17" OZ Superleggera non-staggered on the ZHP

[Chris90]

A couple guys requested this so here goes.

I went from the stock ZHP rims & Pilot Sports, to OZ Superleggeras 17 x 8s & Eagle F1 tires, 225 width all around, courtesy of Tirerack. :)

To be honest the only thing I really noticed, besides the more comfortable ride, was road feel - it seemed noticeable better - meaning I felt a lot more communication through the steering wheel. That by itself was worth it. Don't think it was the F1s, cause it hasn't changed as they've been worn down.

I didn't notice any improvement in acceleration. The ride's definitely better, but hard to say about handling, I just didn't get enough seat time w/ the stock 18s.

Also it was probably 4-5 months between taking off the 18s before winter and installing the OZs, so my memory might not be good.

I love the non-staggered handling though - the car feels much more neutral. And easier to go sideways, though it's still difficult, the car needs an LSD.

I'd like to be more definitive, but I don't want to make up stuff. :)

[cmbmw]

Thanks for the info dawg.

[jvr826]

Since I switch between the stock 18's and lightweight non-staggered 17's to go to the track, I can add to what you have already said...

Handling and ride is better, and this is because of the lower weight of the 17 inch set up. Plus, the additional inch of rubber on the side wall doesn't hurt either. The stock setup is about 50 pounds per corner, give or take, and my 17 inch set up is about 40 pounds per corner. That is a very significant amount of un-sprung weight to shave off.

I have noticed that acceleration is better with the lighter set up. I don't have any timing statistics to back me up, but I find the car does not require me to wind it up as much to get going as fast. I kind of feel like I get a 30 hp increase with the lighter set up. Last fall I was at Thunderhill Raceway and noticed that I was getting much higher speeds at the end of the front straight than I was at my previous visit with the heavier wheel and tire setup, at least 10 mph faster by the time I got to the braking zone for turn one.

I run a wider tire on my 17 inch wheels, 245/40-17 Michelin Pilot Sport 2. I run the same tire in the stock sizes on the stock wheels.

I would love a non-staggered 18 inch set up on this car with at least 245 tires all around, maybe even 255. Blackchrome runs 255 all the way around and he doesn't even have camber plates, yet.

[Chris90]

Thanks jeff, that's good to know. I had very little seat time with my stock 18s, and 3-4 months in between trying the new 17" set. So it was hard to compare.

Gonna put my OZs back on soon, once it stops snowing!

[ronpal]

Did you go from 18" to 17in wheels primarily for comfort? I am ordering a 335 sedan and I love the sport seats but am a little worried that on longer drives the family and I might not like the ride. During tests rides 18" are fine and a lot of fun, but just worried about longer drives. I have thought about trying the 18" and if unhappy going to 17". I noticed you have the e46 did they come with the 18in wheels with sport pkg?
Thanks

[Chris90]

Did you go from 18" to 17in wheels primarily for comfort? I am ordering a 335 sedan and I love the sport seats but am a little worried that on longer drives the family and I might not like the ride. During tests rides 18" are fine and a lot of fun, but just worried about longer drives. I have thought about trying the 18" and if unhappy going to 17". I noticed you have the e46 did they come with the 18in wheels with sport pkg?
Thanks

Not really worried about the ride, I was worried about bending the stock 18s (135M style) in my pothole-ridden state. The ZHP rims would be expensive to replace.

I also wanted to try lightweight rims, to see what the effect would be. And I wanted non-staggered to reduce understeer.

Finally, the tires are cheaper. I went with OZs partly cause they're so reasonably priced. I paid $199 each.

[Titania]

Just installed this weekend...17" O.Z. Ultraleggera with Goodyear F1 GS-D3s from our friends at TireRack.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n165/Titania_03/April2007.jpg