Subcompact Culture

I'm having great internal conflict right now trying to decide whether or not to sell my 18s for something smaller and lighter weight. The 18s do make the car turn better, but I know they're kinda heavy, more rotating mass, etc., etc. so acceleration might be affected.

I got to thinking — what's the best wheel and tire size for handling? Not ride quality, not road nosise — strictly performance.

15s, 16s, 17, 18s?

I'm going to say either a 15x7 or 16x7 because of the lower overall wight and rotating mass with a 205/55/15 or 205/50/16.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

RTon20s

If I were going strictly for performance I would lean toward a lightweight 16" wheel. You get a slightly reduced sidewall which will help, but a fairly small diameter to help reduce weight. Tire selection is very important as well. You will likely have to sacrifice tread wear for better performance.

I have always been partial to the Nitto 555 tire. Unfortunately the only 16" size they have is 205/45/16 which is a slightly smaller diameter than stock. I have also heard good things about the Nitto Neo Gen, but have never personally run them. Those are available in a 205/45/16 and a 205/50/16.

ctruss

I read an article a few years back where they took a VW Jetta around a track on 15", 16", 17", and 18" wheels to see what was best and how one was better than the other.

15" wheels allowed the car to post the fastest lap time due to their light weight. The 16" wheels allowed for the highest cornering speeds. And the 17's and 18's were a waste because the short sidewalls made the tires too stiff and the extra weight of the wheels slowed the car down.

RTon20s

Well then, there you have it. I would still stick with the 16s though. The xB's forte seems to be cornering much more so than straight line speed. I would do everything I could to help the car shine at it's strongest point.

shangtsung

14"

TXboxdriver

16's!!!! with a 205-50 is a nice comfy ride and still fun in the twisties

DeansBlackBox

215-45- tire

on a 17" wheel

I wouldn't go any smaller.

I downsized from 18's on 215-35-series to this set up with a better shock and strut set up. I installed monroe sensa track shocks and struts and my car rides sooo comfy and handles like a race car.....the 17 does look smaller than a 18 and is very noticeable so I wouldn't go to a 16....17" is a good compromise.