the same flex you don't want during dry helps in wet, tested by various tire manufacturers and reviewers. Ideally for dry traction at the limit, you want the skinniest tires on the widest wheels, for stiff sidewall, but we are a long way from being able to maximize that. 225s are comically undersized for a vehicle of this weight if performance is a consideration, so going to wider tires will help significantly in all sorts of situations, braking, accelerating (putting power down), cornering, etc.

Smaller wheels always accelerate better, so there's that. Rotational mass is a big deal, 5lbs off each isn't much weight overall, but it's rotational weight, and that's a big deal.

I think the large-wheel fads are out of control on some cars, 20" and bigger is just ridiculous, especially because they don't maximize the other aspects first, the wide wheels, skinny tires, low profile, light weight, etc. They just do it for looks and it starts to look ridiculous after a while, as performance is suffering.

I went with 18" square 8.5s with 255s, so I can rotate them around completely.

View attachment 63961

Your car looks great! And I agree with you about big wheels. 20s don’t look good on the stinger to me. They look too big for the car and they make the brakes look small. Bigger is not always better.

 

[turboAWD]

Here's one view of mine..

 

[oddball]

Yup, I went down to 18" wheels after breaking the sidewall on 3 19" tires on potholes. I like the look of *some* sidewall - not too skinny, not too fat.

 

[Baluchitherium4]

Here's one view of mine..

I really like how this looks. Which wheel is that?

 

[RogueIV]

Already stated here by others but better durability, ride, weight and price also straightline traction may be better as well. Personally i like the look better too. The sidewall stiffness on our 19s is a demishing return imho. I can get similar performance with a slightly taller sidewall on the 18s. Its not like we're downgrading to 15s or something where sidewall flex is super noticable.

 

[JSolo]

How low can you go............

Not!

 

[stoopid]

Yup, I went down to 18" wheels after breaking the sidewall on 3 19" tires on potholes. I like the look of *some* sidewall - not too skinny, not too fat.

IMO this is the biggest factor in going to 18" rims. Not living someplace where there's enough large potholes to matter, I'm fine with 19" rims. But if I was still in upstate NY with snow and rain gutting the roads annually, I'd already be into something like 18" to reduce the odds of an inevitable bent rim. I've personally bent 15" rims a long while back thanks to the potholes and nighttime/not seeing them.

The drop in handling performance depends on what tires you're using and if you're pushing the car to its limits.

 

[turboAWD]

I really like how this looks. Which wheel is that?

Info is 2 posts above the pic:
Enkei TY-5 in gloss black. IIRC, the weights are tire weights.
245/40-18 653.2 (-1.21%) 23 lbs 18x8.5 ET+35
285/35-18 656.7 (-0.7%) 27 lbs 18x9.5 ET+35

 

[87and66]

Welp, here you go. A stinger with 22” wheels. Barf.

Xtreme Kustoms Wheels Inc. on Instagram: "Xtreme Kustoms Wheels 2022 Kia Stinger on 22imch Forgiato 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Call 708-713-4447 #xk #xkw #custom #Forgiato #kia #kiastinger #rims #xkwheels #xkwheelguys #flywhips #streetwhipz #whipz #DreamWorks #cars

1,411 likes, 27 comments - xtremekustomswheels on October 7, 2021: "Xtreme Kustoms Wheels 2022 Kia Stinger on 22imch Forgiato 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Call 708-713-4447 #xk #xkw #custom #Forgiato #kia #kiastinger #rims #xkwheels #xkwheelguys #flywhips #streetwhipz #whipz #DreamWorks #cars #customcars".

www.instagram.com

 

[JSolo]

^^IL tags. Hope he got the extra wheel/tire insurance.

 

[tothelandofnod]

Except in wet, more sidewall aids in cornering, the same flex you don't want during dry helps in wet, tested by various tire manufacturers and reviewers. Ideally for dry traction at the limit, you want the skinniest tires on the widest wheels, for stiff sidewall, but we are a long way from being able to maximize that. 225s are comically undersized for a vehicle of this weight if performance is a consideration, so going to wider tires will help significantly in all sorts of situations, braking, accelerating (putting power down), cornering, etc.

Smaller wheels always accelerate better, so there's that. Rotational mass is a big deal, 5lbs off each isn't much weight overall, but it's rotational weight, and that's a big deal.

I think the large-wheel fads are out of control on some cars, 20" and bigger is just ridiculous, especially because they don't maximize the other aspects first, the wide wheels, skinny tires, low profile, light weight, etc. They just do it for looks and it starts to look ridiculous after a while, as performance is suffering.

I went with 18" square 8.5s with 255s, so I can rotate them around completely.

View attachment 63961

Except in wet, more sidewall aids in cornering, the same flex you don't want during dry helps in wet, tested by various tire manufacturers and reviewers. Ideally for dry traction at the limit, you want the skinniest tires on the widest wheels, for stiff sidewall, but we are a long way from being able to maximize that. 225s are comically undersized for a vehicle of this weight if performance is a consideration, so going to wider tires will help significantly in all sorts of situations, braking, accelerating (putting power down), cornering, etc.

Smaller wheels always accelerate better, so there's that. Rotational mass is a big deal, 5lbs off each isn't much weight overall, but it's rotational weight, and that's a big deal.

I think the large-wheel fads are out of control on some cars, 20" and bigger is just ridiculous, especially because they don't maximize the other aspects first, the wide wheels, skinny tires, low profile, light weight, etc. They just do it for looks and it starts to look ridiculous after a while, as performance is suffering.

I went with 18" square 8.5s with 255s, so I can rotate them around completely.

View attachment 63961

What was exact tire size did you use? 255/40-18s?

 

[RM7]

What was exact tire size did you use? 255/40-18s?

On 8.5s, yes. Only a 0.2% diameter change, which is basically nothing with tire variance. I think it's like 0.06" or something, not significant.

 

[turboAWD]

On 8.5s, yes. Only a 0.2% diameter change, which is basically nothing with tire variance. I think it's like 0.06" or something, not significant.

What offsets, and did you run a spacer?

 

[RM7]

What offsets, and did you run a spacer?

35mm, no spacer. Just clears. Would not go more offset. The struts angle away from the rim as you go higher, so with a 19" there will be more clearance, the strut seems the closest thing for this setup.

 

[crazytrainkid]

Already stated here by others but better durability, ride, weight and price also straightline traction may be better as well.View attachment 64002 Personally i like the look better too. The sidewall stiffness on our 19s is a demishing return imho. I can get similar performance with a slightly taller sidewall on the 18s. Its not like we're downgrading to 15s or something where sidewall flex is super noticable.

what wheels do you have? Fellow Indigo owner here, thinking of downsizing to bronze 18s