Does changing from 17-inch to 18-inch rims affect the Magotan?
3 Answers
Changing from 17-inch to 18-inch rims has the following impacts: Impact on vehicle performance: If the installed wheels or tires differ in size from the original factory wheels and tires, vehicle performance including braking, ride comfort, handling, stability, and rollover prevention may be affected. Impact on electronic control system performance: If the vehicle is equipped with certain electronic control systems, such as anti-lock braking, rollover airbags, traction control, electronic stability control, or all-wheel drive, the performance of these systems may also be affected. Impact on tire performance: If wheels of different sizes are used without selecting the recommended tires for these wheels, tire performance and safety may not meet standards. Increased risk of accidents: It may increase the likelihood of collisions and serious personal injury.
Last time I upgraded my Magotan's 17-inch wheels to 18-inch ones, the most noticeable change was that the car felt more stable when driving. When taking sharp turns at high speeds, I could clearly feel much stronger tire grip and more solid steering wheel feedback. However, the comfort did take a hit - going over speed bumps used to be a soft 'thud' sound, but now it's a sharper 'clunk', especially when driving on rough roads where the vibrations are more pronounced. Fuel consumption also increased slightly, with about 0.5 liters more per 100 kilometers in city driving. The most surprising thing was that the speedometer became more accurate - the factory speedometer used to show a few kilometers faster, but after changing to the new wheels, I tested it with GPS and it's basically 1:1 now. In short, before making modifications, you need to think carefully about whether you prioritize handling or comfort more.
I'm very familiar with wheel modification. Upgrading from 17-inch to 18-inch is like changing shoe size from 42 to 44. First, make sure the new wheel parameters perfectly match the Magotan's wheelbase and center bore. Don't cheap out on aftermarket parts. I recommend choosing flow-formed cast wheels - strong yet lightweight. Remember to recalibrate the TPMS; a friend of mine had constant warning lights after modification. The most crucial issue is vehicle inspection - policies vary by region, some places disqualify size increases over 10%. Also consider tire costs: switching from 215/55R17 to 235/45R18 means nearly 1000 yuan difference for four tires. But that visual upgrade when parked roadside is absolutely worth it.
