18" Wheels vs. 20"'s

[Bill220]

At some point soon I'm going to get wider wheels & tires for my car. Most likely a 18X10 square setup. Not so much for looks but for handling. I have the standard 18”X8.5” wheels on the car now and I'm looking for more grip. I see a lot of guys on here are running 20's. Is it for looks, handling or both?


Would a 10” wheel in the front cause tramlining?


Also, at some point I'm going to install a PD blower on the car which will require a wider tire but do I need to go 20”?


I don't ¼ mile my car or auto-X it, I'm just looking for better handling for the street. I figure that the 18” wheels/tires would weigh a lot less than the 20” and be cheaper to replace so why go bigger?

 

[Makdaddy]

At some point soon I'm going to get wider wheels & tires for my car. Most likely a 18X10 square setup. Not so much for looks but for handling. I have the standard 18”X8.5” wheels on the car now and I'm looking for more grip. I see a lot of guys on here are running 20's. Is it for looks, handling or both?


Would a 10” wheel in the front cause tramlining?


Also, at some point I'm going to install a PD blower on the car which will require a wider tire but do I need to go 20”?


I don't ¼ mile my car or auto-X it, I'm just looking for better handling for the street. I figure that the 18” wheels/tires would weigh a lot less than the 20” and be cheaper to replace so why go bigger?

You should be fine on the 18,s
and for size I have seen 345 on the rear in 18,s So there is no size limitation Ill try to find the thread.

I run 20,s for the looks
But they handle just fine for me with 35 series tires if you go 20 dont run 30 series

 

[Bill220]

Thanks Makdaddy. I just have to find the wheels now, ha ha. I have a '09 Bullitt and want to keep the same look but with wider wheels.

 

[Godzirra]

I have 18x9 with 275 on front and 18x11 with 335 on back, car tramlines like hell

 

[retfr8flyr]

I run 18x9's with 255/45 and the car drives great. In the warm months I run 18x9 in the front and 18x10 in the rear with 255/45 front and M/T 305/45 on the rear and the car still handles well.

Unless you just like the looks of the 20's I would stay with the 18's. I personally am not a big fan of the 20's and other such large wheel combo's. I guess it just depends on what you like.


Earl

 

[Bill220]

I have 18x9 with 275 on front and 18x11 with 335 on back, car tramlines like hell

Think maybe it's because that rears are wider than the fronts?

I run 18x9's with 255/45 and the car drives great. In the warm months I run 18x9 in the front and 18x10 in the rear with 255/45 front and M/T 305/45 on the rear and the car still handles well.

Unless you just like the looks of the 20's I would stay with the 18's. I personally am not a big fan of the 20's and other such large wheel combo's. I guess it just depends on what you like.


Earl

Thanks Earl.

I'm not a big fan of the 20's either and wondered if there was anything to be had from them in the way of handling since so many people have or want them.

I live in PA so my car doesn't see much use at all during the winter so I'm looking for a combo that I can just run all year.

 

[VectorPat]

Nope, I have 275s all around and mine tramlines pretty bad on less than perfect roads. I also run 305s on the back for track tires and it tramlines the same. I'm going to try 255s on the front and 305s in back, I'm hoping that helps its some.

 

[Phuck Phace]

20's for show, 18's for go.

 

[19COBRA93]

I run 18x10's with 295's all the way around and it doesn't really tramline. Sometimes on highly rutted roads I can feel it, but generally it's non existent.

 

[bullitt6019]

Would 19's be a compromise between "show" and "go"?

 

[Riptide]

18s look better than 20s IMO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatwat

 

[ct07gt]

I am on the Roush 18x10 cast wheels with 275s front and rear, no real problem with tramlining or bumpsteer. 18" wheels give you the most options for tires, and will be generally less expensive.

 

[OkieSnuffBox]

18" wheels give you the most options for tires, and will be generally less expensive.

For what? Drag? Track? UHP or EXP summer tires?

There doesn't seem to be a lot of options for UHP and stickier tires in proper Mustang O.D. at 18"

 

[mfergel]

Would 19's be a compromise between "show" and "go"?

That's what I decided. Guess the issue is limited availability of tires and wheel styles for some folks. I like having a little more rubber to smooth out the ride, especially on a lowered vehicle.

 

[TGR96]

I went from 18's to 20's, admittedly because of the look. I also assumed that it would handle better, since there would be less sidewall. But the car seems sluggish with the 20's, especially at low speed, low steering input manuevers. I assume because of the weight of the 20's. When I put on stock 18" Fan blades for autocrossing, the streering response is obvious. Plus, being lowered, the ride is rough as crap. My wife hates riding in the thing because it rides so rough, and sadly, some days, I do too. There's just no sidewall to help absorb the bumps. Although I love the way the car looks, if I had it to do all over agin, I would have stayed with 18's.

19's would be a good compromise, but from what I have seen, tire prices for 19's are still pretty high.

 

[MikuhlBrian]

In the last two years, I've had the stock 18" Bullitts, 19" 2010 GT Prem wheels, and now 20" wheels. I went with the 19s as a compromise between looks and performance, but like it was said before... very limited in tire selection and I found that tires were more expensive for this. The 18's weigh less (not sure of exact weight), but my 19" with used pirellis weighed in at 54 lbs... and the 20" with new tires weighs in at 62 lbs a piece. I do notice that it is slightly sluggish off the line with the added weight, but I really enjoy the looks of the 20s on the car.

 

[Bill220]

I'm gonna stick with 18's and a square setup.

Thanks everyone!

 

[908ssp]

20" look better than 18". They make the whole car look smaller and more sporty. And for the street they are more than fast enough. For the track I'd get 18" probably a 18x10 or 18x11 all the way around. They lower the car, increase the rear end ratio, are cheaper to buy and can be lighter over all. But they look silly; but on the track I don't care how they look only about how fast they are.

 

[ct07gt]

For what? Drag? Track? UHP or EXP summer tires?

There doesn't seem to be a lot of options for UHP and stickier tires in proper Mustang O.D. at 18"

I am on 275/35/18 and there are a lot of choices, 275/40/18 is closer to stock diameter but there are still some good tires out there. I don't know how wide your wheels are though.

What kind of tire are you looking for? I don't drag race, but I do autocross quite a bit and there are a lot of tires out there in the sizes I want.

 

[OkieSnuffBox]

I am on 275/35/18 and there are a lot of choices.

Like I said, near-stock O.D.

275/35/18s are 1.6" shorter than stock (255/40/19).....helps with the gearing, but it looks ridiculous unless you are slammed. I care about looks since it will be mainly a street car with only the occasional HPDE (I have a Miata track rat)

I'm ordering my '13 GT w/ the track pack this weekend, so I've been researching what wheels to replace the stock boat anchors.

I love a square 18x10" setup for weight/rotation, but I'd really like a 285/295 wide tire as close to stock O.D. as possible. So moderate lowering will close up the fender gap and leave some supsension travel.