Does wheel size effect performance?

[Push]

I know the width of the wheel effects it. and off course the Height of the wheel. Also the tire speed rating and brand. But my real questions is this. Im cheap and I dont mind keeping 15 inch wheels on my car. W rated tires are about 92 bucks.

[brickhardmeat]

15" will handle much better than a larger wheel

[Push]

15" will handle much better than a larger wheel

so some performance 15in wheel. and good tires would be good. Im going for performance on my car. but the club im in does shows also.

[brickhardmeat]

I -personally- like the look of 15 inch wheels. See my garage. I like 205/50/15 and a nice drop. I'm waiting on coilovers in the mail now. Two inches is almost enough but not quite enough drop on that side wall for me. I hate the oversized wheel look. That is just -my- opinion. Anything over a 17 inch wheel looks plain silly on a Yaris to -me- and I wuldn't go larger than 16.

[Push]

I -personally- like the look of 15 inch wheels. See my garage. I like 205/50/15 and a nice drop. I'm waiting on coilovers in the mail now. Two inches is almost enough but not quite enough drop on that side wall for me. I hate the oversized wheel look. That is just -my- opinion. Anything over a 17 inch wheel looks plain silly on a Yaris to -me- and I wuldn't go larger than 16.

me too. like is sd 15 inch wheels were put on that car for a reason. along with potenzas or eagle ls tires. my girl has a mazda 6 with 16" michelin mxv4 on them and i am going to kill her if she blows a tire.

btw your yaris is nice. i dont like the LB that much but white makes it look much bigger

[brickhardmeat]

ha, yeah it is a small car

I think lowering it has a lengthening effect also.

[Push]

ha, yeah it is a small car

I think lowering it has a lengthening effect also.

it may. yours is coming together well

[Biggie™]

I know the width of the wheel effects it. and off course the Height of the wheel. Also the tire speed rating and brand. But my real questions is this. Im cheap and I dont mind keeping 15 inch wheels on my car. W rated tires are about 92 bucks.

A good rule of thumb in the racing world is to run the smallest wheel that fits over your brakes. 15" wheels and tires are light and come in a number of good sizes and brands. 13" would be even better if they fit.

[Jaysun]

Well 15" will or may help with corning but it depends how or what performance you ar looking for. My brother had a 95 acura with stock steel 14" rims. he went to a wider tire and 17" in the same hieght. they addes 4 pounds per rim and tire. they were very expensive wheels to keep the weight down. In the 1/4 he went from 16.2 to 16.9. on the dyno it lost 9 frhp. the guy at the shop with the dyno claims it due to the wieght being more to the outside of the wheel takes more power to turn and stop.

[brickhardmeat]

Well 15" will or may help with corning but it depends how or what performance you ar looking for. My brother had a 95 acura with stock steel 14" rims. he went to a wider tire and 17" in the same hieght. they addes 4 pounds per rim and tire. they were very expensive wheels to keep the weight down. In the 1/4 he went from 16.2 to 16.9. on the dyno it lost 9 frhp. the guy at the shop with the dyno claims it due to the wieght being more to the outside of the wheel takes more power to turn and stop.


this is the guy that sold your brother the expensive wheels?

[Turbo&Auto]

In drag racing, smaller is better to get the best accel. For road racing there needs to be a comprimise, you cant run 13's and a 70 or 80 series tire and expect it to handle good. You can run 15's with a 50 series or 16's with a 45 on it.

[ChinoCharles]

Yes, size affects performance.

[Motorhead6T5]

I noticed right off the bat going from stock steelies to 16x7's,my wheels are pretty heavy though. With some nice lightweight wheels you wouldn't even notice since the tires are only 2 lbs heavier.

[Biggie™]

In drag racing, smaller is better to get the best accel. For road racing there needs to be a comprimise, you cant run 13's and a 70 or 80 series tire and expect it to handle good. You can run 15's with a 50 series or 16's with a 45 on it.


Why in the hell would you run a 70 series on anything? And in road racing it works the same way... The REAL compromise come from brake size, when you run huge brakes you need bigger wheels. And until you throw some race pads on your Yaris and run a few hot laps, you wont have much useful information on needed brake upgrades. :thumbsup:

Anyway... You can get a sweet 225/45-13, they are short, lowering your center of gravity and reducing your gearing, improving acceleration. They are also very light, you can get 13" rims in the 8 pound range. This also improves acceleration even more and reduces unsprung weight, improving handling. There is a reason race cars capable of running 13" wheels still do. :wink:

[keesue]

Why in the hell would you run a 70 series on anything? And in road racing it works the same way... The REAL compromise come from brake size, when you run huge brakes you need bigger wheels. And until you throw some race pads on your Yaris and run a few hot laps, you wont have much useful information on needed brake upgrades. :thumbsup:

Anyway... You can get a sweet 225/45-13, they are short, lowering your center of gravity and reducing your gearing, improving acceleration. They are also very light, you can get 13" rims in the 8 pound range. This also improves acceleration even more and reduces unsprung weight, improving handling. There is a reason race cars capable of running 13" wheels still do. :wink:

yeah, look at the old mini coopers...little wheels=quick acceleration.

[gaffo]

You can get a sweet 225/45-13 sounds sweet.

How can you find out what is the smallest wheel the Yaris can use? What about 12"ers?

Mini Coopers had 10" tires BTW ;-).

[reznunt]

Yes, size affects performance.

good answer, i concur. :clap:

[brickhardmeat]

Ramones "I'm Affected":w00t:

[Biggie™]

You can get a sweet 225/45-13 sounds sweet.

How can you find out what is the smallest wheel the Yaris can use? What about 12"ers?

Mini Coopers had 10" tires BTW ;-).

A 13" is the smallest rim size you'll get good tires for.

[Jaysun]

this is the guy that sold your brother the expensive wheels?

no he didnt sell him the wheels. but after looking at the wheels and thinking about it I can see it be harder to turn or accelerate a wheel with all the wieght further out. On my 97 camaro I went from 121.2 to 123.1 with just a wheel change. 2 mph on a 11 second car is a big gain for not adding power.. so on a 100 horse car moving the load outward and adding more to it hurts. Its just like a heavier flywheel. Also dont forget it a little more to stop.

[Jaysun]

You can get a sweet 225/45-13 sounds sweet.

How can you find out what is the smallest wheel the Yaris can use? What about 12"ers?

Mini Coopers had 10" tires BTW ;-).


My festiva has 12. the current replacement tire look like trailer tires. plus the brake are so small to run that size wheel.