Am i correct that, a lot of companies will custom drill wheels? What would stop one from doing 16" 's in a custom drill pattern. Or is 15 inch enough from a performance standpoint?

 

You can get better tires for a 16" wheel. Plus if you plus size the tire correctly you'll have less sidewall flex.

 

you can get anything, i saw a gs with 18s in the rear at racing beat during seven stock. keep in mind they were superchrome rims (not my style) but there 18s

 

Dunno if I want 18's LOL

A 16 would be nice, like was said before a lot better tire selection.. Even a 15 would be fine... Is there any benefit from a performance standpoint on having a larger tire diameter, or is it the width of the tire that gives you an edge?

 

anything bigger than 16" will slide into the negative side of diminishing returns. at 16" the ride is somewhat harsh, and the square-shouldered low profiles tend to hunt over every crest and crack for the easiest line of travel (both hands on the steering wheel, please). >16" is increased unsprung weight, harsher ride, tougher steering, less rim protection for curb parking, etc...

 

The main benefit from having a lager wheel diameter is that the sidewall of the tire would be smaller (assuming your plus size correctly) and smaller sidewalls make for better handling. well, usually......

 

smaller sideways mean less give etc, larger sidewalls to a point of better for drag racing. I dont see this car going to an auto X , I cant drive for **** tho. But I do shift mad quick yo

 

What, you think he needs LESS traction?

 

Well, they make for quicker response, which may or may not be what you want, since the flip side of that is reduced directional stability. Tires that don't flex don't have very long contact patches, which means they are less inclined to stay rolling in a given direction.

Given that 90% of 1st-gens out there have loose steering that would make fast-responding tires scary at highway-plus speeds (not that you EVER go above the posted speed limit right? ) I would tend to shy away from the low-profile garbage.

 

If you are worried about sidewall flex, don't get the sumito 200's, least in 205/60/13.
I just put these on the other day and the car feels like its on marbles. Great in the rain though.

 

EXACTLY, its like driving on ice now

 

firstly: I'm talking about cornering, not drag racing, guess I should have specified that.
second: I'm also not talking ultra low profile. I mean something like 205/50 or something in that neighborhood. really small sidewalls look gross to me.

 

another consideration when looking at wheels is weight...

16" wheels can be found pretty light weight, but obviously the bigger wheels the heaveir it will be (for the same model, duh)

I went 16's for my -SE because of the look I wanted, decreased sidewall, but not having to put rubber bands around my wheels for tires.

That being said, the steering response is MUCH quicker compared with my 14's, and they do seem to track all over the road much more than the others as well, but it's a worthy trade... And 16" tires are easy to find... my 205-45-16 AVS ES 100's were liek $75/each, and they're badass...

 

Yeah, thats pretty much right,'most' wheel mfg's. will custom drill the wheels to fit the customers specs. they did in my case, panther 15x7's with p205/50/r15's .and my stock 82 wheels with nitto p185/70r/13's roll both side x side and the height is close, the 15's are much wider though. the car is glued for cornering and is easy to steer and tracks well. i need new shocks and struts because they are 82 oem's (shot out) every once in a while i'll hear the tires rub the fender lips on the rear, and the fronts hit the inner fenders ( black plastic) on the insides when it's lock to lock not much though.

 

Excellent , thank you Mark.. as for a side note, my 205/60/13 on the ARE 534's I have now sometimes grab the lip on the fender

 

205/50 *is* a low profile tire.

 

yes, but it's not an ultra-low profile tire.

I've 205/50R16s which looks and corners great compared to stock, but tracks all over the place in a straight line. Compared to the ultralow profile tires around here, which look like black rubber bands around chromed carriage wheels, the 205/50s still have noteable sidewalls that protect the rims from curb rash.

 

I have to say, I have 205/50/15 tires in my car. I wouldent ask for anyting better!! It gives alot of tuning area that I can use at the track (air pressures). I wouldent want a lower profile tire. and from a comfort stand point, it still has a pretty nice ride.

 

The reason I can see for going to a low-profile tire and larger wheel, is that there are many more "ultra-high-performance" tires available in those sizes. A lot of the best tires (other than DOT-R's) are only available in 16 inch and up sizes, sometimes only 17 inch and up sizes.

To me, this would be the prime motivating factor if I had a high power turbo car, and if I had the cash, I'd probably be running 16x7 Panasports or equivalently nice wheels, with 205/45 or something like that, in a very good tire.

I wouldn't run some run-of-the-mill high profile tire with a car making 3 times the stock power level, personally. I'd want something very sticky in more than just a straight line.

 

Mine feel good for 60 series tires. They don't feel like my 235/40 17's on the MR2, but they feel good. I'm running 32 psi in mine ..... are you a little low?


15's are plenty big and have some good tire choices. Anybody have brake clearance issues? That's the only reason I can see for going bigger than 15's on an FB. The bigger the wheel, the more it weighs, and the more the tire weighs too (typically).

 

One note about these non-SE's. the steering box, and
front suspention components aren't beefy, meaning...
a large wheel/tire combo could do more damage, then good. The engineers R&D'ed every corner on the FB's.
So changing wheels is taking away from the semi-set limits. I don't try to turn the wheels unless i'm rolling
with the 15 x 7's . the brakes are still fine, but could always be better,I changed my rearend to disk's and
that alone took away any worrys about brakes on my
GS with 15x7's

 

Also putting in a motor with 300+ rwhp wasnt a design intention of the designers of the 7 LOL But I did it...

I think im gonna go with a 15, anything bigger to me wouldnt be beneficial to me as far as what im trying to do... I might just keep the 13's on there for street driving. Buy a pair of 14 or 15 tires for the back and wrap them with some drag radials and go to the track

 

Mike, you might try taking it to the track with whats on there now, and see how it runs that way first, you know,, stress test it, for any more hidden bugs.. (side note) FYI,,when my 69 mustang wasn't drinking u-joints
it would launch awesome. that ************ would spin the wheel inside the tires, so i had to screw the tires to the wheels. thought i'd share that small bit of my drag racing stories with ya'll .. did you fab. a driveshaft hoop
yet ? and how many miles do you consider it ' broke-in'
at. ? i've always thought somewhere around 500 miles
for piston engines.. then spin them up. after changing
oil,filter(s),plugs,cap,rotor,points,rocker tolerance's, timing, etc....I love the smell
of new gaskets seating

 

205-50-15 on 15x7's kick ***. It seems like the best all around size for handling, ride, looks, higher speed stability, sidewall flex....pretty much everything.

Check out the pic of the new yoks I just got:

 

I love those panasport wheels. You know the cheapest place that you can get them. Everywhere I have looked they seem pretty expensive.