Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

[pathology knight]

Hey guys, i'm looking at getting some rims put one and was wondering if you go up to an 18-20", is it a good idea to upgrade to bigger brakes?

I'm also having a hard time figuring out what size to go. 18" on all 4's? 17's up front and 19" in the back?
i know 19" are pretty tough to find and the tires can be freakin' $$$$.
what about 18's and 20's?

I asked around about droppingthe back 1" or so, and i was told not to and that the car would handle and drive like crap. The problem i'm having is the huge gap in the rear (lol). I think 18's with some 40-45's would be fine, but i don't know about the rear. i'd hate to do the same size rim and then different tires to fill the gap.....if i was going to do diff sizes, i'd do bigger rims in back.

HELP!

Can you guys show me some pics with what you've done so i can get a better idea of things will look like?
thanks.

[dgreet77]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

I have 18"s all around...photos on my fquick...www.fquick.com/97wyobird

[pace2006]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

If your car is a 98+, then there's really no need for bigger brakes. You could upgrade to the C5 setup if you wanted to spend money, but honestly the stock brakes should be good enough with some quality pads and clean fluid.

Pretty straight forward if you want the same size wheel all around. Anything bigger than 18" begins to look a little too big. If you're wanting a staggered look, then 17"/18" is a good combo, or even an 18"/19" wheel combo. Anything bigger would probably be too much. If you want a bigger wheel/tire combo in the back, you'll want to invest in some good shocks/springs that don't drop the rear too much.

[kristen]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

i think that 17s look the best. 18's are ok. anything over is wayyyyyy too much for an f body

[Frechles71]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

I run 18s all around in the summer and the stock size caliper set-up is enough for me...

My stock rims with winter tires are actually bigger in diamtere and heavier than my 18s with low pros


if your worried about it... start stopping sooner... be a smart driver, dont blame the car

[BallerMaro13]

A quick word of advice pathology knight---pretend rims over 18" don't even exist for our cars, unless you're going for all show and no go, and want to spend waaaay too much money. Stick to 17's or 18's...I have mine lowered close to 2" (between 1.5-2.0) with 17x9.5's on all corners and it turned out perfect.

I've been tuning up my suspension also and it's really made a major improvement in handling...so the only way your buddy would be right is if you dropped the car without any supporting mods (adj. panhard, lca's, brackets, maybe sfc's, etc) and expected a nice ride.

here's mine with the 17's...I really doubt I'd go any bigger unless I was putting down serious power, so save the 19's for a vette.

[pathology knight]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

i don't plan on lowering the car any...it's low enough as it is. besides, like you said, i don't have any of the support stuff.
i keep leaning towards 17" and 19", but they are tougher to find, have less options, and cost more than 18" and 20"...but i know 20" are to big. i just like the look of the 2 size difference. i can't really tell that much between 1+ size.

i'll keep looking at see what i can figure out.

[BallerMaro13]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

odd sizes are more expensive, so you might as well even it out to 17/18 staggered instead of those drastic sizes. your best options would be either 17's all around or 17/18 if you want staggered, no need for 19" wheels unless you plan to show the car and cruise.

17/18 would also open up a world of options on tires for you, and even the 18's start getting rather pricey...when i was looking at 18x10.5 rears, the tires i wanted were close to 300 a piece. no thank you.

[pathology knight]

Re: Big rims?...new brakes too? HELP!

around here, 18's are pretty cheap.

i decided i'm going to try that heater hose mode and then go with 18's at all 4's. i only wanted the bigger rims in the back to fill up more of the 4x4 gap without going to a big profile tire wall. hopefully if it all works out right, a little lower rear will make it look better and i can go with the same size all around.
if lowering the front wasn't such a pain (and costly) i'd go 16's and 18's.
17's and 18's just don't show enough of a difference. the 2+ look is really sweet.