what size rims?????
delsol210
04-20-2002, 02:02 AM
Everybody knows that today people are puttin bigger and bigger rims on cars but i wanted to know what would be the best size for a del sol that wouldnt decrese the handling of the sol or take away from the car in any other way thanks for ur time
s2Ksol
04-20-2002, 01:04 PM
Well, what are your intentions for you sol? Show? autoxing? general driving? Drag? All the above?
Other than wheel size, weight is also a consideration. The factory 14 inch wheels on the Si and VTEC models weight 16/17lbs. So if you upgrade to a bigger wheel then you want to stay the same weight if not lighter. You don't want to be pushing heavier wheels. The lighter you go on a wheel on like 16, 17's tend to be more expensive. Like Racing Hart, Volk, etc. I think 17' Volks can be like 13lbs, but cost like $2000 and up.
When you upgrade to a bigger wheel then you can increase the tire size and contact patch that you put down on the road, allowing for better handling and control on the road.
17 wheels on up are great for shows, because the fill in the wheel well a lot more than 16's and can give a better show stance of the car on nice 205/40 tires. This can be objective, but a lot of show cars have 17's generally speaking. The downfall with 17' wheels is that everyday driving can be a little rougher of a ride quality, but it's tolerable. There is a bigger chance of damaging the wheels if you have low profile tires if you hit a pot hole or whatever. The advantage of 17's in autoxing is debatable, but there is a wide contact patch on the road to take advantage of. There was an article like a year ago in Sport Compact Car on the "Killer Bee" racing sol that is used in autoxing. This guy that drove a sol won a lot of races using 17's wheels and comment in the article that the 17' seemed to help benefit him the most.
Now I have also heard 16's are great for autoxing too, which maybe true. I guess it's more of a personal opinion and experience that can lead to an objective opinion on what may provide better results. 16's don't fill the wheel wel as much as 17's, but are not as risky for everyday driving and dealing with pot holes, etc. Plus, tires and the wheels themselves are not as much as like 17's. When you get into 18' wheels then the prices become very expensive, especially the tires. I wouldn't suggest 18's unless your car is strickly show, but that's my personal opinion.
Now 15' wheels are one size up from the factory 14' wheels. Not as much of a contact patch can be achieve for control on the road with tires, but the price of most wheels and tires are bit cheaper than 16's on up, depending on brand, etc. Some people like the look that can be achieved with 15's and a larger wheel. The advantage too is that the tire's side wall is ticker or taller, which allows for even less risk of rim damage on common road debre.
Offset of the wheel size (how much the wheel sticks out or in off the hub) is very important too. You don't want an off set that makes the wheels stick outside the wheel wel. You want to be able to lower you car and be able to tuck the wheels inside the wheel wel area. You want to allow the wheel/tire to function inside that area if you hit a bumper versus the wheel/tire that hangs beyond the wheel wel. If it's beyond the frame of the car then the wheel may hit the car and cause damage.
It's hard to say what is the right wheel size for you and your needs, but I hope this helps as a general understanding. Maybe explore www.yahoo.com or something on like wheel sizing. Maybe www.tirerack.com might have some write ups.
Blair 95 VTEC
www.teamsolil.com
Other than wheel size, weight is also a consideration. The factory 14 inch wheels on the Si and VTEC models weight 16/17lbs. So if you upgrade to a bigger wheel then you want to stay the same weight if not lighter. You don't want to be pushing heavier wheels. The lighter you go on a wheel on like 16, 17's tend to be more expensive. Like Racing Hart, Volk, etc. I think 17' Volks can be like 13lbs, but cost like $2000 and up.
When you upgrade to a bigger wheel then you can increase the tire size and contact patch that you put down on the road, allowing for better handling and control on the road.
17 wheels on up are great for shows, because the fill in the wheel well a lot more than 16's and can give a better show stance of the car on nice 205/40 tires. This can be objective, but a lot of show cars have 17's generally speaking. The downfall with 17' wheels is that everyday driving can be a little rougher of a ride quality, but it's tolerable. There is a bigger chance of damaging the wheels if you have low profile tires if you hit a pot hole or whatever. The advantage of 17's in autoxing is debatable, but there is a wide contact patch on the road to take advantage of. There was an article like a year ago in Sport Compact Car on the "Killer Bee" racing sol that is used in autoxing. This guy that drove a sol won a lot of races using 17's wheels and comment in the article that the 17' seemed to help benefit him the most.
Now I have also heard 16's are great for autoxing too, which maybe true. I guess it's more of a personal opinion and experience that can lead to an objective opinion on what may provide better results. 16's don't fill the wheel wel as much as 17's, but are not as risky for everyday driving and dealing with pot holes, etc. Plus, tires and the wheels themselves are not as much as like 17's. When you get into 18' wheels then the prices become very expensive, especially the tires. I wouldn't suggest 18's unless your car is strickly show, but that's my personal opinion.
Now 15' wheels are one size up from the factory 14' wheels. Not as much of a contact patch can be achieve for control on the road with tires, but the price of most wheels and tires are bit cheaper than 16's on up, depending on brand, etc. Some people like the look that can be achieved with 15's and a larger wheel. The advantage too is that the tire's side wall is ticker or taller, which allows for even less risk of rim damage on common road debre.
Offset of the wheel size (how much the wheel sticks out or in off the hub) is very important too. You don't want an off set that makes the wheels stick outside the wheel wel. You want to be able to lower you car and be able to tuck the wheels inside the wheel wel area. You want to allow the wheel/tire to function inside that area if you hit a bumper versus the wheel/tire that hangs beyond the wheel wel. If it's beyond the frame of the car then the wheel may hit the car and cause damage.
It's hard to say what is the right wheel size for you and your needs, but I hope this helps as a general understanding. Maybe explore www.yahoo.com or something on like wheel sizing. Maybe www.tirerack.com might have some write ups.
Blair 95 VTEC
www.teamsolil.com
delsol210
04-20-2002, 02:35 PM
thanks that was extremily informitive i would use it mainly for street racing and strip thanks again
delsolguy
04-24-2002, 07:29 AM
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