em2ssm02

I'm going turbo as soon as I can get my chipped ecu from a friend and I was wondering what you guys have done with your wheels once you've gone turbo.
I have an 89 civic hatch with
-kyb struts + h&r springs
-b18a
-turbo is a t3/t4 hoping to push 300hp.
-will be installing IM crossmember with the urethane bushings.

so my question is: i have 15s right now that are pretty light wrapped in azenis. i think each wheel/tire is about 20lbs. My friend has some 16s he wants to trade with me that are a little heavier and i was wondering if it would be a good idea to do this to get a little more traction?

I don't know if anyone has really considered this in traction issues.
I mean I figure more rolling resistance, the more traction I should get, but then again I dont want to add more rolling weight if it's not really necessary.

i dont know the exact weights of the 15s or 16s, i guess it's just more of a general question of benefit from adding a few more pounds to the wheels.

david@didrace.com

More weight will always provide less potential to accelerate faster.

Boilermaker1

Bigger, heavier wheel means more inertia to turn the wheel, which is less energy available to move the car. More unsprung weight is never a good thing. The only time I think I'd trade weight for something wheel related in the name of traction is the width.

93supercoupe

ur trying to gain teaction by slowing acceleration.

There was a thread earlier saying less power is faster, and this si the same concept.

Although this idea is much more thoughtfull

em2ssm02

I just don't know if there would be an actual science to this to get it to the most efficient power/unsprung weight ratio.

I kinda thought that possibly by adding just a few more pounds you can reduce the amount of spin you get by having less weight with the wheel/tire.

It wouldn't add much weight but I don't know if with just the other things I have if it will really be worth it.
In other words the stuff I have gives enough traction as is.

em2ssm02

well i feel like an idiot my wheels are actually 14s. i havent used them in a while.

well lets also throw this into the mix then...
i have 195/60/14s would it be worth it in the almighty name of traction to bump up to 16s where i could run say a 215/45 or 205/40?

I'd really like to get this thread going just for thoughts people have about this topic and if its really worth it to add a few more pounds in the name of traction.

katoeh2o

I would ditch the 14 for the 16 with 215/45 or some thing like that.

The 14 will not be safe with 300 hp and that will be plenty of power to burn the rubber of 16s.

I would say it is a nessary up grade. 15 would be good to with a 50 series tire.

TorganFM.

Big wheels are for big brakes, not big power, unless you get big brakes because of big power.

tegasaurus

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by katoeh2o &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would ditch the 14 for the 16 with 215/45 or some thing like that.

The 14 will not be safe with 300 hp and that will be plenty of power to burn the rubber of 16s.

I would say it is a nessary up grade. 15 would be good to with a 50 series tire.</TD></TR></TABLE>
safe?! wtf?

my 98 integra came with 14" wheels from the factory. i put on falken azenis sized 195/60/14, omni suspension, and turbod that bitch. those unsafe 14s felt pretty fine to me at any speed or acceleration rate from 0 to 130 or however fkn fast i drove that thing.

how much traction you need is dependant on one thing only. do you drive like a fkn ricer? do you test your 60 foot times every red light? do you really need that?

now think this... do you like your 14s? do 16s look better? is the sacrafice of being able to run a 13.5 while looking like a jackass vs a 13.8 in style worth it?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DanW &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Big wheels are for big brakes, not big power, unless you get big brakes because of big power.</TD></TR></TABLE>

big wheels with small tires make your initial turn in response faster too. big wheels with small tires also make the initial jolt from bump in the more intense aka ruin your ride.

em2ssm02

No i don't drive like a ricer

I autocross so thats kinda why I have this thread up I wouldnt care about traction if I was DD'ing this. It's a weekend warrior at best and only sees the road to the track and back.

I don't care at all what they look like, this has nothing to do with appearance, its strictly performance/traction purposes.

TorganFM.

Then do a big brake oem conversion with 11.1" redrilled rotors, accord calipers ground down, and 15" lightweight wheels.