would it be wise to get wider wheels and tires for my car, right now i have the stock 86 phone dialer wheels with some narrow *** goodyear 70 series(i think) tires ... how much better will my car handle with wider tires? because honestly it handles beautifully now and im debating whether or not its worth the money to go wider

 

You can put 195/60 series tires or even 205's but the handling will get mushier. Wider tires give you more traction, and lower profile tires give you less sidewall flex, making the car feel more solid. Wider wheels give you a stiffer sidewall for a given tread width.

 

hmm i guess i wont go wider then, this car is way to much fun the way it handles now(completely stock) none of my friends can keep up with me on back roads
muahahah

 

The car will also accelerate slightly faster with the stock wheels compared to a typical aftermarket (larger) wheel. Even the GXL style wheels can slow down an FC. Forum member Bdoty tried putting the five lug GXL wheels on his base model FC and lost a tenth of a second or two in his quarter mile times.

 

yeah but if you invest in some really light wheels for their size like volk te 37's or SSR competitions then the increased width along with better rubber like s03's toyo ts1's or azenis sports will probably increase your acceleration by giving you more hook up.

 

I knew that the smaller diameter would make the car run a little faster, but I never knew that It could takeoff that much.

 

They do. Thats why you see civics with huge 18in chrome rims that weigh 40lbs running 18-20 second quarter mile times.

 

think about it. smaller diameter means the engine requires less effort to turn the wheel thus being able to spin faster therefore take off quicker.. on the other hanfd once a certain speed is reached the top end would be severely affected. I have seen civic run with 13" drags in the front and like 17" in the rear


edit damn you beat me to it!!!!

 

I know when you put bigger rims on the top end is increased a little. At least that is what just makes sense.

Just never had actually heard of some quarter mile times and how much they were affected.

 

Few high dollar wider aftermarket wheel / tire combinations approach the 29lb total weight of a base model FC wheel with tire. One good one would be Rota 15x7 or 16x7 plus some 40 series 205's, but I disagree that "more acceleration by giving more hookup" counts in the real world. A base model FC is not a torque machine and will not suffer at length during a short burnout at the starting line. . . like I said, a forum member tried changing to wider wheels and tires from his base phone dials and he did notice a quicker launch but an overall slower time. What split second would be gained by a quicker hookup in this case is would probably be more than lost by the slower acceleration, by the way of of increased rotational mass, as the car rolls down the track after launching.

And besides, phone dial wheels are cool.

 

Of coarse they are.

 

I noticed a big difference going to 225 tires with a lower profile. Granted they were substantially better tires too. It makes the car feel great.

As for straight line differences mentioned, surely there are more effective ways to improve acceleration then to buy rubber or expensive aftermarket rims.

The phone dial rims are my favorite FC rims with the possible exception of the S5 TII rims.

 

there is also more rolling resistance with more rubber on the ground, that also contributes to power loss.
The car will obviously handle better on say, GXL wheels, because the tire will be lower profile, and will be wider. The wider you go on a rim the more sidewall flex you get. I'm sure you could jam 245's on the phone dials, but the sidewall flex would be unbelievable. If you get wider wheels like the GXL or TII you can run wider tires with less sidewall flex and handle better.
There is also the looks factor. Phone dials aren't the most attractive wheel in the world, and the GXL wheels are at least decent. The S5 GTU wheels are really nice though.

 

Vert wheels are the sikkest- those phone dials got ta go!!!!!

 

Putting on bigger rims will not help you in any way.... bottom end or top end.

Perhaps you are confusing that bigger rims have the possibility of having a larger tire diameter, and throwing out the speedometer?

 

He might have meant to say bigger wheels (meaning rims and tires) would increase top end potential. A smaller total wheel diameter will increase acceleration, but the gearing will allow a lower top speed. A larger total wheel diameter will decrease acceleration, but your gearing will go to a higher speed.
The biggest thing you have to worry about with smaller wheels is decreased gas milage (as if it isn't bad enough already) since a stock N/A will never max out it's gears (A GTUs might come close though). If you're looking for acceleration changing wheel diameter isn't the best way to do it. Change your wheels around if you want handle better, but if you're satisfied now there's no rush to go changing things.

 

For the amount of power that you're putting out, i don't think you could justify bigger rims. Maybe slightly bigger tires, with a lower profile, and certainly better quality. but i don't think you would get a whole lot of performance for your dollar from bigger tires.

 

I meant bigger rims and tires. I am almost positive that is what happens when you put on big rims and tires. I have heard of it screwing up the speedo.

 

Man you are right about those vert wheels. They are the best of all FC wheels! I was planning on buying a set but gave up because a full set with center caps commands such a premium. So I settled on some S5 GTU five stars, which were very cheap and surprisingly lighter than my Gsl-Se wheels with V700 Kuhmo 195/60's by a few pounds. In other words, they are probably a shade lighter than my old phone dials were with their 185/70 tires mounted.

I'll probably get some capless vert wheels for autocrossing. I can't ignore their 11lb weight . . . put slicks on them and they would weigh in the neighborhood of 20-25 pounds ready to race; compare that to 29lbs for the lightest stock wheel / tire combination.

Let it be known that I am a weight freak. My backround is in aviation where ditching excess weight is the first commandment. I have seen how those stripped autocross cars with light wheels, slicks, and proper suspension kick everyone's a$$. Then there are aerobatic airplanes where everything is power to weight ratio . . .

 

in my experience, even with 185 series all-season tires, ~160k mile old original suspension, and phone dials, my car handled better than any other car I'd ever driven.

I also think with as much sidewall as you already have, increasing width wouldn't affect much.

 

Gah, I'm replacing my stock phone dials and 175 tires very, very soon.
I have some nice 19Lb 16" wheels picked out, and I'm going to do 225/45 tires.
I can't stand the way the car feel's right now. I've been used to my Eibach/KYB's on my GTP with 255/45 tires, along with STB's and sway-bars. So while the Rex is nice, it just doesn't compare right now in the handling department.

Murdock

 

You consider that better handing in the GTP??? I have that exact same setup in my car (both cars actually) and the RX7 destroys my GTP in handling (quite the opposite in a straight line though)... Just curious, as that seems really off.