I might do a little project with some 17" wheelsthat I got. How is the performance vs 15"?

I like the look of the wheels, but im affraid the 17" might make the car look like a 4x4. Any pictures?

 

17" .....

Performance will be horrible with a set of 17" wheels...use your stock 15" wheels. They look better IMO as well.

<----Who has always liked stock 15" wheels better

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Alberto &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I might do a little project with some 17" wheelsthat I got. How is the performance vs 15"?

I like the look of the wheels, but im affraid the 17" might make the car look like a 4x4. Any pictures?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

If your looking to upgrade , the general idea is to run a Lighter, wider , and smallest rim possible that will fit over the brakes .....

Sticking with 15's i good, sticking with the OEM 15's is good, but going lighter and wider is

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C-Rsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">17" .....

Performance will be horrible with a set of 17" wheels...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't think performance will be "horrible" but the unsprung weight of your 17" rim + 17" tire will be a lot more than the 15" combo.

This will adversely affect acceleration. It will also make your suspension work harder since it has to control the movement of those heavier rims/tire - so it might not be as precise over uneven pavement. You will also find that the 17" tramline a lot more in grooves in the road too.

Some people like the look of a 17" rim - that's a personal decision.

 

Only a very good driver will be able to take advantage of a superlight 15`` rim (handling) An average driver seems to handle the car easier, if it`s equipped with 17`` rims.

Look here. This might answer one or the other question for you:

http://www.grmotorsports.com/plustest.html

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR5874 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Only a very good driver will be able to take advantage of a superlight 15`` rim (handling) An average driver seems to handle the car easier, if it`s equipped with 17`` rims.

Look here. This might answer one or the other question for you:

http://www.grmotorsports.com/plustest.html

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Why would a "average" driver handle better if equiped with 17 inch wheels ....

Because 17 inch wheels with lower profile tires will break away easier ?

 

I'll be getting these on the car in time for the Expo.

 

If your car is not making mad power (2.0L, FI, etc), stick with 15 or 16.

I've seen 2.0L DC2 that runs 17" rims on track and is actually REALLY fast.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by zygspeed &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'll be getting these on the car in time for the Expo.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
zyg - where can I score some sweet tires like those?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Philly_NBP_R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">zyg - where can I score some sweet tires like those?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I got those from Rodney some time back, and am only now getting around to putting them to use.

They are not US DOT, so you'd probably have to check with some JDM importers.
I did a quick Google search on "D01J" and Dunlop to show a friend some info on them,
and found some race shop in the UK that lists them for 146 Pounds + VAT ea.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tsunami_zc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Why would a "average" driver handle better if equiped with 17 inch wheels ....

Because 17 inch wheels with lower profile tires will break away easier ?

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I watched sparetime drivers running better laptimes on bigger tires... Traction control is a lot easier.....

Read that article and discover that those Auto-x guys were a lot quicker with 17`s than with 15`s. But I guess they are experienced drivers. Anyway.. you must be able to drive your car at the limit constantly to take advantage of the less unsprung weight over the better traction of a bigger wheel. That`s what I saw so I guess it might be true.

 

Id personally go with a lighweight 16" wheel, which will offer a bigger tire and look nicer if you want some bling.

 

I need the wheels by summer. The car will be FI'ed on sept.

Any pics of 17"in integras?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR5874 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I watched sparetime drivers running better laptimes on bigger tires... Traction control is a lot easier.....

Read that article and discover that those Auto-x guys were a lot quicker with 17`s than with 15`s. But I guess they are experienced drivers. Anyway.. you must be able to drive your car at the limit constantly to take advantage of the less unsprung weight over the better traction of a bigger wheel. That`s what I saw so I guess it might be true.

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Going by the article you posted.

They are pitting

OE 14 inch steelies .....against 15x6.5 , and 17x7 wheels..... all running Dunlop Tires .... (obviously a Dunlop Plug in there)

If the asumption is that you will have less grip with a 15 inch wheel + tire , judging by this article, that is soley due to their tire selection.

When i had 17's back in the day on my G1 Integra ...the grip was phenomenol .... on the STREET .....

But once it saw it first few auto x's ....it turned from good grip ......to an abrupt ....unforgiving break away ......due to the fact the sidewalls had to be low profile and stiff, or else the diameter of the wheel would be to big .....

Thats just my expierience from "plus sized" wheels ....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Alberto &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I need the wheels by summer. The car will be FI'ed on sept.

