[Kevin]

I have a Cactus on order.. shark grey. I've ordered mine with the standard 16" anthracite square alloys..

The first reason is I think they would look cool on the colour I ordered..

Second reason is because where I live there are a few potholes here and there and I'm hoping they are stronger.

Am I right in thinking that the 16" anthracite square alloys are stronger than the 17" Diamond cut alloys?

 

[spinner]

Not necessarily stronger but certainly cheaper to repair or replace.

 

[JohnC]

Have the same wheels on mine they cope with the numerous potholes and rough roads here.

 

[JohnYoung]

I have also read the 16" wheels are quieter on the road - not sure why ??

 

[Mark]

You also get better mpg than the 17".

 

[JohnYoung]

You also get better mpg than the 17".

So why is that then, you would think bigger wheels which in theory go around less for the same distance would give a quieter ride and better MPG :?

Ahhh... just googled and its apparently the weight difference

 

[Kevin]

Thanks all.

My better half wanted the 17" ones so I was sort of in a dilemma.

It's a matter of opinion which ones look nicer.. but I preferred the grey 16" ones like I uploaded on the opening message.

 

[JohnYoung]

Thanks all.

My better half wanted the 17" ones so I was sort of in a dilemma.

It's a matter of opinion which ones look nicer.. but I preferred the grey 16" ones like I uploaded on the opening message.

Yeah those do look really nice and suit the car colour well

 

[Cactus4us]

Grey with grey.
Black with black. :evil:

 

[MaroonBells]

Only problem I see with the smaller wheels is a visual one in that they leave quite a large gap to the arches.

 

[Kevin]

That's another point MaroonB & I agree.

And another thing btw is that it should accelerate a bit faster with smaller wheels. With a lower top speed.

 

[Mark]

If you look at the specifications on the car, all the 16 " wheels get the most mpg. Eg.94mpg on the blue Hdi with 16" wheels.

 

[JohnC]

There will be virtually no difference in speed etc between a 16" and 17" rim the profile of the tyre is reduced on the larger to give an almost identical rolling radius.

The 16" has a 55 profile tyre, i think the 17" has a 50 profile tyre

View attachment 286

 

[markfoz]

I think it's the slightly lower tyre profile on the 17's which account for the difference in road noise. In my reseach, just about every review mentioned the added road noise from the 17" alloys however I think it's slight and you'd have to test the cars back to back to notice the difference.

Didn't put me off having the 17's that come standard with the Flair, afterall size does matter!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Mrsstuzilla]

Yes the 17 inch tyres look cool. Worth the added noise!

 

[Rattlegun]

It's not the diameter that affects the noise and mpg, it's the additional width of the tyre and friction it causes. The better ride from smaller size wheels comes from the larger tyre sidewall which absorbs road imperfections.

 

[visorfett]

It's not the diameter that affects the noise and mpg, it's the additional width of the tyre and friction it causes. The better ride from smaller size wheels comes from the larger tyre sidewall which absorbs road imperfections.

Perfectly put.

So to answer the original question. 16s will have a larger sidewall. In theory deflecting potholes better.

 

[BristolRich]

My peneth worth is... if you a hit a pot hole hard enough to break an alloy it won't make a difference if its a 16 inch or 17 inch.

The tyres on the cactus have a generous profile. Having spent 5 years driving around on very hard suspension and 40 section tyres I know all the small dips bumps lumps and creases on the local roads personally. I understand your fear but you'll have to hit one VERY hard for it to break a wheel and your tyres along with your suspension....The only time I managed to do that was when my Mini Cooper was hit by an artic and chopped the alloy in across the wheel hub...

 

[Kevin]

There will be virtually no difference in speed etc between a 16" and 17" rim the profile of the tyre is reduced on the larger to give an almost identical rolling radius.

The 16" has a 55 profile tyre, i think the 17" has a 50 profile tyre

View attachment 286

Then how come the 16" rims look like they are smaller in the arches compared to the 17" rims?

I'm not referring to speed like I mentioned before.. I'm referring to looks.

 

[JohnC]

Optical illusion maybe I don't know as I have never compared two cactii with the different combinations side by side, they are rare here in Turkey

But the facts are there, use any tyre size calculator on the net and you will see that the overall diameter/height of the different tyre/wheel combinations are as follows a 205/50-16 is 24.9" whereas a 205/50-17 is 25.1" a negligible difference.