18s or 20s ?
#2
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.
#4
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).
#6
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.
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