Any pics of 17"in integras?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Alberto &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Any pics of 17"in integras?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Blazin ITR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">



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ohh thats hot

 

i heard that in auto x or track racing bigger wheels get better times and handling. thats why le man cars have big wheels i guess...

 

If the Le Mans racers have the same sort of brakes as the F360 Challenge cars, you need 18"+ rims to clear the brakes which means a low profile tire is also wanted to keep a reasonable overall diameter.

 

For street performance 17's are fine. I ran better times @ the track with my 17 inch Volks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 00fbpitr54 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i heard that in auto x or track racing bigger wheels get better times and handling. thats why le man cars have big wheels i guess...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Le Mans Race cars run 17 inch and up wheels, because they actually need massive brakes to bring them to a halt.

Our street cars dont.

 

.... and still it seems to be a not cleared. question.....

Who was the guy who said things have been discussed to death ?

 

it also depends on what wheels you get not all 17s r heavy 17' sst comps weigh 12 lbs i have 17' superleggeras on mine they r 15lbs i love them they r lighter than my 15's settering is lighter, brakes and accelerates better to. go with 17's heres my car with 17 & stock suspension i dont think it looks like a 4x4 **** lowering it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gsr-2nr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it also depends on what wheels you get not all 17s r heavy 17' sst comps weigh 12 lbs i have 17' superleggeras on mine they r 15lbs i love them they r lighter than my 15's settering is lighter, brakes and accelerates better to. go with 17's heres my car with 17 & stock suspension i dont think it looks like a 4x4 **** lowering it
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The weight of the wheel does not counter the rotational mass its needed to power.

the root of the big wheel/little wheel is not weight.... its rotational inertia (also called moment of inertia)....

the physics equation has 4 constituents ..............=

k, m, r, i
where k is some constant......&gt; m is the mass of the wheel....&gt; r is the radius and i is the moment of inertia

the relationship is thus:
i = km(r^2)

what this means is that even though you have a larger wheel that may weigh the same as the smaller wheel the radius is the more important factor... The radius of the overal diameter may be the same... but the radius of the actual rotating mass... from the center of the wheel to the edge of the lip = radius

a 20" wheel that weighs 10 lbs has TWICE the moment of inertia as a 10" wheel that weighs 20 lbs...

moment of inertia is not only related to resistance to rotational acceleration..... but to changes in rotational direction...&gt; in other words the wheel with the smaller moment of inertia will offer better steering response as well as better acceleration.... a few examples =

&gt; ever take the front wheel off a bicycle, hold it by either side of the axle, and spin the wheel as fast you can..... and try to change the direction... the wheel resists this

&gt;try the same test with a smaller wheel .....and the resistance is vastly reduced...


the second and more relevant example&gt; polar moment of inertia in a car&gt; the steering response from the moment of inertia of the wheel acts IDENTICALLY to the rotational responsiveness of a mid-engine car..... its because the weight is more centrally located


the tire may be one of the heavier portions of the unsprung mass of the car.... but even moving the sidewall inwards by making it taller... you are putting more "air" at the outside of the equation... effectively reducing the "r" portion for most of the individual portions of mass of the rotating wheel/tire combo.......


nevermind that having a taller sidewall allows more forgiving handling... reducing the breakaway speed and making the car more controllable & predictable at the limit....


So in another words gsr-2nr ......though your SuperLegras weigh about a pound less, or the same as your OEM Gs-R wheels, the only advantage you have is a wider wheel, which will benefit you on the street, and more stable on the highway ...

But in an emergency situation, the unforgiving sidewalls will make the car alot less easier to "bring back" .....

If you think you have gained an advantage in acceleration, that is only due to better tires, your acceleration will still suffer compared to a smaller radius wheel+tire combo....

A friend of mine with some 17x7 wheels would ask me ....

"So then why is it that now that i have 17's i can launch without spinning out...like i did with the 15's?"

Answer= More rotating mass = Less power to the wheels....so of course its harder for the tires to break loose....and thats why acceleration suffers ....


Modified by tsunami_zc at 1:22 PM 3/16/2004

 

i wouldnt say accleration sufferes a raced a gsr over the summer with the same mods as me him rolling with those *** ugly stock 98 gsr wheels and me and my 17's and i beat him my car doesnt feel slower when i put my 17s on but i wont argue with that physics bullshit b/c i dont understand that crap so i have no means to argue against that