Shawn808

This is more of a logic comment/question rather then a style one.

I know that large diameter wheels 19's 20's etc fit the wheel well opening of our SC430s really well. I know they look good, esp 20s when lowered. I have no argument against that and fully like how 20s look on a lowered SC430.

Now this is where the logical and practical side bothers me. Esp if I go on a long drive cross country or something.

However other then looks/style I dont always get the trade off for the heavier wheel and lower profile tire. I know that it "should" handle better due to the lower profile tire, less flex etc. But is that trade off worth the extra weight? Not to mention that our SC430s aren't exactly "sports cars" on the same league as a Ferrari or Lamborghini to really justify the handling of the lower profile tire and larger/wider diameter wheel. Also another "negative" is that with a lower profile tire one pothole is able to bend a $500 to $1200+ wheel (per wheel in some cases) Then you also run into ride quality issues etc. Gas millage, possible speedo calibration issues...

I know another benefit of a larger wheel is fitting larger brakes, but I am not sure how many of those who fit 20s or more put in brembos etc.

So it is just a looks issue? and does it balance out the negatives of fitting larger wheels?

CAMAracer

iTrader: (1)

Tires make a car handle better, not wheel size. However, wider rims will help with handling (to a point).

I noticed a huge difference when I switched from 65lb rims/tires to 42lb rim/tires.

Shawn808

Well I heard that the lower profile tire helps with cornering due to less "flex" in the tire under load when in the corner. I dont know how much this is true but it could be one reason.

Does your car handle better now with the smaller wheel? Or is it mainly a 0 to 60 feel in performance?

I am just wondering if this 19 and 20 inch wheel thing is a fad and if people are going to realize that a smaller wheel is much more practical and gives better performance for most cars...the "real" tuners figured this out a long time ago putting light weigh 13" wheels on their race cars for less rolling mass and haven't really changed since.

Reminds me of those huge body kits and wings back in the 90s where people were more about their rides "looking" like a Ferrari etc with all those vents in the body kit for the rear of the car (engine cooling for a real Ferrari) when they are front engine cars. Or those huge wings to make it look like a supra/F40. It MIGHT improve performance and to some MIGHT look good but I think people started to realize that it just was not practical. I see the similar thing with 19s and 20s. It does look good but am not sure how practical it is, esp for the performance vs cost aspect.

CAMAracer

iTrader: (1)

The profile of a tire doesn't depend on the wheel size, you can have low profiles on 17 inch rims the same as you can with 18 or 20s. The width of the tire, however depends on the rim, so that much you can say that the rims plays an effect on handling. Same goes for offset.

The stock rims are 18x8, while my SSRs are 19x8. Only difference is the SSRs are way lighter than the stocks. And yes, with less weight on my wheels, the car is much more agile (more responsive to direction) while driving at speed. Acceleration gain is minimal, but there. MPG saving is noticeably improved. Braking is also improved.

All in all, it's not the size that helps but the reduced weight.

McDonough

The lower the profile, the larger the wheel, and generally, the heavier the combination of the two. This in turn will make your car accelerate slower and use more fuel.

Nice little write up in the latest Car & Driver (May 2010) regarding this same thing...compared 15" to 19" in a new 2.5 Rabbit....

xenonrider

If you get a high quality 20" wheel (something forged), it may actually be lighter than the stock 18" wheels with run-flats. So, having 20" wheels doesn't necessarily have to make your car slower and harder to stop.

If being practical was our only motivation... we'd all be driving Corolla's with 13" wheels...lol...

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Switching from my stock 18" on BOTH my SC's with run flats to 20" wheels with 30/35 series tires and a staggered setup improved my road feel 300% and made the car drive much smoother...until I hit a bump!

I think if we had a poll, the majority would say that they switched to larger rims for the aesthetics, don't you?

Of course, with everything, there are trade offs.

Yes

20" aluminum wheels are significantly lighter than stock 18" steel wheels.

KaiserSea1

My 20s are 3 pounds lighter per wheel than my dinner plates were, wider, and filled with nitrogen. Per my iphone App, I am about .3 seconds quicker to 60 and the car handles much better in the hard turns. My MPG is down 1.5, but with the increased diameter it is about 1 MPG better. The factory wheels had a smoother ride. I am not sure how much tires have to do with it all, but I was running Bridgestones, and now I am using Falkens.