Does increasing rim size affect the acceleration?

[CrankyOldMan]

Hmm, once again, real world experience trumps academic theory =) Perhaps some details on your winter rims could help sort out the differences?

[thebarber]

Originally Posted by CrankyOldMan

Hmm, once again, real world experience trumps academic theory =) Perhaps some details on your winter rims could help sort out the differences?

summers are 15x7 enkei rpf1's @ 9.4lbs/wheel and 205-50-15 toyo proxes4's @ ~19lbs/tire. about 28lbs/corner

winter setup is 14x6 alloys from a 1987 supercharged mr2 with 185-65-14 winterforce tires. complete setup is likely about 35lbs/corner

weight IS the enemy

[TOUGEghost]

Weight isn't the only thing to worry about either. I've never really paid attention to the weight specs for any of my tires.

My stock 185/60/15's were 23.7" in diameter.

My 205/40/16 KDW2's were 22.4" in diameter, roughly a 5.5% difference. There aren't too many other tires for any size wheel that are shorter than this.

Not sure what the stock wheels weigh but my OZ's were about 13lbs each. Noticeable improvement in acceleration with the 16's vs the stocks, mostly due to the shorter tire diameter which effectively shortens the final drive ratio.

My 23.5" diameter 205/40/17's on 14.6 lbs RPF1 still accelerated better than stock, but not as good as the 16's.

Anyway, to sum it up, you can still get better acceleration with bigger wheels if you get light wheels and short tires.