About a month ago, I purchased a 2025 Kia Seltos X-line. Love the car but wished it had the 17" rims as seen on lower level trims. Better resistance to potholes, cheaper replacement tires, easier on the back when changing a flat due to lighter overall weight, and perhaps a little better acceleration for the same reason. No dealers were willing to do a swap at the time of purchase, and it was too much trouble and expense to buy a new set of 17" wheels/tires and try to sell the OEM. Has anyone ever downsized rims on this forum? If so, how did it affect handling, and would it void the warrenty
Varicose Veins Are Sexy
Downsizing rims from 18" to 17"
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You can totally downsize wheels, just keep your new tires within around 3% max of the original diameter and you won't have any issues with rubbing. I would recommend going a little taller for aesthetics and better ride: 225/55R17 is a good upgrade from the stock diameter 17" tire they put on from factory.
All US market Seltos with the turbo engine come with 18" rims. My tires are 235/45 R18. IMHO, low profile rims on most vehicles are a fashion statement that makes little sense, the exception being high performance cars that ride on good roads. The narrow sidewalls mean sharper handling, and the larger diameter rims allow for bigger calipers, while allowing enough space to dissipate heat from hard braking. On SUVs and trucks, they make for a harder ride, are more vulnerable to expensive tire and rim damage, and reduce load carrying capacity. They might look cool, but even that is a subject for debate, especially when it is taken to the extreme. Another example of sacrificing utility for style, is the inverted bow seen on some ships and smaller yachts. This goes back to the ancient greek and roman warships which were oar powered and often sunk their opponents by ramming them. with a protruding lower bow, you stood the greatest chance of putting a hole in the enemy hull below the waterline. When sail power and cannon replaced oars and ramming, the traditional flared bow appeared as it was more seaworthy. In the 19th century, when steel replaced wood and steam replaced sail, ramming once again became an optional, but rarely used tactic, and the inverted bow reappeared, culminating in the WW1 dreadnaught battleship as shown in the picture below. By WW2, this style bow was once again, discarded. Over the past decade, it has shown up in pleasure boats, particulary sailing catamarans and larger center console sportboats. It might reduce up and down pitching slightly, but it results in a wet ride, and an increased risk of pitchpoling head over heels. it does make sense in modern submarines as it allows them to submerge at a faster rate
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You can for sure downsize. I have the SX and it came with 18s but did 16s for winter no issue
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