From Stock Rims w/Wintersports to 18" OZ UL's with Conti 2's - Review

**Lugi20** · 05-09-2008 03:42 PM

I bought the UL's because I am primarily concerned with impact on performance and wallet, and IMO there is no better wheel out there which can satisfy both of those criteria better than the UL's. I stayed at 18" because I wanted to reuse my stock Conti 2's and I am also worried about road conditions in and around Chicago. The 18" rims are also lighter than the 19" counterparts.

First off, I didn't expect to like the way they looked as much as I do, so that was a bonus. The impact on performance is nominal, I noticed improved handling more than any kind of improved acceleration or speed, but my butt-dyno is not very sensitive and I'm still getting used to the feel of the car (7 months, 3200 miles of ownership).

What I found very noticeable was a slight increase in MPG -- about 1 mpg better than my last tank (I reset the trip every fillup and do the math to get the "real world" mpg), and I was driving considerably more aggressively on the new rims/summer tires than I was on the stock rims/winter tires. I was expecting better MPG with the decreased rotational mass, but not this much.

All-in-all, I'm very happy with the wheels.