I have a b16 del sol daily driver that i want to try on open track days and autox this summer. How will rim size affect my car/driving? say i go from 15 to 16. And how does the width of the rim affect driving too, say 6.5 to 7? thanks

 

Depends.

Assuming you pick a 15 and 16 inch tire that have the same outer diameter and the wheels and tires together both weigh the same, the tire with the shorter sidewall will move around less and yield marginally better turn-in response. Having more of the rotating mass closer to the hub also *again, marginally* reduces effort required to start and stop the wheel.

The wider wheel works kinda the same way, and aside from obviously accomodating a wider tire in the shape it likes to be, there's not a lot of difference you're going to notice. There are other closely involved factors that have a much greater effect on overall performance you should look at first.

For a short answer, you want the smallest wheel that will fit over your brakes and the widest that will fit in your wheel well. It doesn't matter all that much, though.

 

yeah you won't notice the difference b/w wheel sizes or even treadwidths at first.

fact of the matter is, choosing the right wheel size is pretty complicated sometimes. general rule is smallest wheel to fit over your brakes, but what comes into play is, do people make the right sized tire in that diameter? wide enough? short enough? cheap enough? sticky enough? and oftentimes you'll find the answer is no, unless you're running a popular size like 15 or 17.

wheel size selection is frequently exactly where the theoretical world meets the real world and gets pwned by the real world.

 

It sounds like you're new to track driving. When you're just learning, you won't be using anywhere near your car's full capabilities. Don't worry about rim size; just drive what you have now.

Once you DO build up some experience, say a dozen events or more, you'll probably start using R compound track tires. At that point you will realize that what matters most is the availability of track tires in the size that you need.

 

call me dumb, but i touge at night. Touge is hill racing. I never race on the streets or freeway. I just want to practice turning on the track with street tires, so i dont fly of the hill.

 

IBTL.

You're going to end up like this idiot: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1532689

 

i'd find some spare donuts, since they're narrower they weigh less and will make you go faster

IBTL