Best wheel size?

[Cammaxon]

What is the all-around best wheel size for a 1997 Talon TSi AWD?
17x7
17x7.5
17x8
18x8
or
26'' Dubs and a Motec System exhaust? (JK)

[asshanson]

I personally like 18s on 2gs. Unfortunately mine are just 18x7.5.

[Cammaxon]

Will any certain size throw off my speedo? I know the bigger the rim the smaller the tire to remain close to stock diameter but what about width?

[Kracka]

The tire width won't affect your speedo as long as you run the proper aspect ratio to maintain the correct tire diameter.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[Cammaxon]

Thank you sir! What’s the optimal width?

[asshanson]

I run a 225/40/18 and my speedo is pretty accurate. I also know quite a few people run 235/40/18 which is pretty close as well.

[Swifty1638]

again, width has nothing to do with it. it's overal diameter and how far a certain given point on the tire must travel before it's at said point again. Cut a tire and lay it out flat, now cut the same size (but different aspect ratio) and lay it next to it..it's gonna look like this..

___________
____________

THAT's what throws off the speedo. NOT width.

That being said, i'd say widest tire you could go that will fit. Winter though, i'd say narrowest.

-A. Swift

[Cammaxon]

Well i'm going to run the stock rims with the blizzaks for winter i’m only thinking about a summer wheel and tire combo. As far as width I was more thinking how wide is too wide, when does performance decrease and when does it start sticking out of the fenders?

[tehehodi]

+1 for teh widest tires... i like that diagram swifty..lol

[Febo]

It makes sense

[asshanson]

Your widest tire is going to depend on the offset of the wheel. The higher offsets like mine (+45) are going to stick under the fender more. So if you run a low offset you'll be able to run a wider tire that doesn't rub inside the fender.

[Swifty1638]

..and the wheel sticks out farther..my offset is a bit lower then andrew's, but I also have an extra inch of width on him.

-A. Swift

[Shane@DBPerformance]

16s

[Cammaxon]

Why 16's ? what width?

[Shane@DBPerformance]

16s or 17s for all around best wheel size. But it depends on what you plan on doing with the car. Do you need traction or for it to ride nice, etc. 17s are a decent street and road race size. 15s and 16s are better for people who launch a lot or drag race.

I have some Lenso 17" wheels on my 2G and I think they are only 7" wide. Which isn't quite wide enough for 17". 7.5" would be better. I would rather have some 16s though, so I could put some decent drag tires on them. They are white also, which is fairly out of style nowdays, but it's a white car, so it doesn't look horribly rediculous. I had them on my wifes car(silver) back in 02 or 03 during a trip to the drag strip and they looked pretty bad.

It just depends on if your looking for performance or looks or whatever.

[turboimports]

I want to get some 15x7-8 or 16x7-8 soon.
I always thought 15's were too small, but I like the beefy tire look.

[Cammaxon]

Thanks for the input! I ended up getting the OEM Evo BBS for my 2g now I just have to decide on a summer tire.