Hello! I'm planning to get myself compo MO's for christmas And was wondering which would be the best size to go for in respect of acceleration/handling etc as i want to do some track days with you lovely folk

I know the 18's would fill the arches better but im planning to get coilovers next year so the 17's would be ok if i decked it a bit!!! lol

WHAT DO I DO???????

Thank you, DAVE

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Corner Bro #2

On a 185 I'd say 17's would be a reasonable choice

Co-incidentally this is also a common size for part worn slicks

Depends what you want, the look or the ride quality.

The larger the wheel you go for the more you will compromise the smoothness of the ride.

Go for 17s

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JDM ST205 (286bhp and 281lb/ft)
JDM ST202 (Finally sold )
1982 Pontiac Trans Am 5.7L V8 (See my website)

Im getting 17"s on my 185, hopefully by wednesday i will have them on. cant wait, so excited, i will post up some pics as soon as there on

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Dave, I've had both 17's (TTE 17x7.5 ET35 shod with Toyo T1-R) and 18's (OZ Crono EVO 18x7 ET35 with Toyo T1-S) on my ST205 for track use and the 18's win hands down. The turn-in is much sharper and the whole driving experience is more rewarding due to the increased responsiveness.

Theoretically the larger diameter should mean acceleration is slower but the difference is barely detectable. If you're planning on using the car for straight line drags then 17's may be better but if it was my money I'd definitely go for 18x8's. They also have the added advantage of filling the wheelarches and generally look the business

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp

i have tried both 17s & 18s on my st185 m8.
18s looked better but really buggered up the handling. 17s were spot on imho.

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JP
GT4DC Treasurer

Grey St185 RC
Silver BMW E46 M3
Multicolour yawn Honda VFR400
Silver Honda Civic Type-R

I think Dave's got an ST205 according to his details on the oh cee?

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp

When we talk about filling the wheel arches I assume nobody is changing the rolling radius of their car? Just looks mint with low profile tyres.

Don. Interesting that you found 18s to be the best for handling on track. Maybe that's why Toyota used them for the tarmac rally car

My car is very bumpy because of the suspension configuration (hopefully that will change with the new springs that are going in) which is why I want as much rubber between me and the road as possible

I found that running 18's with 225/40 Toyo's actually gave me a speedo reading closer to the GPS figure than the 17's with 235/40 tyres

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Don
GT4DC Chairman
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205WRC JDM 269bhp @ 0.9bar
1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four Special GT 590bhp @ 1.8bar
1989 Van Diemen RF88/89 Formula Ford 1600
2008 Nissan Patrol GU 3.0L ZD30DDTi 154bhp

Started with stock 215 50 15's - Tramlined a bit
At mo on 215 45 16's - Excellent
Tomorrow or wednesday will be on 215 40 17s - Will let you know.

18s fit, even 19's will squeeze in the arches but most folk say stick with either 17's for the road or 16s for track use.


tone

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Now offering:
Servicing & light body repairs *qualified mechanic*
185 & 205 under-bonnet battery relocation kits
CT26B Turbo clocking bracket *CT20 version soon*
Metal polishing service *Up to show standards

WOW! thanks for all the replies guys Some really interesting points there im going to have to have a good think about this one! Another decision ive got to make is it the 5 spoke MO or the new six.................

DAVE

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Corner Bro #2

i have no problems with 18's on mine.
using 225/40/18 toyo proxes aswell.

only prob is noise really, but not much worse than stock wheels/tyres.
and i think 18's fill arch's better and depending on car do not need lowering either..

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1998 JDM ST205

My GT Four History:
Black 1992 JDM ST185 GT-Four, Grey 1990 UK ST185 GT-Four


My celica website

I got my new rims last night, and just mounted them this morning, here they are:
Speedline 17x7 in 35+ offset on 215/40/17 Firenza ST-03. I havent given the car a strap yet, but i dont like these Firenzas, the side walls are too soft, and it feels like they are rolling alot, i am getting rid of them for sure!

anyway, here are the pics:





Oh i have 25mm H&R spacers in the rear also

Hope this helps.

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Hi, I have never heard of the tyres but that is one fine looking Group A

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JP
GT4DC Treasurer

Grey St185 RC
Silver BMW E46 M3
Multicolour yawn Honda VFR400
Silver Honda Civic Type-R

My 205 is running 8 x 17 MO's with 225/45 17 Kumho's.

I had to downgrade from 18's after a pothole incident. Realistically, 18's would be destroyed on the roads round where I live. The 17's give me some extra piece of mind. I think this is something that should be considered as well as outright handling.

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02 Mini Cooper Race Car
94 ST205 Import
92 ST185 Carlos Sainz
www.mcnab-racing.co.uk