"Frosted" (frostedbuns)
04/09/2014 at 19:44 • Filed to: None
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"Frosted" (frostedbuns)
04/09/2014 at 19:44 • Filed to: None | 0
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So wheels obviously play a big part in how a car handles on the track and whatnot and while big wheels may look cooler, are they always better? Just curious because my next car will be a 4 lug car and I've already gotten a set of 17 inch wheels that would fit (they have 2 patterns to fit almost all 4 lug cars) but I'd like to use it for AutoX and trackdays. So are bigger wheels always the way to go for performance or can a stock 15 inch wheel be ideal for racing? Or would a bigger wheel take away from some of a cars stock turning ability?
AutoX Mazda for yer time:
It's a "Porch-uh"
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 19:48 |
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What widths are the wheels and tires? The size of your contact patch is the biggest factor, followed by weight.
bob and john
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 19:49 |
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well, both have advantages and disadvantages. a bigger wheel means a thinner sidewall, which means less tires to flex in transitions which makes for a sharper, more responsive car. a bigger wheel however is also heavier. the trick is to find the right balance of responsiveness and wheel weight to get the best out of ur car.
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 19:51 |
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Depends on the car. F1 cars use 13"
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> bob and john
04/09/2014 at 19:52 |
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Who says you can't run a lower profile tire on a smaller diameter wheel?
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Frosted
> It's a "Porch-uh"
04/09/2014 at 19:54 |
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Wheels I have a 17x7.00, stock wheels of the Mazda 2 (one of the cars I'm looking at) is 15x6.00. So an inch wider but two inches more in diameter?
Luc - The Acadian Oppo
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 19:55 |
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first thing what car is this on? I know you were looking at subcompacts.
the size diameter of the wheel itself will only change the handling so much(read: less tire roll) the bigger difference would come from wider stickier rubber on a wider wheel.
example:
15" with good wide rubber is better than 17" with crappy rubber.
17" with crappy rubber is better than 15" with crappy rubber
also remember that the bigger the wheel the heavier is gets.
on a subcompact(like you were talking about, for strictly racing I would go with a 15" possibly 8" wide with great rubber.
hope this helps
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 20:01 |
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The smaller diameter wheels would be better. Less mass to move around and smaller circumference.
Are you looking at new tires for either, or what's on them?
On the 15x6s you can run a 205/50/R15 tire and 225/45/R17 on the bigger wheels. Stock tire width on both will probably be smaller (195 and 205, respectively).
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bob and john
> It's a "Porch-uh"
04/09/2014 at 20:05 |
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then ud have to change the suspension as u have lower ground clearance and then (if its a DD) you have recalibrate the computer for the different circumference of the wheel to give you accurate speeds
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> bob and john
04/09/2014 at 20:09 |
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Going from 195/55 to 205/45 (or even 205/35 if such a tire exists) is not going to cause ground clearance issues unless the car is so slammed that an extra inch lower means you're dragging on the ground.
I thought we were talking about racing here, so no need to worry about your speedo being off by 5%.
Santiago of Escuderia Boricua
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 20:14 |
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Small tires mean cheaper rubber which means more laps/runs per $. Time behind the wheel is the most important thing imo
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bob and john
> It's a "Porch-uh"
04/09/2014 at 20:14 |
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he did say it was for autox, so I assumed he would be driving there on those wheels. also, I have no idea in what condition the course he is going to is in, or what car it is. the car could already be lowered, it could be stock. I was just pointing out something to keep an eye on.
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Frosted
> Luc - The Acadian Oppo
04/09/2014 at 20:26 |
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Helps a lot. I don't know much about wheels and offset and generally just buy what looks nice and I know will fit. The car I'm doing wheel comparisons with, as should be no surprise as it is my favorite of the subcompacts so far, is the Mazda 2 which has a 15 x 6 and the wheels I have are a 17 x 7. They'll need new tires if I use them as the current ones are A) All seasons B) Pep boys specials and C) really old.
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Frosted
> Santiago of Escuderia Boricua
04/09/2014 at 20:28 |
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As someone who has zero experience behind the wheel on a race track or...autocross course(?) I have to agree that seat time is more important than running the fastest laps right now (if that were the case, I wouldn't be shopping for 100 horsepower eco cars). I'm 22 and have put off getting into racing for a few years now but it's about time I learned to A) drive stick and B) drive in a race.
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Frosted
> It's a "Porch-uh"
04/09/2014 at 20:30 |
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I dunno what kind of tires the 2 or any other subcompact comes with standard but I'd imagine it's something with MPGs and comfort in mind more than performance. The tires on my 17 inch wheels are really old and pep boys specials so they'd be replaced before the wheels went on anyways.
YSI-what can brown do for you
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 20:38 |
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Wider wheels yes, larger wheels no. Get a 15x7 or 15x8 wheel if they fit on your car for ultimate speed! If these are a race only set(which would be awesome, cause you could use some really aggressive rubber) then don't worry about looks or color. Just get light cheap effective wheels!
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 22:14 |
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If you can swing it financially, put some decent street tires on the 17s, then sticky 205s on the 15s just for AX use. Or sell the 15s and buy some wider, lighter wheels.
Chris Chu
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 22:19 |
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so...i have auto X'ed in a long time but i used my stock wheels. Had a 91 sentra se-r. the tires were 185 60 r14. i used the car for every day driving and auto x. Being that auto x isnt about straight line top speed, but more slalom and more technical...the important thing is time behind the wheel and then good rubber. if ur going to keep the car stock (my sentra had tighter suspension setup to reduce roll) u should be fine with whatever ur rim size is now. the 1 thing i learned during my auto x time is overinflate the tires to prevent tire rollover when cornering. this actually made a big difference!
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Luc - The Acadian Oppo
> Frosted
04/09/2014 at 23:30 |
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if your thinking between the stockers and the 17" I would use the 17" as the 15" are just nowhere wide enough. 17"(as long as they are not too heavy) with sticky SUMMER only(none of that all season bullshit). it should handle pretty damn good as you will virtually eliminate the sidewall flex and you will gain a shit tonne in cornering grip. probably a 205/40r17 something along the lines of this would be perfect for you:
wheelhop
> Frosted
04/10/2014 at 22:39 |
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if it wad my car, I would grab a set of these with the stickest rubber you can afford. Lightweight (for steel), cheap and durable. Leave stock wheels on it for running around town and change to these for the ax or track
http://www.bassettwheel.com/dhole_lightwei…
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Frosted
> wheelhop
04/10/2014 at 22:41 |
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Those look surprisingly cool too. Thanks!
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> wheelhop
04/11/2014 at 00:11 |
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I secretly (well not a secret any more) want to put these on my next race car. I now have a NASCAR team connection so I'm hoping for easy access to take-offs.
15x14? Hell yes.