Ive got a 97 millena what size rims you guys think i should get 18s or 20s?

 

It depends upon how much performance (in terms of braking, handling, and ride) you're willing to remove from your vehicle in exchange for bling. Personally I wouldn't go anything beyond 17 inch wheels as I value handling and braking performance beyond all else.

 

yea but i feel like 17s wouldnt fit the car as nice but i do want performance as well

 

Assuming A) that you already have 16" wheels on your car ang B) you leave the overall diameter of the rubber the same, your sidewall height will drop from 4.65" to 4.15" for the 17" wheels, to 3.65" for the 18" wheels, and then to a very sketchy 2.65" for the 20" wheels.

The thing is, as you move the mass of the rim away from the axis of rotation, you geometrically increase the mechanical energy required to accelerate, deaccelerate and turn your car. IMHO, the 20" wheels are absolutely unsafe and unworkable on your car for anything other than boulevard crusing below say 40 mph, and while 18" are a far sight better, there will still be a measurable loss in performance compared to the 16" and 17" wheel/tire combinations (which study after study has shown to be the "sweet-spot" for performance and handling).

 

so it looks like 17 is the way to go but this might mean some lowering of the car to make it look the of a fit of a 20?

 

You shouldn't need to do anything to your car as the outer diameter of your tires will stay exactly the same as it is now (assuming you use the correct tires), and as such, the ride height and the fender clearance of your vehicle will remain unchanged.

As an example, if I had a 1997 Mazda Millenia S that came from the factory with 215/55 R16 tires mounted on 16" rims and I wanted to go to 17s, I'd simply wrap the rims in a set of 235/45 R17s. Why that size? Because both tires have an overall diameter of 25.3", and that in turn will keep your speedometer and odometer accurate, your ride height identical, and the vertical fender clearance the same as well. The only potential issue will be inner fender clearance for the front tires when the steering wheel is turned to full-lock (never a good idea anyway). That said, given that the 235s are only about 0.4" wider than the stock 215s, inner fender clearance isn't likely to be a problem.

 

thx man you've been a great help i know who ill be comein to when i have a problem thanks again