With my next tire change I would like to buy either 17" or 18" wheels with corresponding lower profile tires for my '90 Pontiac GTA.
Has anyone done this and have any suggestions which brand of wheel and tire work best? I have looked on the Internet and through some of the leading wheel manufacturer's catalogs which became confusing.
I would like to keep the same size tire all around.

Thanks,
teega

 

it all depends on what type of driveing u do......... if it is just street driving u want wheels that look good or what u like. if you go 17"+ you need to lower the car, so it looks cooler

 

so what type of driveing do you do?

 

Street driving only. Maybe naive on my part but I thought that by going to a larger wheel I wouldn't have to lower the car. Don't really want to do that since I am already having to back into my driveway to clear the nose.
Yeah I want it to look cooler by taking up the space in the fender wells.
Thanks

 

post pics of the car. this will help people to tell you what to get based on the color of your car.......... most people will tell you to get TT2s or ZR1s, but go with what you want.

 

Welcome to the board. It's kind of difficult to achieve both of these tasks. lower profile tires will give you the same overall diameter with the larger rim as the stock wheels and tires you have now. Do not increase your sidewalls!!! I would recommend a sporty drop of about 1" to satisfy both of your wishes
Good luck, Efrain.

 

As for wheels:

 

OK. It seems all of you out there know a ton more about all of what goes and fits and even though I consider myself knowledgable about cars I don't know what TT2s or ZR1s are. Don't laugh but I also don't know how to post a picture of my car. Efrain suggested lowering the car by 1" by way of springs? And then go with which size wheel and tire?
teega

 

if you do a search you'll find so much information your head will spin. tt2's stand for torque thrust 2 which is an american racing wheel that is one of the companies most expensive wheel but a classic style that you can find emulated for alot cheaper in other brands if you don't particularly care about name or quality.

zr1 is standard for the 4thgen 97 ss 5 spoke style wheel. the zr1 rim is of course wider allowing for a tire with more grip.

typically you can fit wider rims then the 8" stock rims but there is a certain size that you should stop at. if you just want the looks from the side of the car and could care less about performance orientation then an 8" wide rim will save you on tires as well as the rims.

for a street car 17's are by far a better choice that is daily driven, looks wise 18's are much nicer but they are almost twice the price. figure a min of 2,000+ dropped easily on 18's.

 

You dont have to lower it, people just like the look better but I tear my front end up enough as it is so lowering is not an option I am considering. If you go with a 17x9.5 inch wheel you will need 275/40/17 tires to keep everything correct (speedo, wheel diamater, etc.) with a 5.5" back spacing being the most crucial spec. Heres mine ( I love whoring pics of my car! )

 

i don't understand how you guys have such a problem with lowering...as well as how you can back into a driveway with less problems then going forward, doesn't make since regardless with the physics of the car.

anyhow i have 18" wheels with low profile tires that still keep as close to stock tire demension as possible on height with a 3.5" street drop and i have no problem navigating driveways or michigan roads for the most part. alot of side angles and careful driving but that's mainly because i don't want to bend a rim or drag my 4" exhaust.

 

Thanks for all the information. I will take all of the advice and consider it in my research. Looks and function for everyday use are my criteria for the time being.
Appreciate the input.
teega