17" wheel questions

P

PHRANQUY

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Ok, so I'm having to much fun with the Auto-x stuff now. Looking to throw some Anthracite Enkei MM2 (http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d...=1998&wd=17&pc=68249&rw=7&bp=5-115&vid=001150)wheels, and am considering throwing some 275/45-17 (I'd try to go 17x9 with these) or 255/45-17 (17x8 with these)tires on it. Would I be ablke to fit 275's up front after rolling the fenders and ordering them with the correct offset?

I spoke to someone about this the other day and he said he can get me the wheels I want in a custom offset if I need it, but I will be paying a little more to get it, but sometimes you need to pay a little more to get what you want. So, will they fit, or am I better off just going with a 255 width tire?
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

I know my 245/45/17's are pretty close to the spindal as it is, and I don't know how much more it can be offset out. I'm sure it can fit, you just have to have the offset dead on. I'm not a big fan of the wheel you have picked out, but it's your car, you do what you want to it. Especially since you are going for auto-x I would suggest a 9 inch wide rim at minimum with th 275's. Just to keep the sidewalls as straight as possible. Why wouldn't you go with a 275/40 tire? Less sidewall=better handling. Have you put thicker sway bars on yet? I'm sure that would help you a bunch too. Have fun man!!
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

I'm only going to do 17x9 and 275's if they will fit all around. I could go 275/40 too, one the tires I was looking at were available in a 45 series only in that width, the other is a 275/40, not to mention they were both the same outside diameter as stock.
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

Woops...I was looking at a 265/45 16 tire when I posted that last comment....thats what I get for flipping through window's to fast.
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
Less sidewall=better handling.
[/div]

Really?

I posted a question about this some time ago and the majority said that sidewall thickness and wheel diameter do not affect performance assuming the overall wheel+tire diameter remains the same.

It would explain why the tires I see on NASCAR are actually quite thick...
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

I'm talking in very general terms here. I know when I went from stock size to 245/50/16 the car handled much better, less sidewall deflection is part of it. Then when I upgraded to 17 inch rims with 245/45 and 275/40 the handling went through the roof, I couldn't believe it. It wasn't just because of having better tires either. The 245 16 inch tires I had were high performance eagle gs-c tires, very grippy. There are a lot of variables that factor into handling and responce. I think one major factor is tire type, sidewall size, and width. The better you match the tread width the rim the less the tire can deflect on hard cornering.

here's some good reading http://www.valvoline.com/carcare/articleviewer.asp?pg=pht20020101mu&cccid=4&scccid=2


quote:
"With all those changes, don't forget the wheel and tire combination. First determine which general category of tire suits your needs. Daily-driver vehicles should have tires that provide longer treadwear and possibly a smoother ride. Street cars that see occasional track time would be better fitted with a lower-profile, better-handling tire, possibly with upsized wheels. For all-out performance, racing tires are essential, but keep in mind that they may not be the best or legal choice for a street-driven vehicle. If you live in a very wet or snowy area, you will definitely want to take weather conditions into consideration.
Increasing the size of the wheel while decreasing the height of the tire is a simple and effective way of improving handling performance. A low-profile tire decreases sidewall deflection and enables a faster turn-in and improved cornering stability. This increase in handling responsiveness may be less noticeable if your car retains the factory suspension components. Also, you'll probably notice a tradeoff in ride comfort for performance. Low-profile tires give better handling but at the cost of increased road noise and vibration transferred to the suspension.
When changing wheel and tire sizes, keep in mind that in order to keep your speedometer and odometer fairly accurate, you'll have to stay within three percent or roughly 3/4 inches of the original overall diameter of the wheel and tire combination. Any increase in size above this range will require recalibrating your speedometer. For instance, a 15-inch wheel with a 60 series tire could be upgraded to a 17-inch wheel matched to a 40 series tire. "
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

Okay...I can see that.

But what about unsprung weight? A bigger wheel will increase that.
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

I larger wheel will definately increase unsprung weight, it will also increase rotational inertia. Rotational weight generally effects your accelleration 4 times more than non rotational weight (very generall approximation). So add a total of 100 lbs to your wheel and tire combo with some 20 inch rims and now you can guess that it will effect you the same as having 400 lbs in your trunk (as far as acceleration goes). That's specifically why I went with aluminum 17" wheels with short tires. I forget the exact number but they are very close to the weight of the stock wheel tire combo. the cobra r polished rims were 17lbs each if I remember right. The biggest difference with 17's vs stock is that the weight of the rim is centered further from the axis of rotation, this works against you. I think 17" rims are the best option for all around performance straight line and in the corners.
 
RE: 17" wheel questions

Well, looks like i'm gonna be going with a 17x7 or 17x8 wheel with a 255 width tire. The wheels I have picked out (ASA Alloy AR1's) only weigh 20.7lbs in a 17x7, and I think he said 21.1lbs in a 17x8....and by the calculations based on the tires I was looking at, the guy I will be ordering my wheels from said that the rotational mass should be a good amount lower. (lighter tires and lighter wheels)
 
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