RE: tires and rim size

[mikeandcarmen <mikeandcarmen@pdq.net>]

The car will be slower with a larger diameter wheel even if you compensate 
with a lower profile tire.  This is because you increase unsprung weight when 
you increase the diameter of the wheel unless you can afford extremely 
light-weight wheels.  That is why I run 13" wheels on my race car even though 
the rules in my class would allow me to run 14" wheels if I wanted to.

This doesn't apply to cars that come with steel wheels as original equipment 
because a larger diameter aluminum wheel is usually lighter or weighs just as 
much as a smaller diameter steel wheel.

The basic rule is that if you replace your current tire & wheel combination 
with one that weighs more than what you currently have on the car, your car 
will be slower although it may handle better if you choose carefully.

Michael Keith
Pasadena, TX
'98 Jetta GLX
'85 Golf SCCA ITB
>===== Original Message From Stewart MacLund  =====
>Personally, i wouldn't go any bigger than 16", becxause when you lower the 
car,
>you're going to have massive wheel rub...
>
>As for s;lowing the car... Yeah, basic physic says you won't put as much 
power
>down to the ground with a larger rim.... if the tire height is constant...
>
>The trick is to get a larger rim, then go with a shorter tire.  So basically, 
you
>have the same circumference of tire you started with, although much stiffer, 
since
>you've taken off 1" of rubber.
>
>SUndie...
>
>DESEOSA@aol.com wrote:
>
>> > I know what you mean. I don't ever want to look like I'm racing, I want 
to
>> > smoke people without it looking like I tried. :)>>
>> Exactly!
>>
>> Um, this seems to be a controversial subject other places, but when I get 
new
>> tires I'd like to get new rims.  With a quality tire like Michellin, will 
17"
>> rims slow the car?  I like the look of bigger rims, but I've heard 
conflicting
>> opinions about 17"/18" rims. Some say for best performance use 16". Others 
say
>> it doesn't matter as long as they don't rub.....