I was set on getting a set of 18" aftermarket wheels for my TL until I visited my dealer yesterday to get a preview of the car. After observing the exterior for a while, I came to the conclusion that the 17" stock wheels look great. The sporty stance of the car is great as well.

Now, I'm not so sure if I will be upgrading to 18"s, especially at an estimated cost of $2500. Then, there will be issue of getting the lowering springs to get rid of the nasty wheel gap by going to a bigger wheel. The entire upgrade at that point will cost $3000.

I'll have plenty of time to think about it over the Winter.

 

Interesting comments. I also went to my dealer, in Long Island. NY, and also spent some time staring at the car. It looks great in Silver! I'm considering upgrading to the 18" Aluminum Wheels through Acura. Does anybody know what the Dealer Cost is on that? On another Thread, there was a price of $1612. Is that Dealer Cost? Or is that what they want to sell it at? Also, why would we need lowering springs, and what is "wheel gap" with 18" tires? Thanks!

 

I like the stock 17s too. The only question for me is whether to get the lowering springs. Perhaps when the elusive "A-spec" actually come out, I'll test drive again to make a decision about that. The handling is pretty good as is, though.

 

You don't "need" lowering springs. I noticed on the TLs with 18s, there's a bit more wheel gap than with the 17s. Wheel gap is th space between the fender and the outer edge of the tire. Too much wheel gap tends to take away the sporty stance/appearance of a car . 18s make the car sit a bit higher off the ground. So, lowering springs would be a consideration if you wanted to retain the sporty stance/appearance and handling.

 

It is my understanding that the standard 17" wheels and tires have the same overall diameter/circumference as the 18" wheels and tire package so why would there be more wheel gap?!?

Unless you were to buy the wrong size tires, the wheel gap should be identical (or very close to).

 

I think the 40 series tires on the 18" rim are not as tall as the 45's on the 17"ers.

 

I too am unsure about the optional 18" wheels. Do you think they will be much noisier vs the 17" with HPT tires? Will they weight much more than the 17? Do I need to lower the spring to make the 18's look right.

Anyone drive the TL with 18's care to comment?

thanks

 

If you mean the sidewall, then yes, it is not as tall because the 18" wheels are bigger which consequently eats into the sidwall depth. This is necessary in order to keep the overall size between the 17" and 18" wheel/tire packages the same.

Follow this link http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
I think you will find the overall circumference/diameter of the 18" wheel/tire package is VERY slightly bigger than the standard wheel and tires. The difference is so small that you wouldn't/couldn't notice a difference in the amount of wheel gap with the naked eye.

FYI...
17" Stock tires are P235/45 R17
18" Upgrade tires are P235/40 R18

 

BTW, there is an auction for the Acura TL accessory rims on eBay and they are being advertised as 18x8.5.

Are those rims really wider (8.5) than the factory rims. I thought everyone was saying they would be 18x8.

 

Great info, hmm.... this definitely influences my decision toward getting the wheels. Thanks!

 

After seeing the 18 inch optional wheels and 17 inch stock in person, I like the stock wheels just fine. Look aggressive without any rice look. The ride on the 17's should be a lot better than the 18's also. IMHO the darker colors do not emphasize the wheel gap as much as the light colors.

 

Does anyone know the Dealer Cost, and the Sale Price of the Acura 18" Wheels? Thanks!