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Why are 17s not a good idea , anybody ??



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  PB Clio 172
some people have mentioned the price of 17's I have compared them with the 16's from factory standard

using Avon ZZ3(as an example)

17's- 205/40/17- £66
16's- 205/45/16- £81.70
 
  S4 Avant
I've had 17s 16s and 15s on the Clio

17s are too big, rub and give a s**te crashy ride.
16s are an ideal compromise between ride and handling. But are expensive for tyres.
15s have more sidewall flex and better ride and cheaper tyres.

...I have 17s on the S4 however, with sensible 45 profile tyres they're fine.
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
I knew that...but I'd have thought the 45 profiles would have been more common what with 40 being a 'proper' low profile side wall?

205/40/17 have always been fairly cheap IME, varies from brand to brand though.

205/45/16 isnt particularly a common size.

195/50/15 will normally be cheaper than both by a reasonable margin.
 
  impreza wagon S2000
205/40/17 have always been fairly cheap IME, varies from brand to brand though.

205/45/16 isnt particularly a common size.

195/50/15 will normally be cheaper than both by a reasonable margin.

furry muff, I can only go with my own experiences...215x40x17s on the wagon have always been a premium but I guess that's down to the 215 rather than the 40 :)
 
  Fiesta ST2 MP215
225/45/17's aren't bad, My old Civic had them on and can usual get Khumo Ecstas for around £70 each, very common size too.
 
  impreza wagon S2000
225/45/17's aren't bad, My old Civic had them on and can usual get Khumo Ecstas for around £70 each, very common size too.

with a car like the 1*2 cost is the least important factor...all about the driving experiecne imho :)
 
  PB Clio 172
I've had 17s 16s and 15s on the Clio

17s are too big, rub and give a s**te crashy ride.
16s are an ideal compromise between ride and handling. But are expensive for tyres.
15s have more sidewall flex and better ride and cheaper tyres.

...I have 17s on the S4 however, with sensible 45 profile tyres they're fine.

17's do not rub if fitted with the correct offset! and do not give a so called 'crashy ride'

I do LOL at this if 17's rub on your 1*2 then something is wrong and its not the wheel size....
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
17's do not rub if fitted with the correct offset! and do not give a so called 'crashy ride'

I do LOL at this if 17's rub on your 1*2 then something is wrong and its not the wheel size....


Your tyre size is slightly bigger than 16" tyres for a clio, and a fair bit bigger than 15", so if its a lowered car, especially if its got the extra caster arms, it will rub more easily with your tyre size than with the 16 and especially the 15.

all down to what car they are going on and how high it is etc though.
 
  Fiesta ST2 MP215
^ Well that's exactly the problem not all 17's are the same size, buying random 17's out of the back of Revs magazine like so many back in the day encountered exactly that, to the point where garages had arch rollers readily available, Rule of thumb however was also was to get the skinniest wheels you could afford with the biggest diameter to look boss like, we all remember the days of Saxos on 19's.
 
  PB Clio 172
yeah I agree with that just things on CS sometimes get taken as general facts

i.e 17's look gash, 17's wont fit, 17's wreck arch liners, 17's are expensive, 17's handle crap etc.

of course 17's are 'more likely to rub' yes its common sense. But a normal 1*2 you can lower it and 17's will be fine
 
  PB Clio 172
^ Well that's exactly the problem not all 17's are the same size, buying random 17's out of the back of Revs magazine like so many back in the day encountered exactly that, to the point where garages had arch rollers readily available, Rule of thumb however was also was to get the skinniest wheels you could afford with the biggest diameter to look boss like, we all remember the days of Saxos on 19's.

I remember those days...

my 'random' wheels came from Wheelbase, get the correct fitment, offset etc. and Bobs your uncle

of course buying random 17's off e bay is asking for trouble
 
  Listerine & Poledo
TO be totally un-clio about it

I had 16s on Listerine.
Then I got a job and bolted on some Enkei 15s

and not only is every tyre £30 cheaper, but 1/2 the rattles of the car have gone.

there's no need for big wheels unless you're proper sik baller. Even F1 doesn't use 17s FFS, and they know a good sight more about going quickly than a shopping hatch

EDIT: Highly expecting this post to get pulled for lack of bummage to the Clio
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
F1 is a crap example, as they have specifically been told in the rules Section 12.4.4 that they have to be 358mm outer rim diameter. And they are very light, and have much wider tyres as well, its a totally different scenario and utterly of no use for comparison.

