I am looking to go to 17mm because 12mm hex wheels have a tendency to round out. I have had DE, Proline and AKA wheels round out. Yes, I make sure that axle nuts are tight. I've never had a 17mm hex wheel round out. With as much power as these trucks have, 17mm should be the standard anyway.
I'm not concerned with the weight, that won't make a difference in my performance (read-mid pack at best).
I would love to hear more opinions on 17mm conversion for those that have converted.
The 17mm sure looks cooler IMO. Although, contrary to your experience I have never had a single wheel round out on me yet. I am perplexed as to how this happens to so many people because of my experience.
I ran a set of losi SCTE wheels through two sets of tires and beat the snot out of them from every aspect and have yet to strip them. With that being said however, I run the nuts very tight. As one guy put it "that's crazy and ridiculous even" when he was swapping out a set. haha
But at the end of the day, I have never lost a wheel either.