The new rims should be the same width as the old ones, but I'll have to
double-check that. I do want to stay in stock until I learn how to better
handle my car so I guess this thread is purely for information. I'm
realizing just how much I DON'T know about the dynamics involved when going
to different-sized wheels. :-)
>Extra width: more rubber, usually means more traction
>Narrower sidewall: stiffens the ride, could be good or bad depending on the
>car
It's a BMW 318i. Does that make it good or bad?
Please bear with me. The number of stupid questions I ask will decrease in
time, I promise.
Thanks for your input, Michael.
-Arnold
"Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?"
"Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try and take over the world!"
>From: "Michael R. Clements" <mrclem@telocity.com>
>To: "Clifford Richardson" <the_brain7@hotmail.com>,
><ba-autox@autox.team.net>
>Subject: RE: 15' front, 16' rear...better performance?
>Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:45:45 -0700
>
>First and most notably, it will change your gearing -- that is, unless you
>use a lower profile tire to ensure the overall wheel diameter is the same.
>Bigger wheels = taller gear = less acceleration in each gear, yet higher
>top
>speed in each gear.
>
>With the two sizes you gave, the 225/50-16 makes for a slightly larger
>overall wheel. But the difference is only about 1% so the it is probably
>irrelevant.
>
>Since for all practical purposes the overall diameter of the wheel hasn't
>changed, the only real differences are:
>
>Extra width: more rubber, usually means more traction
>Narrower sidewall: stiffens the ride, could be good or bad depending on the
>car
>Bigger rims: could make the wheel lighter or heavier, depending on the rims
>
>BTW, using different sized wheels will make your car illegal for stock
>categories.
>
>You didn't mention whether the new rims would be wider than the old ones.
>If
>they are, you might need a different offset.
>
>That's about all I can think of.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
>[mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Clifford Richardson
>Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 13:21
>To: ba-autox@autox.team.net
>Subject: 15' front, 16' rear...better performance?
>
>
>Question: How does having larger rear tires on a rwd vehicle affect it's
>performance? I don't mean wider although I'd love to hear inputs about that
>too. Although I've been planning to upgrade to wider tires all around for
>some time now, a thought just occurred to me: just upgrading the rears from
>205/60-15 to 225/50-16. Will the smaller wheels up front give me "better"
>steering while bigger ones in the rear put more power to the road?
>
>-Arnold
>"Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?"
>"Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try and take over the world!"
>
>
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