Upgrading 2018 base wheels to premium wheels

1035 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by m3incorp, Feb 5, 2018

kenudo

Discussion Starter · Jan 20, 2018

Hey all,

I'm currently trying to decide between a 2018 WRX base and premium. To be honest, the only reason I want the premium is for the wheels. I personally am not a fan of the design of the 17" base model wheels but love the 18" premium Enkei wheels. I know I can purchase aftermarket wheels but I'm wary of buying cheaper cast wheels and would rather put my trust in OEM wheels. To that end, one option is to buy the base and find a premium set to buy, but my question is:
Has anyone done this yet, and have they run into any issues?
Also in general, I'm having a difficult time finding what's generally an acceptable change in overall diameter; the premium wheels would represent a 1.5% increase in diameter, equalling .4 inches. This would create a 1mph difference in the speedometer and a -12 difference in revolutions per mile (per this calculator: https://www.miata.net/cgi-bin/tirescgi). This to me is negligible but I'm more concerned about how it might affect the drivetrain, traction control, etc. I'm not too knowledgeable about these things so any input/guidance would be greatly appreciated!

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rexxx0486

· #2 · Jan 20, 2018

You'll be fine going up a size as long as its an oem subaru wheel. Going down a size can sometimes be problematic because of brake clearance issues. Since the Subaru 18" enkei wheels are pretty pricey, I would just buy quality aftermarket wheels with the correct offsets. As you mentioned the Subaru wheels are made by enkei anyway, so that would be a good place to start. MPH difference going from 17"to 18" will be an insignificant difference so nothing to worry about there.

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m3incorp

· #3 · Feb 5, 2018 (Edited)

I definitely wouldn't pay the price increase from the base to the premium just for the wheels, if you are absolutely sure that the other couple things the premium has over the base is no interest to you. I agree with Rexxx in that you should probably purchase some aftermarket wheels. Sticking with main brands will eliminate the need of worrying about them being subpar. There are many out there that I think look great.

I like these, though I would like a darker smoked color.

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