Any regrets going w/ 20's over 18's

ecko51 · Feb 17, 2007

I am on the fence as to go with 20's or 18's.

My car is not lowered yet but I plan on doing an Eibach pro kit .

thanks Mike

JTGrant · Feb 17, 2007

less power to the ground

ecko51 · Feb 18, 2007

Is it power you can feel or just track times?

kooldawg6 · Feb 18, 2007

ecko51 said:
Is it power you can feel or just track times?

I would probably say both unless you get some light weight race wheels. To offset the weight gain from the 20's, you could swap out your steel driveshaft for the aluminum one and may still actually gain some performance.

JTGrant · Feb 18, 2007

I hate bench racing but I read an article about a year ago in Motortrend (I think). Where they tested the new mustang, Saleen Mustang (325hp) and several others. Even though the Saleen had 3.73 gears (If I remember correctly) and UDP the stock mustang was still I bit faster (By a couples of tenths).

mikes06gt · Feb 18, 2007

ecko51 I have the sportline springs, anti roll kit , and steeda camber adjusters that I bought for my car and I am not going to use if you want them let me know

ADRENLN · Feb 19, 2007

the 20's might look nice but they will make the car feel a bit more sluggish. when i changed from 17s to 18s i noticed a tiny difference even though i knew about this before i bought 18s. i tried everything to not loose acceleration. i bought expensive light wheels. the wheels were actually lighter then stock for how wide they were, the wider tires is where all the weight came from.

it made the car a bit more sluggish from a stop. aluminum d/s and 3.73 and the problem was solved and then some.

kooldawg6 · Feb 19, 2007

ADRENLN said:
...the wider tires is where all the weight came from.

It also added rolling resistance as well.

A&B 06GT · Feb 19, 2007

ive got 20s and my performance with them is good but i have been thinking about getting some 18's so i can mount some DR's on them

cLeAnRaCiNgLdR · Feb 20, 2007

I personally have not noticed any difference performance wise with 20's... if there was any... the pro-kit I installed made up for the difference. If I were to go with 18's I would consider a more aggressive drop though, maybe the sportlines.

I am going to the track saturday for the first time with the wheels/springs and will see if I can achieve my 13.4 that I hit with stock wheels. I'll let you know what happens.

mustangmike6996 · Feb 21, 2007

i have driven the crap outta my car with the 17s and the 20s one it. less wheel hope with the 20s about hte same accleration. sportier conering. a little rougher ride ( i keep my tires at 38 psi) watch out for potholes tho. i do notice something odd with the stock 17s tho. it seems to "gallop" over bumps like the front bounces then rear then front then rear then settles ( i forgot the term for this)

go with 20s in my opinion. plus they look nice

i have 20x8 black bullet 38mm offset
255/35/20 toyo proxes4, very good combo, stock overall height

traded5.0 · Feb 21, 2007

I have 19s and can tell a difference. I got 275 35s in the back on a ten inch wide wheel. So that was some extra weight. There isnt a huge difference but I can tell that it doesnt chirp the tire as easily as it did before with the tiny wheel and tires. But that could also be because I now have more tire contacting the ground. Looks good though. I never would go back...

ecko51 · Feb 22, 2007

I guess w/ the 19's you found a happy medium. A larger wheel but you still have some meat rapped around it.
I just wish the choices were'nt so limited.

Thanks for everyone insight.

Mike

ALLOY2007GT · Feb 22, 2007

Facts:

20's will give you worse gas mileage, slower acceleration, decreased braking performance, rougher ride, more stress on drivetrain all due to increased rotational mass, decreased tire life and much greater potential to scratch and damage rim lip.

Not to mention more expensive tire replacements and higher initial cost.

You will notice all of these factors with 20's are the cons versus going with 18's.

The only pro i can think of would be a personal liking of the look of a larger rim, which tends to be the greatest factor in deciding which size to go.

Opinion:

They look too gangsta'd out with 20" rims. 19 is a maximum i would ever go, but 18's are what i will go with. The look of a fat tire, and a good amount of sidewall looks tough especially with th BFG KDW.

ALLOY2007GT · Feb 22, 2007

ADRENLN said:
the 20's might look nice but they will make the car feel a bit more sluggish. when i changed from 17s to 18s i noticed a tiny difference even though i knew about this before i bought 18s. i tried everything to not loose acceleration. i bought expensive light wheels. the wheels were actually lighter then stock for how wide they were, the wider tires is where all the weight came from.

it made the car a bit more sluggish from a stop. aluminum d/s and 3.73 and the problem was solved and then some.

Anytime you focus the weight of something further away from the center of rotation it takes more energy to accelerate and decelerate the rotation. Even with a wheel that weighs the same but the weight is further away from the center of rotation you will have decreased performance.

Word on the DS and gears. they are a must if someone decides to go 20"

Nice looking car too Adrenaline

RandyB · Feb 22, 2007

I think 19s are perfect for the S-197, IMO. Yes, tire sizes are a bit limited right now but they had exactly what I wanted. Shameless self-plug forthcoming:

View attachment 401917

gaberubin · Feb 24, 2007

i love my 20s...unless you're serious about racing and track times, i seriously doubt you'll notice a difference in performance. the ride is a bit rougher, but you can always pick up tire with a slightly softer sidewall if it bothers you.

dmaxstang · Feb 24, 2007

ALLOY2007GT said:
Facts:

20's will give you worse gas mileage, slower acceleration, decreased braking performance, rougher ride, more stress on drivetrain all due to increased rotational mass, decreased tire life and much greater potential to scratch and damage rim lip.

All of the above mentioned problems will cost you approximately $2500.

Having people stop and take photos of their kids with your car, PRICELESS. Buy the 20's.

mustangmike6996 · Feb 24, 2007

dmaxstang said:
ALLOY2007GT said:

Facts:

20's will give you worse gas mileage, slower acceleration, decreased braking performance, rougher ride, more stress on drivetrain all due to increased rotational mass, decreased tire life and much greater potential to scratch and damage rim lip.

All of the above mentioned problems will cost you approximately $2500.

Having people stop and take photos of their kids with your car, PRICELESS. Buy the 20's.

Click to expand...

i work at a wheel and tire shop. 19s are very expensive to replace. the difference between 19s and 20s is practically nothing. you have more options as for styles to choose from in 20s

you can get a larger (whatever saleen has) tire then offset the speedo for it if rim damge is a problem...but why are you not avoiding potholes to begin with?

yes the mustangs have 18s on them now. with the next body change you can count on 20s i can almost garauntee it.. look at the srt-8 .... 20 inch wheels. saleen...20 inch...the parnelli boss has 19s but look at the ride height on it!

i haves 20s and absolutly love them.

GalaxieWarrior · Feb 26, 2007

I just wish I could fit 15s on all four corners. Otherwise I would have already done it. I really regret getting the 18s I have now and would have stayed with the 17" stockers if I had a chance to order my stang again.

Any regrets going w/ 20's over 18's

ecko51

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JTGrant

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ecko51

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kooldawg6

mine works really well and can take a fair amount

JTGrant

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kooldawg6

mine works really well and can take a fair amount

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