Affect on performance (change wheel size)

[Caribbean NISMO]

I want to change the 15 " factory wheel set up to 17" units with 215 /45/17 tires. How would this affect vehicle acceleration , top speed and fuel economy

[Nismoboy1]

top speed and fuel economy probably won't change too much, as long as its close to stock, but acceleration from what i've read, i think it was an older issue of SCC where mike kojima tested different wheel sizes and weights, may decrease a little from the bottom end but your acceleration should come out the same once momentum is built up, but i could be wrong.

[G-Forces]

I know whenever I put on my 17"s I wouldn't feel much difference. However when I put on the stockers (15") I noticed a nice increase in acceleration. Generally bigger wheels will either weigh more or push the weight out further from the center. If you've taken basic college physics you'll know that it take more torque to spin an object with all its weight on the outside than one with all its weight near the center.

[atomic-G]

I've noticed that with the 17's, the acceleration is not as fast as the 15's, but like was mentioned, once you have gained speed, there is no real difference. And heck, 17's make the car look nicer .

Speaking of which, saw 2 downtown today - they sure are growing in popularity.