What's more important? Width or weight? I'm looking at several options for wheels, one being a 15x7 Rota (~13lb.) or a 15x6.5 Konig Helium (~11lb). I would be running a 225/50 on them. Would the 1/2in. width overcome the 2lb. weight penalty? Or is a 6.5 too narrow for a 225 tire?

 

Width would definitely be better.

Also, here's an affordable 11lb 15x7 wheel: http://edgeracing.com/wheel/1013/

 

I'm in a similar situation. I had 15x6.5 heliums on my CRX running 205's, but now I have a DA teg and want to run 225's. I think that it will be worth it to go with a 15x7. I remember seeing on a thread somewhere that even with 205/50's, the difference between 6.5 and 7" wide was like .2 inches of contact patch. I would imagine that would be even more exaggerated with a 225/50. I think that the ~.5" of contact patch is going to buy a lot more than the 2 lbs you might save. Besides, if you look long enough, you can come across some 10-11 lb 15x7's used for around the price of new Rotas.

- Scott

 

Width...

More contact patch onto the road surface. A 1.5 lb difference isn't that bad considering you can stuff a wider tire on the heavier wheel.

 

something to keep in mind also, rota backs it's wheels really well

one of my c8s developed a cracked spoke after 4 years of ITA racing, and they replaced it, no cost. they paid shipping both ways! I bought those wheels used, no receipts!

 

Width width width - especially with the 225 tire.

Not to mention the Rota Slipstream has proven to be more durable than the Konig Helium, which tends to develop cracks in the spokes . . .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> which tends to develop cracks in the spokes . . .</TD></TR></TABLE>

especially with r-comps!

 

I run a Helium (15x6.5) on the street with 205's and some Konig Nexts (15x7) 225's for the track. The nexts were cheap too, and they are still light (not sure of the weight tho, perhaps 1-2 lbs heavier than the heliums).

I wouldn't run the 225's on a 6.5, it looks like a marshmallow with a string around the middle. The 15x7 runs the 225 quite nicely. The width is better for sure. When i stack my street wheels with tires against my track tires/wheels, the track tires are like 4-6 inches taller, so, if you look at it as overall contact patch addition, its quite substantial.