If they had more choice they would quite possibly go bigger, and they definitely would if they had choice on brake size too!
 
  Listerine & Poledo
FFS Chip.

As it happens, F1 teams dont want to go up to 18s, as it will mean a whole new suspension philosophy as 90% of their compliance would be lost.

But, back to the point, massive wheels are great for concept cars.

concept.
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
FFS Chip.

As it happens, F1 teams dont want to go up to 18s, as it will mean a whole new suspension philosophy as 90% of their compliance would be lost.

Oh right, thanks for the correction, I must have misread the bit where they are allowed 18s, thanks for correcting me.

So easy to misread things when there is contrasting info:

12.4.4 Wheel dimensions and geometry must comply with the following specifications :
- the minimum wheel thickness is 3.0mm ;
- the minimum bead thickness is 4.0mm (measured from hump to outer edge of the lip) ;
- the ETRTO standard bead profile is prescribed ;
- the tyre mounting widths are 12” (304.8mm +/-0.5mm) front; 13.7” (348.0mm +/-0.5mm) rear ;
- the wheel lip thickness is 9mm (+/-1mm) ;
- the outer lip diameter is 358mm (+/-1mm) ;
- a lip recess of maximum 1.0mm depth between a radius of 165mm and a radius of 173mm from wheel axis is permitted (for wheel branding, logo, part number, etc) ;
- with the exception of the wheel lip, only a single turned profile with a maximum thickness of 8mm is allowed radially outboard of the exclusion zones specified in Article 12.4.5 ;
- the design of the wheel must meet the general requirements of the tyre supplier for the mounting and dismounting of tyres including allowance for sensors and valves ;
- the wheel design cannot be handed between left and right designs.
- for teams that want to be wikid init bruv, 18" rims are allowed so long as they are chromed spinners
 

McGherkin

Macca fan boiiiii
ClioSport Club Member
Sorry Goodj, you're wrong on that one. If you look at most GT/touring car classes where rim size is not so restricted you'll find they use huge ones.

As I said in my earlier detailed post, they are better for grip on smooth prepared surfaces but provide less feedback and aren't as good on rougher surfaces.
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
Sorry Goodj, you're wrong on that one. If you look at most GT/touring car classes where rim size is not so restricted you'll find they use huge ones.

As I said in my earlier detailed post, they are better for grip on smooth prepared surfaces but provide less feedback and aren't as good on rougher surfaces.

Although they go big, they dont do so with very tiny small sidewalls generally, normally they will have the 4" or so that you get on the Clio 172 with 195/50/15 tyres.

Spyker-C8-Aileron-GT-race-car-2-650x423.jpg
 
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davo172

ClioSport Club Member
  TCR'd 172
I've never driven a 172/182 on 17s, but I seriously doubt there's any substance to the statement "17s handle better".

As far as I can tell the only reason you'd want 17s would be for the looks because in almost every other way there's no tangible benefit.

Downside is the cost of tyres versus going the other way and using 15s.

17s on your ST arnt they ?
 
  PB Clio 172
TO be totally un-clio about it

I had 16s on Listerine.
Then I got a job and bolted on some Enkei 15s

and not only is every tyre £30 cheaper, but 1/2 the rattles of the car have gone.

there's no need for big wheels unless you're proper sik baller. Even F1 doesn't use 17s FFS, and they know a good sight more about going quickly than a shopping hatch

EDIT: Highly expecting this post to get pulled for lack of bummage to the Clio

so now I better compare my road going Clio to an F1 car........ 17's is hardly 'big wheels' and am I bothered about speed on a road car? nope!

also on that front BTCC cars use 18's and the S-2000 use an older 17 inch wheel
 
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  impreza wagon S2000
so now I better compare my road going Clio to an F1 car........ 17's is hardly 'big wheels' and am I bothered about speed on a road car? nope!

also on that front BTCC cars use 18's and the S-2000 use an older 17 inch wheel

Using race cars as an analogy sucks; they are designed for tracks which are -generally- smoother environments...it's not speed it's about compliance, feedback and dressing appropriately for the conditions i.e. our crap roads...that is all assuming the drive is more important than running huge rims ;)
 
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