I was thinking about getting 18" rims with 10 inch width on the rear ones, 9 up front. Would my car run slower because of the bigger size? Current mods in sig, and I'm not planning a blower swap, but I am planning on a shifter/port/chip/pulley/tune/springs at some point.
How will bigger rims affect performance?
- Thread starter PDubs
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Larger diameter rims require lower profile tires to compensate for the speedo to read accurate. Lower profile = less traction in a straight line take-off. You ever see a funny car or top-fuel car launch? That sidewall wrinkle is good. Even though you can't see our tires do it, they same characteristics are there and it matters for launches.....as long as we are talking about street tires. An 18" DR will be better than a 17" street tire though. For handling and such, the 18's will be equal or better than 17's if you're on a good tire. For looks, 18's definitely. If you don't drag race much, 18's are the way to go for sure. If you're looking to drag race a lot, stick w/ 17's. I've owned 18's and loved the look. They're not for me though. They ride rough and the roads around here are great for bending rims. I had 18 x 10's w/ P-zero's in a 295 and they spun like crazy, zero traction, and that was on my '01 GT w/ 260HP(4.10 gears didn't help).
I had 18s with p zeros and I will never do it again. 18s are terrible if you live in an area that doesn't have perfect roadways. I destroyed one of my tires and rims hitting a small pothole. It cost me 800 bucks to get a new tire and rim. You sacrafice traction and ride quality for looks. It's not worth it unless you drive like a geezer in Florida.
The differance is pretty slim, I would'nt worry about lost performance with an 18. Just get some good tire's and stay away from open manhole's and you'll be fine.
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I agree with Torch Red's comments. 18 will make you spin easier than 17's because of the sidewall differences. It all depends on what you want. If you want to LOOK good or HOOK good !:beer:
Great points, thanks for info. I don't drag race much, if at all, and I had a similar spinning problem (like Torch Red's) on my 01GT with 18s/4.10s but only 9 inches in the back. I was hoping that a wider tire would help compensate for the excess spin because of the low profile, but I guess not.
What size sidewall would compensate for the speedo: 35 or 40?
What size sidewall would compensate for the speedo: 35 or 40?
Sounds to me like that just about sums it up!
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