OK auto experts, what are the pro's and con's vis a vis 18 inch wheel sizes and 17 inch wheel sizes? In Bangkok, which makes the most sense? I just came back from the auto show and am looking at a vehicle where I have the option (at a higher cost, of course) of the larger wheel size. I really don't know much about this and value your opinions.

Thanks in advance.

Larger wheel size means lower profile tires, which;

a) will give you more road noise within the cabin

be more expensive to replace

c) may be prone to aquaplaning or other problems from having a too large surface area.

d) will have less give in the tires due to lower profile so will be quite a bit harder ride.

Larger wheel size means lower profile tires, which;

a) will give you more road noise within the cabin

be more expensive to replace

c) may be prone to aquaplaning or other problems from having a too large surface area.

d) will have less give in the tires due to lower profile so will be quite a bit harder ride.

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The vehicle is a Freelander (Land Rover) so its all wheel drive should negate ©. I test drove a Freelander with a 16 inch wheel, which seemed kind of soft to me. The sales people told us that 17 and 18 inch wheel sizes would be a harder ride (our preference). I surmised (, but had no idea of (a).

I very much appreciate your input.

I was generally talking about cars, because 4WD type vehichles have much larger overall wheel size the points I have mentioned would be of a much lesser degree.

Go for the 18", but make sure that they retain the original diameter of the whole wheel/tire combination, Else they will muck up your geering, odometer etc...

There are also some advantages to large alloy wheels, other than the fact that they look.. "tight" or whatever they'd say on pimp my ride. They tend to give you better road holding because of the firmer ride, and usually hold wider tires, which gives more grip.

Having said that, I don't see them being any advantage on a SUV. I know 18 isn't all that big for a SUV but the freelander isn't exactly a big machine either. In Bangkok I think you'll just feel the bumps more solidly than you would with 16 or 17" rims. And the whole point of having a 4wd (to take it off-road) would be gone, because you'd be too afraid to damage you're big wheels.

Other disadvantages... alloy wheels can break! Friend of mine ran over a dog and it cracked his rim!

So i would say, it's totally up to you. If you are more concerned about looks than anything else, go for 18". If you are planning on going off-road or running over dogs, or would like a quieter, smother ride, then get slightly smaller rims.

Might want to test drive to be sure?

18" wheels will improve looks and handling characteristics to a certain extent. With the larger wheel, you are susceptible to more bumpy ride being the more agressive stance.

However since you are driving an SUV, to be honest, the 1" difference will not be that noticable (given all other OEM parts remain the same). If you want to upgrade, I'd suggest looking into 2 or 3-piece forged wheels. They look great and are very strong from the start.

People say the road noise will be louder, but it is really dependent on what tires you will be using. Don't forget if you do decide to get new rims/tires, that you pay attention to the offset and fitting the proper tire size should you go with wider wheels.

Good luck

I bought a 16 inch set of alloy wheels and wide tires for a Nissan NV. I was pretty skeptical about clearance and told the guy that I would take the set if the clearance was OK. He kept saying NO PROBLEM. He went ahead and mounted the tires and put them on the Nissan. He was right, NO PROBLEM. He then told me that he put an identical set on another NV last week. I thought it rode the same and noticed no road noise. The difference in handling was very noticeable. Better.

18" wheels will improve looks and handling characteristics to a certain extent.  With the larger wheel, you are susceptible to more bumpy ride being the more agressive stance.

However since you are driving an SUV, to be honest, the 1" difference will not be that noticable (given all other OEM parts remain the same).  If you want to upgrade, I'd suggest looking into 2 or 3-piece forged wheels.  They look great and are very strong from the start.

People say the road noise will be louder, but it is really dependent on what tires you will be using.  Don't forget if you do decide to get new rims/tires, that you pay attention to the offset and fitting the proper tire size should you go with wider wheels. 

Good luck

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pay attention to the offset and fitting the proper tire size . 

Ah Good..... someone who knows what he is talking about

Changing wheel dimensions can upset suspension geometry.

The offset will alter your scrub radius, alter the effective leverage that the wishbone exerts on the springs/torsion bars and alter the load on the wheel bearings.

On a freelander wich is quite a highrider the 18 inch wouldn't oppset the susp that much. But changing from 16 to 17 inch is just bu##sh#t you wouldn't even see the difference. For that cool look you should go with chrome 19 inch. And also lowering the chassie and paint it all black with tinted windows, remove the spare wheel, dump your engine cause it's just absolute cr#p and put on as much chromeparts as you possible can. Anything moore.............?

There is a lot of good advice here, which I greatly appreciate. I understand that our two biggest concerns would be mucking up the suspension, geering etc., and possibly breaking the alloy wheels if we go offroad. The 18 inch wheels are coming as part of an upgrade package offered by Land Rover on the Freelander in Thailand, which is assembled here. I will check with the people at Land Rover Thailand (i.e. not the dealer) to make sure that this vehicle can handle the larger size wheels.

My wife and I will certainly keep the possibility of wheel breakage in mind if we go offroad, but it sounds like poor road conditions would also be a big risk to the bigger wheels, so we will keep this in mind as well.

Again, thanks for the great advice.

Sawaddi Khrup.