Random question
11-12-02, 09:23 PM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Greensboro NC
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Random question
Lets say i got a wheel sized at.......18x10 Where would i really feel the difference in the width? How much does it actually help u? Im sure it helps with grip seeing how more tire is on the road. But does it hurt u at all having a wide *** wheel? Another is would an 18 inch wheel hurt my performance bad as in HP? I've just been sittin around all day thinkin about this. I know a wider is better (seems it would be anyway) but how much does it...and does it hurt any at all. Oh yea lets say that the wheel is light weight also...say around 20 pound for an 18x10. Thanks to all that feel like answering my question.......ive just been thinkin about everything that it would help and hurt and all that has made my head wanna blow up.
11-13-02, 01:26 AM
#2
The bigger wheels will be heavier and have less sidewall, so the ride will be much more rough on the road. They will also follow grooves in the ride much more -- you'll need a lot more steering inputs to keep going straight on the road.
The advantage is that you get wider tires, so you'll have more grip in the corners. Comparing 245 g-Force R1 tires on stock wheels and 285 g-Force R1A tires on 18x10" wheels, the most noticable thing to me was that I could accelerate out of turns much harder. The 245s required more care and restraint with the throttle on corner exit. The 285s grip better in the middle of the corners, too, but the biggest difference was at corner exit. The car feels more planted with the wider tires. The weight and inertia increase of larger wheels will rob you of some dynamic HP (the car will accelerate somewhat slower). If you have a lot of power, the bigger wheels help you put it to the ground better. You can still get power on oversteer if you want to, but it is much less likely to happen by accident.
Since you lose some sidewall with bigger diameter wheels, it seems like they should be worse for drag-style launches, but I haven't really tried it enough to share my experiences. A larger diameter tire on smaller diameter wheels is probably best for drag racing, since you get a lot of sidewall and the contact patch will be longer rather than wider.
After all that, if you just want bigger wheels, it makes sense to get wider wheels, too, so you can run wider tires. There are a bunch of sticky threads with great info on tire and wheel fitments in 17" and 18". I think 17" wheels are generally best and that is what I run on the street, but I went 18" for the track so I could run the wide but stock diameter 285/30-18 tires. With 17" wheels, you can't go quite as wide with the tires because of tire size availability.
-Max
The advantage is that you get wider tires, so you'll have more grip in the corners. Comparing 245 g-Force R1 tires on stock wheels and 285 g-Force R1A tires on 18x10" wheels, the most noticable thing to me was that I could accelerate out of turns much harder. The 245s required more care and restraint with the throttle on corner exit. The 285s grip better in the middle of the corners, too, but the biggest difference was at corner exit. The car feels more planted with the wider tires. The weight and inertia increase of larger wheels will rob you of some dynamic HP (the car will accelerate somewhat slower). If you have a lot of power, the bigger wheels help you put it to the ground better. You can still get power on oversteer if you want to, but it is much less likely to happen by accident.
Since you lose some sidewall with bigger diameter wheels, it seems like they should be worse for drag-style launches, but I haven't really tried it enough to share my experiences. A larger diameter tire on smaller diameter wheels is probably best for drag racing, since you get a lot of sidewall and the contact patch will be longer rather than wider.
After all that, if you just want bigger wheels, it makes sense to get wider wheels, too, so you can run wider tires. There are a bunch of sticky threads with great info on tire and wheel fitments in 17" and 18". I think 17" wheels are generally best and that is what I run on the street, but I went 18" for the track so I could run the wide but stock diameter 285/30-18 tires. With 17" wheels, you can't go quite as wide with the tires because of tire size availability.
-Max
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
msilvia
3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002)
15
09-11-15 12:13 PM
Nosferatu
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
7
09-05-15 02:13 PM