18's w/Stock Suspension vs. 17's w/ Lowering Springs

[grecobeemer]

Which would you guys recommend as:
1. Better looking?
2. Better riding(comfort for trips/city driving)
3. Better priced?
4. Best bet all around
Feel free to throw in added bonuses of self-knowledge or past experiances.

[BMWE34M5]

Tires are 245/40/18 front and rear.
http://www.abrahamsmotorsport.com/mel2.jpg

[Gunslinger]

like bmwe34m5 alluded to (very subtly, I might add), 18's look best w/drop. I would say the question is 17's on stock suspension or 18's w/drop, not vice versa.

Nevertheless,
1. see above
2. largely dependent on tire choice. 17's may ride better than 18's IF you're using the same tire for both apps. both will ride better than your average beat-up 15.
3. banish this from your mind. Amortized over the life of the wheel/tire, the difference is negligible
4. largely depends on what you're doing with your car

I've been going through the same thing - I love the Parallel/ACS 3/Breyton Inspiration, but have come to believe they will not work without lowering, and that's not what my car is about for me. Now if my car were a black/black manual tranny..................

[grecobeemer]

Thanks guys, but also I forgot to mention weight vs. performance. The M20 is'nt quick already and the last thing I want to do is make it more sluggish. Will 18's really make it perform worse.

[BMWE34M5]

Shouldn't be a noticable difference in performance-as long as the wheels are not too heavy.

[grecobeemer]

Any ideas in weight to stay between?

[BMWE34M5]

Our Kopi wheels (in the photo on the black M5) weigh about 23 lbs ea.
You want to stay under 26 lbs if possible.
Keep in mind that the super light weight wheels bend quite easily.

[myred318i]

My $.02...

1. Better looking... the difference is negligible. A great looking 17" wheel is much better than an avg 18" wheel.

2. Ride - Probably bet on the 17. Believe me, you can't see the wheels from the drivers seat, and feeling your teeth crunch at every bump won't make you happier with the decision. Not to mention, thinner sidewalls can mean bent wheels.

3. Cost - Depending on what you're looking at the difference between the same wheel / tire combination is $500-$1000 for 18's over 17's.

4. If you drive your car daily, go with 17's. I think they look just as good, and when you weigh in the other factors, the choice is clear.

[grecobeemer]

I'll probably just go with 17". I like this ride AC Schintzer 17's (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/222167)
But 18"x8" on 245/40ZR18's arent they a better ride or same?

[grecobeemer]

BTW how much are those Kopi's or a website I can scope them out at?

[BMWE34M5]

17"x8.5" Kopi wheels with 255/40/17's-looks great on an E34 too.

http://www.abrahamsmotorsport.com/6series.jpg

[BMWE34M5]

www.abrahamsmotorsport.com
17"x8.5" on sale-$700 set
17"x7.5" on sale-$660 set
All have correct offsets.
Plus shipping from Florida.

[Mblaster]

[QUOTE=Gunslinger]like bmwe34m5 alluded to (very subtly, I might add), 18's look best w/drop. I would say the question is 17's on stock suspension or 18's w/drop, not vice versa.


I run 17X8.5 all around and my car is lowered... :rolleyes:

[grecobeemer]

MBlaster, I thought you were running 18's? If a sweet 535i landed in my hands, then I would'nt have this dilemma(I'd go with 18's fo sho :D ).