G-body's with 20's

[DrRansom442]

For me, following in the footsteps of innovators is a hell of a lot cheaper then trying to be the first guy out there. There is a reason the Pro-Touring guys are sticking to the 16/17/18 combos. It's tried and true. More isn't always better .... atleast you are asking first and not committing yourself BEFORE having all the data. I'm in the midst of a driveline swap and frankly - it's really gotten blown out of proportions, but I guess when I'm done - it will be all "right" .... Just thinking if I knew when I started what I know now - I'd have bought a 2nd car.

 

[78monte]

My monte has 20" irocs on all 4 corners with 255/35/20 tires and I have it lowered about 2 inches.. NO rubbing anywhere... I had to roll the fenders on the back and that's it...

You can have looks AND performance at the same time..

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I'll be the first one to say it out loud...

I DON'T GET IT!!

Why do you have to have big wheels to perform well? My firebird is on rails with 16 x 8 wheels and 245/50/ZR16 tires. What more do you get from an 18? I don't go for the big wheels, and I can understand (I guess) if you just like the look. But performance? What possible gain are you getting? I doubt much, if any at all.

I want to see someone show with track times that those big wheels are better at the autocross than 15 or 16's with proper aspect ratio and tread contact. Anyone? Any real racers out there who saw their times get better? If it made a HUMONGOUS difference then I would consider it, otherwise I am putting it into the hood scoop and spoiler catergory. Looks yes, performance, no!

So, is this just about looks or what?

Well I personally don't consider a 16 x 8 wheels and 245/50/ZR16 tires to be a passenger car combo. At one time this kind of combo was the cutting edge. Imagine how well your car would handle on some 14 x 6 rims with 195-75-14s. 20s as I stated I believe go beyond the point of being a plus and I doubt there is any performace gains because of wheel weight. Maybe if the person is running some mega-dollar carbon fiber wheels, but even then we are still addressing fitment issues with a G-body. There has to be some benefits of a 18" fitment ... otherwise why would so many "super cars" and race classes run them? I doubt the guy running 24 hours around Daytona really cares how much "bling" his car has. A Z-rated fifties series 16" tire probably exceeds MOST cars capacities, it is honestly a lot of tire ... but if there was no need for 30 series and lower profile tires ... why would they spend the millions in research to develop them? I'd bet your 50 series would be an excellent tire choice for the OP. I honestly don't know how setup his car is and would assume his intentions are more cosmetic. I really don't see dropping a G-body AND 20" rims being realistic. I think the whole "Donk" movement pretty much proves how those rims do NOT fit these cars. Personally, I'd be happy with some gummy 16s.

My 16x8's are no heavier than the 14x6's they replaced (I weighed them). And yes, the DO handle a TON better! I went off the road and into a ditch trying to double the 20mph speed limit on a certain corner on the stock 195 75 14's. Luckily the car landed in a wet marsh and did no damage. I tried the same thing with the 245 50 16's and it does it just fine. Plus, 14's look horrible.

 

[dan2286]

I think it comes down to what you want the car to do and where you are driving it. If you want it to handle on the street where it can get bumpy at times, in my opinion, it could get dangerous with big rims/low profile tires. Instead of the tire absorbing the bumps in the road, it bounces and looses traction because there is no flex in the tire, but it might work great on a perfectly smooth road. If you go with a smaller rim(17 or 18 in.) and a bigger profile, you will still have greatly improved handling with out the unpredictive handling of a low profile tire.

 

[titanica217]

no reason to compare diffrences.

i like cheap one piece aluminum wheels. i also like 20'' wheels. they both look good/go fast.

 

[jrm81bu]

I'll be the first one to say it out loud...

I DON'T GET IT!!

Why do you have to have big wheels to perform well? My firebird is on rails with 16 x 8 wheels and 245/50/ZR16 tires. What more do you get from an 18? I don't go for the big wheels, and I can understand (I guess) if you just like the look. But performance? What possible gain are you getting? I doubt much, if any at all.

I want to see someone show with track times that those big wheels are better at the autocross than 15 or 16's with proper aspect ratio and tread contact. Anyone? Any real racers out there who saw their times get better? If it made a HUMONGOUS difference then I would consider it, otherwise I am putting it into the hood scoop and spoiler catergory. Looks yes, performance, no!

So, is this just about looks or what?

