I'm curious what wheels and tires you guys are running on your street cars. Currently I have a NA Integra that I hope to turbo soon. Right now I have 17" 5-zigens w/ yokohama A520 tires (205/40). I hate my 17"s because they are heavy, slow, ride rough, look a little too big on my little DA, etc. I do love the cornering the low profile tires offer however.

I'm probably going to sell them soon. I'm wondering if most of you are running 17"s for superior cornering or if 15x7 or 16x7 wheels are sufficient and give you adequate traction on your turbo cars. Would a 15x7 get the same traction during acceleration that a 17x7 would?

I realize this is a vague question but I'm just looking for a little feedback. I hope to be making 250-300WHP when I'm done.

Thanks,

Leif


[Modified by leifintegra, 12:53 AM 1/30/2002]

 

I favor a lightweight 15" setup with a set of Falken Azenis RS or Potenza RE730.

 

buddy clubs w/ 15" and drag radial!

 

i'm running rota slipstreams (12.5lbs) with 205/50/15 falken azenis'... It's a good combo but i still lose traction at 6-7k in first when i'm over 7psi of boost.
Plus i'm getting tired of the 15" look..
i want to go back to some 17s with a polished lip

 

stay with tour 17's with 15's you will spin toooooo much you will have better tracktion with the 17's and look cool at the same time especially at so much whp

 

So with a as much horse power as a turbo honda has its better to stick with the 17's if you already have them? Right now I have ADR Sokudos with Toyo fz-4's. Im not to fond of the tire, but the wheels look pretty good on my car. I was planning on selling my wheels and buying 16" Rota Subzeros, should I just keep the 17's and get some better tires?

 

if ur makin alot of power axles are gonna break with 17's. the highest id get is 16 but damn them volk gtp's look so good, oh well.

 

anyone have experiance with Vitek axles? http://www.vitekperformance.com i think

 

16s are cool. i got 17s. looks coo... handling is coo... but the damn streets aint helpin the ride at all. racing with 17s aint too bad... but it doesnt help either. i think 16s are the better way to go. as soon as i sell my 17s, im gettin some 16s.

 

Does anyone w/ a turbo Honda have any actual facts, research, track testing, etc. I'm looking for an analysis of how side-wall flex affects the outward motion of a car while cornering & how the sidewall flex affects a car accelerating. On a 205 wide tire what performance difference can be expected w/ 40, 45, & 50 series rubber. People that actually race auto-x tell me that on a Honda 15”s w/ 50 series rubber handles superior to 17” w/ 40 series rubber (acceleration and weight concerns aside). Why is this?

I’m tired of hearing, “17”s look fat yo but 15”s are faster.”

Thanks,

Leif



[Modified by leifintegra, 6:08 AM 1/30/2002]

 

how are those new falkens? i am running low on tread with my michelpoo poos and i am in need of new tires basicly i am stuck between the falkens or the kumhos (maybe splurge and get drag radials for the front

 

i had 17in. tantrums w/ worthless tires on my gsr for about a year, then i sold them and bought 16in. kosei k1's w/ A520s and at a total weight loss of 8lbs on each corner, the car definitely moves easier.

 

For dry traction, the Azenis kick the Kumhos a$$!!!! In the wet though, Kumho ownz joo!!!!

 

so 16s the best size for street driven (more than 8 lbs)?

 

So how are the Azenis in the wet? Dangerous or just so-so?

R

 

They are average in the wet, nothing dangerous. Kind of like my AVS-I. A lot more dry grip than wet.

 

well, i'm a lot happier with the 16's over the 17's and in my case i did save 8lbs on each wheel/tire but as far as being the best size, that's just my opinion.

 

I think you should go with 16's if you want to exchange a little added weight for slightly better looks. If the added weight is not worth it to you, 15's it is!!!
I personally think 15" has better tires selections so I am going that way.

 

Well really it all depends on the tires. If you have a lot of sidewall flex then your cornering response will hurt. If you have soft sidewalls and they roll over, then you'll have bad traction in corners.

The reason that the autox people say that 15s handle better is that they're usually using expensive race rubber that has a really stiff sidewall, making it equivalent to 17s with their small sidewalls.

The falken azenis' have pretty stiff sidewalls. The cornering is pretty good, as good as or better than my old 17" yokohama paradas. The instant response and twitchiness (in a good way) of 17s isn't there, but other than that the cornering seems great.


Some tires, such as my falkens, are HEAVY. I went from 17" Kosei Racing Senekas, which weigh 21 lbs, to 15" 12.5lb Rota Slipstreams. However, i only saved 3lbs in overall wheel&tire weight..

Next i'm saving up for some lightweight 17s or maybe 16s

-Xerxes

 

First off, at your target of 250-300 Hp, a 3-8 Hp loss is not gonna kill you using 17's !

15's will give you wheelspin at rpms you wouldn't think possible, 2nd gear burnouts will be
cake

16's are the most versatile, giving you the best variety of tire choice and the capability of
choosing good tires with taller sidewalls for the holeshot and decent cornering grip.
16's are typically stronger for street driving and you don't have to baby them like

17's are just plain nice, that's what I run.... 17's subzero's on 205/40 Falken 251's
great for cornering and decent on acceleration despite the low-pro design.

 

going back to my 17" TE-37s, probably put 215/45 RE730s on em


[Modified by adam, 1:09 PM 1/30/2002]

 

i have 15" te-37's in bronze and drag radials. great traction(when i can get it) and handles decent in the corners(not on a road coarse for you auto X nerds....hahaha) very light weight. my 60 ft times average 2.05 - 2.15.