Currently doing a lot of miles a week, and like my comfort. What is the ride quality like with Eibachs and 18s?

Running 17s just now, but quite fancy 18's as they look much better (and will need 4 tyres soon), but if they give a harsh(ish) ride ill stick to 17's...

Also, had a search and a nosey through the alloy archive but couldnt find much. Does anyone have any pictures of eibachs and 18's ?

18's will be a harder ride, to hard for me. The bigger the rim size the smaller the tyre profile ratio has to be to keep the wheel diameter the same. So you should have tyre size xxx/40/17" tyres at present and with 18" rims you will need xxx/35/18" tyres which have sidewalls about the same as bicycle tyres. It's your decision.

Had 18's on my Fabia for about 1 week and absolutely hated them!!! Ride was horrendous, along with the handling!!! Plus, 18's on a Fabia look absolutely sh!te!!!

Sold. 17"s it is then

Sold. 17"s it is then

Wise choice:thumbup:

yup, 18s look daft on fabs and ruin handling, personally dont want to go above 16 myself

Sold. 17"s it is then

You could also try outsize tyres. Little Bro has gone from 205/40s to 205/45s on his Ibiza FR in the search for more ride comfort.

J.

they are garbage... tires required would be 215/35/18.... horrendous ride... horrendous noise and horrendous handling.... also makes the fabia look like a roller skate

17's are definetly a better ride and drive, I'm currently running 18's and cover a large mileage, and you do feel everybump even more!

I will have to disagree with the looks wise though, as I and many others who have seen my Fabia think they look the balls in 18'!!

They fill the arches nicely, and as long as you don't run it too low, you won't have any problems with scrubbing, just my thoughts and opinions though, each to their own...

What size would be best for handling?

Apparently its best to keep it the same size as whats on the car. Similar to whats on the vrs so 16's. Go for a light weight alloy to reduce unsprung weight, but with open spoke design for brake cooling.

So 16s handle better than 17s.

For good handling you would need a wide rim with a narrow tyre, keeps the sidewalls more rigid. If you have a narrow rim and wide tyres the sidewall becomes more floppy (tech. term.) 17" rims will be fine for good handling with the right tyres. Also dont forget the steering rack mountings and front suspension bushes all contribute to handling as well.

Like the stretched euro look?