does rim size affect handling????

[driftfreek]

i have 17 in rims now with 215/45 tires but theyr too heavy. i wanted to get some lighter rims maybe some 15" or 16". i want performance and handling. so what are the advantages and disadvantages or every size. please reply if you know, if you're just guessing, then dont. i just want to get the right knowledge.

[bone_stock_240]

wow. someone is mighty demanding. How about you search. that will give you lots of the "right knowledge"

[driftfreek]

ok ur not helping at all and ive done my research, but i just want more opinions.

[bone_stock_240]

well, now you are saying something else. Now you want people's opinions which aren't always going to be the same.

Bigger rim means smaller sidewall for your tire, which means your tire will be stiffer when loaded (turning and such)

[hai1206vn]

Smaller sidewall will give you a harsher ride, but cornering will be less sloppy. Stiffer ride also makes it more sensitive, and traction can be reduced. Make sure you have good tires.

For light rims, you'd need cash. 5zigen FN-01R are what I will get; my buddy said they cost about $200/piece from SPLparts.

[DuaneG]

FNs are over rated. There are lots of light weight rims, some are cheap some are not. TIRE size is what effects ride.

[Anand]

whats the research that you did tell you??

can you tell me a few things about why would someone go with bigger and wider wheels??

why someone would go for smaller diamiter and less wide rims???

I just want to know what you came up with..

[bone_stock_240]

anand is calling shenanigans on your research.

[slide4satan]

i love that shenanigans is popping up everywhere and i agree.

[RWP]

bone_stock_240 is right and ill agree because he is Canadian (well at least living here).

[bone_stock_240]

Are you just trying to get on my good books so I stop pestering you about the 260SX write up?

[RWP]

Damn he is catching on! time to hide

[thenillaz]

Thinking about it logically, and this is what I've also been told, if you get a bigger over all wheel(tire+rim) you're going to have more legnth of tire in a single revolution of the wheel to cover than a smaller wheel. So if you think about it, the load being put on the engine to rotate the transmission to get that single revolution of the wheel is great than a smaller wheel, thus your car will slower. Thiking about it had me second guessing while I wrote this, but keep in mind only the overall length of the tire is changing, not the axel or driveshaft or gears. So maybe I should reword it as a single revolution of the drive axel. Even though a single revolution will get you farther with a bigger tire, the amount of resistance against the engine, because of the increase in friction of the bigger tire, slows down the rate your accelerate.

So in conclusion, a bigger wheel will make the car slower. Don't be alarmed though, the difference is probably completely unoticable. Besides its only an 17in rim, most people here do it and its nothing out of the norm. Keep in mind what people are saying as far as the profile of the tire and conering, because this is only the acceleration aspect.

[bone_stock_240]

But if you get a bigger rim, you usually try to get a lower profile tire so the rolling radius is still the same. If you don't do that your speedo and odometer will be wrong.

[thenillaz]

But if you get a bigger rim, you usually try to get a lower profile tire so the rolling radius is still the same. If you don't do that your speedo and odometer will be wrong.

True, but like what was said earlier, you don't necessarly want a super low profile tire because of ride quality and grip. I could be talking out of my ***, but a /40/ tire will still bring you good ride quality and grip, considering most stock manufacture cars come with those tire specs. And who cares if your speedo is wrong, it just gunna put less miles on your car right? lol

[Matej]

Stretch all day long! That way you can have stock-sized tire width and diameter on a big wheel.

...and it drifts sooo good.

[AmoebAssassin]

Moved to tires/wheels/brakes/suspension.

I'll weigh in a little on this later -- I've got some schoolwork and FSAE work to finish first.

[chitownguy]

Well your rolling inertia will be greater and it takes more force to turn something thats bigger and heavier right? Same thing will happen here if you go with a 17" opposed to a 16" or 15" wheel. But due to the lower profile sidewall and the tire itself (stiff sidewall and section width) you'll get better handling with a 17" wheel if its also light enough. There's many more factors but I'm drawing a blank right now so I'm sure Amoeb will further help you.

[Repo Man]

The key here is to try and maintain as close to stock outer diameter as possible when you move to a larger wheel. When you do this, you install a lower profile tire to offset the change in wheel size. This maintains your effective gear ratio but now you have the advantage of less sidewall flex (all things being equal) and more space for a big brake upgrade. Plus they may look better as well. Maybe not if you suck at picking wheels.

There are mistakes made all the time on wheel and tire selection. A large number of people buy larger wheels not really understanding the first concept I outlined. They want to look good primarily and their performance suffers when they put big, heavy wheels on their cars.

Acceleration is NOT the only aspect of performance that suffers when the weight of the wheel is increased significantly. This is part of what is called unsprung weight, that is, weight not being supported by the suspension of the car. This will affect not only acceleration, but handling, steering response, braking and overall feel of the car. For those that are truly performance-minded, going to a heavier wheel is generally NEVER a good thing.

I'm sure there are some things that I have missed. Wheel gurus please chime in!

[thenillaz]

Question:

How heavy is too heavy for a wheel? 17in wheel? 18in wheel?

[Repo Man]

Well, I think it's relative to the weight of the stock wheel. On a 240, lightweight 17's shouldn't be more than around 17 pounds, 18 pounds for 18" wheels. That's just my opinion and not derived from any scientific theory or anything.

One of the best lightweight 17" wheels I've seen is the SSR Competition which are well under 17 pounds for a 17x8 wheel.