Alright then I will say this. First, why is it that the majority of your posts seem to be cutting other peoples choices down? Second, your firebird isn't a g-body. Although the tire size you listed does perform well on a g-body. Third, I still believe there is more to gain with a larger wheel combo, up to a point. My 17's feel crisper than my 16's even with the same aspect ratio and I expect more when i get new tires with a smaller rato, 40 or 45. A 15" tire with a 40 aspect ratio would be too short for a g-body, if you could find one.Fourth, I like the looks of the larger wheels to a point, and remember it opens up more options for larger brakes. Fifth, what does it matter if I'm a "real racer" or not. I like to upgrade every aspect of my vehicle for performance. And wether or not i take it to a track is irrelevant. It still gets used hard. Sixth, i'm not trying to convince you or anybody else what to put on their car. And are you saying that all hood scoops are non-performance items? Lastly, since i haven't seen what you got, who decides if you know what performance is?

 

[jonnyslick]

^ Awesome ... 8)

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I think some of the older guys who were in their heyday in the 60's-mid 80's are stuck in that era's technology and have not evolved past that. I am not that young (35...🙁), but I do evolve with new technologies, so my tastes in parts reflect that. I don't see 20's as a good thing on most cars, but I do get why bigger wheels and tires are better up to a point. Besides, most of our cars are not our sole transportation, they are toys. I want 17's or 18's on my car because I like the look along with the lowered car. I don't think that a car should be lifted to make it fit bigger wheels. That looks silly and hurts performance everywhere. I am also trying to get a engineering degree, so I tend to see things from the perspective of technical beauty and try to marry that with physical beauty. To me, 14's are hideous, and make the car look knock kneed. 16's are the minimum that work on these cars, and 18's about the max. My ultimate G Body would also have the engine and 6 speed transmission from a CTS-V, but that's a whole other subject.

BTW, 16's are a hard size to find now as most performance tires and wheels are sold in 17's and up. My next set of wheels will probably be the played out Torq Thrust II's in 17x8 front and 17x9.5 rear (if they fit) with the biggest tires I can fit and still keep about the same height as my 245 50 16's.

 

[jrm81bu]

Agreed, but i like the 14" olds rallyes(sp?). I don't see anything wrong with the TTII's, played out or not. I ran a set on my other bu in 16's 10 years ago. I would have went that route now(only with 17's) except the Coys cost me half what the TTII's would have.

 

[DrRansom442]

I'll be the first one to say it out loud...

I DON'T GET IT!!

Why do you have to have big wheels to perform well? My firebird is on rails with 16 x 8 wheels and 245/50/ZR16 tires. What more do you get from an 18? I don't go for the big wheels, and I can understand (I guess) if you just like the look. But performance? What possible gain are you getting? I doubt much, if any at all.

I want to see someone show with track times that those big wheels are better at the autocross than 15 or 16's with proper aspect ratio and tread contact. Anyone? Any real racers out there who saw their times get better? If it made a HUMONGOUS difference then I would consider it, otherwise I am putting it into the hood scoop and spoiler catergory. Looks yes, performance, no!

So, is this just about looks or what?

Well I personally don't consider a 16 x 8 wheels and 245/50/ZR16 tires to be a passenger car combo. At one time this kind of combo was the cutting edge. Imagine how well your car would handle on some 14 x 6 rims with 195-75-14s. 20s as I stated I believe go beyond the point of being a plus and I doubt there is any performace gains because of wheel weight. Maybe if the person is running some mega-dollar carbon fiber wheels, but even then we are still addressing fitment issues with a G-body. There has to be some benefits of a 18" fitment ... otherwise why would so many "super cars" and race classes run them? I doubt the guy running 24 hours around Daytona really cares how much "bling" his car has. A Z-rated fifties series 16" tire probably exceeds MOST cars capacities, it is honestly a lot of tire ... but if there was no need for 30 series and lower profile tires ... why would they spend the millions in research to develop them? I'd bet your 50 series would be an excellent tire choice for the OP. I honestly don't know how setup his car is and would assume his intentions are more cosmetic. I really don't see dropping a G-body AND 20" rims being realistic. I think the whole "Donk" movement pretty much proves how those rims do NOT fit these cars. Personally, I'd be happy with some gummy 16s.

My 16x8's are no heavier than the 14x6's they replaced (I weighed them). And yes, the DO handle a TON better! I went off the road and into a ditch trying to double the 20mph speed limit on a certain corner on the stock 195 75 14's. Luckily the car landed in a wet marsh and did no damage. I tried the same thing with the 245 50 16's and it does it just fine. Plus, 14's look horrible.

I am confused are you trying to disagree?

"20s as I stated I believe go beyond the point of being a plus and I doubt there is any performace gains because of wheel weight."

no one was talking about weight of a 16" tire and wheel. Nor was anyone implying a 14" will handle like a 16". I was talking about the weight of a 20" combo ... and unless you got carbon fiber rims ... they are going to be HEAVY