I stopped by my local wheel shop to get a quote on some Zenetti Wheels and it got me thinking to the major differences between 18, 19, and 20 inch wheels. I know 20" wheels look darn good on the '05 and I would love to get them, but I still have some reserves. Would there be any handling or performance losses from 20"? I'm no track junkie so I don't go to the track much if at all. I like to do the occasional burnout and put pedal to the metal every now and then, thats what comes from driving a V8 Mustang. What would be the major differences between the 18" and 20" wheels? Or should I go for the best of both worlds at 19"? I also plan on lowering the car if that makes a difference. I also got quotes on Falken tires, are they any good. I was also going to go with a staggered fit, but I'm not sure what the benefits are from that. If you have any opinions or thoughts anything would be helpful.

 

If you do a little searching I think there was discussion on the 20 inch rim, mainly stating it will hinder performance. 18's are real good, but if you want the look without giving up too much performance than go with the 19. Just my opinion, though.

 

From what I have heard it is hard to find tires, or they are more expensive for 19s than for 20s

 

THis is true. 20s fit the car better, but 18s will be lighter. To get the same look you'd have to lower the car.

 

How do you figure that? Tire height is the same either way. The only difference would be the sidewall height. You could use 13's on here if you wanted and you'd have exactly the same gap from tire-to-fender.

 

I am talking about the look of the bigger rim. You could put a fat tire on there and have no problems. I just like the look of the rim filling it out.

 

I think 20s look dumb if you dont lower the car, but since you are, theres no problem. I went with 19s and a tire that was a about a half inch taller than stock so the car didnt look weird with a lack of sidewall, and I still had the big wheel look without going to 20s. As for wieght, I wasnt really concerned because they are forged, and I dont take the car to the track.

EDIT: Most of the cars on this site that I have seen with 19s went with a shorter than stock tire because they dont make staggered that match in the 19s with a diameter taller than stock, and I didnt like the look of those with such a short sidewall. I went with a 245/45/19 all the way around, they make a 275/40/19 which matches almost perfectly to the 245, but you are very limited in your tire selection.

 

18's are the best IMO if you want to keep ride quality, performance and price for tires/rims.