so i was pretty set on a set of 17's. but it seems that tires for 17's are usually 1-2 lbs heavier than tires for 18's.

and 18" wheels are generally 1-2lbs heavier than 17" wheels..

so i wonder, which is better? anyone have any insight

 

for 17's of the same rolling diameter as 18's what you say sounds logical .
Which is better depends on what you are after : looks , comfort , hanling , gearing ........ etc

 

sorry should have been more specific.

yea, same rolling diameter, same as stock rolling diameter also. gearing will be the same.

looks wise i like functional setups. setups that look like they mean business. like rpf1's in 18x9.5 with 275's

comfort doesn't matter.

handling is what i'm after. weight put aside i think the 18's would be a hair better in the handling department because of the smaller sidewalls. would be less flex.

and generally it seems that both 17's and 18's would end up weighing the same with the tires mounted.

i guess the only thing missing is .. what's better in the long run..

more sidewall flex and the weight concentrated closer to the hub.

or less sidewall flex and the weight a little further from the hub.

 

if comfort is not a worry you should go with 18's - a lower profile tyre will generally outperform a higher one .

I'm going with 17's for my track setup because I can get wider tyres with lower gearing than stock ...

 

go for the 17s the only thing is that they do look noticeably smaller than normal on the rx8.

 

yea i figured they would but i cant seem to find any pics with the tire size i'm after. i found one guy that had 17's but the aspect ratio was off by quite a bit. so they looks tiny.

other than that no one seems to have 17's unless it's a winter setup