I had a set of 17x9 wheels that I just sold, they were great, but now I have my winter wheels/tires on (stock bbs')
- I mainly autox the car, no road racing, I have a brand new set of RS-3's in 255-40.
I am just looking to see the advantages to the 17x9 over 17x8 " wheels on the same tire from a handling standpoint
Would the car have just as wide of a track with the same tire of both wheels?

 

If running the same size tire..... grip would be nearly identical .... but you might feel a little sidewall shift if you are running something like a 255 R comp on the 8" rim.

 

Turn-in should be a little more responsive on a wider wheel since the tire won't "roll over" as much.. A friend of mine drove my car and immediately noticed a difference in the way the steering felt vs his car. My set-up = 17x9.5's w/255's, his = 17x8 w/255's, both on *Specs. Depending on the offset of the wheels you choose, it will effect the track width.

 

you can run wider tires with the 9

 

Running wider rims increases tire section width, so you actually have more rubber on the ground even with the identical tire size. Better turn-in, better lateral grip and better grip for accelerating/stopping. They look better too IMO. Only downside is weight and increased rolling resistance.

 

Thanks to everyone so far, I am looking into reasonable priced lightweight 17x9/9.5 wheels that will require little to no fender rollling, I have brand new hankook rs-3's sitting.

 

I had to roll my rears for my 9.5's (RPF1's in +38), otherwise it rubbed on compression. Just an fyi.. Good Luck.

 

17x9 +35 5Zigen FN01R-C's. A little lighter than the stock Enkei's, reasonable price, track proven.

There are better looking and lighter wheels out there, but not at their price point. Add 255/40/17 tires and it's about all you can fit on an Evo 8 or 9 without fender rolling or such.

 

Stock BBS' are just so damn light=(
It hurts me to see bbs' being used as winter beater rims and 5zigens as my summer haha

 

ttt

 

9" will give you a slight stretch on a 255/40 rs3 so that they don't roll over, you also want to run a good amount of tire pressure in the rs3's since they have a soft sidewall.

I just recently did a track day and my friend and I both have RS3's in 255/40/17. Im running a 17x9.5 RPF1 and he's running the 17x8 BBS. We both ran the same tire pressure but he had problems with rolling over the tires because they have a bulge on the 8" rim. I didn't have any issues.

 

Considering the first post..... I really doubt the extra 1" of rim would make much of a difference with a 255 street tire.

I mean comparing how two different cars felt is a real stretch.... camber, suspension, and alignment will make much more of difference.

Below is a picture of the widest 255 tires I've ever run..... these were over 10.5" wide and they felt flipping great. Most others have been significantly narrower even though they are the same size. Personally I don't think the added expense and trouble of a wider rim is worth it if sticking with a 255 or smaller tire.

 

Actually downsizing to a 245 so it will be a little more liveable, just wasnt sure if the contact patch would be much better off with a 9" rim vs 8" rim.