What do I all have to do to upgrade from 16's to 18's? Anything I should be aware of? Will my traction/performance suffer in the winter? Looking at 18x7.5's on TireRack.com. I'm running standard size brakes and suspension settings.

thanks

 

You can run narrower tires on them (which you want for snows -- I run 215.55R16s on my 2001 16x7" OEM sport wheels) and get a true winter tire. You'll get better performance in the winter (particularly important given that you don't have a Quattro) and be able to get a higher-performance summer setup. All season tires are compromises -- if you've already got one set of wheels and want to get a new setup, make the two sets dedicated to the different seasons.

As far as 18" wheels... You will lose some ride comfort. You'll get better performance, but you'll notice a harsher ride -- not as bad as 19"s, but you WILL notice the difference. I think you'd be better off with a set of 17x8" wheels. You can get a wider tire (I have 235x45R17 on my summer wheels) and a significant boost in performance without too much of a hit on ride. Going up to an 18" will be when you really start to notice the ride hit. If you are determined to go with 18" wheels and live in the snow belt (where you'll have to contend with potholes), you'll want to make sure you get pretty good wheels. 18" wheels are also a bit more susceptable to damange from road hazards -- there's less rubber there to protect the rim. At 18" this is not too much of a big deal; it becomes a significant issue at 19".

Other's will offer up different opinions (fans of the big wheel look insist their rides are comfy), but this is my $02.

 

appreciate it -- I think I'll go with the 17's