PROS AND CONS OF BIG RIMS

[pontiacgp]

is there a difference (other than appearance) between a 15" rim + tire = 27" total, and a 22" rim + elastic band = 27" total??

A 22" rim with total tire height of 27" will not absorb road inconsistancies like a 15" rim with overall diameter of 27" ... mainly because of the sidewall height/thickness

Which obviously means that you will lose pretty much all of your ride comfort :idea:

not just comfort, control as well. These car's suspension and design used the sidewall of the tires for control. How many circle track or open wheels race cars like Formula 1 use a tire with almost no profile. My son with his BMW replaced the drive flat tires the BMW's come with. He put on some performance tires and he could feel the difference immediately. The difference was the run flats have a very stiff side wall which does not help with cornering.

 

[bigdan]

depends on road condition also

over here the roads are so bad no one that drives some mileage would go over 20" personnaly nothing over 18"

easy to bend a rim lip in potholes !

 

[LSCustoms]

is there a difference (other than appearance) between a 15" rim + tire = 27" total, and a 22" rim + elastic band = 27" total??

A 22" rim with total tire height of 27" will not absorb road inconsistancies like a 15" rim with overall diameter of 27" ... mainly because of the sidewall height/thickness

Which obviously means that you will lose pretty much all of your ride comfort :idea:

I would consider a 20" rim or bigger, a "BIG" rim

CONS:
-larger turning radius (hard on steering components)
-weight
-expensive tires
-more rotating mass
-clearence issues

PROS:
-look good WHEN they are tucked up inside the wheel well :!:

good info as usual!

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

It's funny how History seems to repeat it's self .
The Model T has 33" wheels. :wink:

Back then roads were alot rougher so you needed alot more ground clearance to get though. With modern paved roads cars don't really need big wheels like that anymore since they use more energy to get moving and to stop. But those are in style for now. Big wheels are more of just a fashion statement.

 

[megaladon6]

larger rims will help handling, stability etc up to a point. eventually the rim is too large and causes issues (scrub radius, clearance, etc). plus the inertia issues gp403 talked about. the other factor is tire size. i ran 17's on my vw (mk 2&3) with zero issues because i made sure to have enough sidewall. some people go for bandaid tires that are so stiff the car bounces on everything, and so non-compliant they slide on everything.
then you have the idiots that take a 6in wide tire and force it to fit an 8in rim

 

[3XBrownCutty]

CON : bigger wheels look gay. Cost more. Tires cost more.

PRO: ...... :?:

Lol just kidding!!! But really.

 

[megaladon6]

Lets also define "bigger rims" on a g- body up to 17/18 isnt much larger, with limited issues. Up to 20 seems to work ok, but the inertia starts to get really big and the tires really small. Over 20? I'll be nice, no comment

 

[lildudefl]

i think it all depends on where your priorities are with the vehicle and your driving habit.

There is no better way to say it. The people who are riding on these big wheels are making a fashion statement the appeals to "THEIR" peers. Me myself, i wouldnt ride with anything over 20 inches and im a Cali guy, but its not that i think they look stupid or anything. I just know that they don't meet the requirments for my driving needs or wants. I once was a fan of the big rim thing, but never got around to get a set. But now after i realized i wanted to do more than show my car off, i will definitely not be riding deuces!!! But as Mentioned before that ladies do adore shiny things...

 

[pontiacgp]

I went from a 15 to a 16" rim mainly because of the lack of tire selection for a 15" rim

 

[papabearxl]

Here we go again. Let's try to keep it civil this time, people.

kendl77, this subject has been beaten to death, given a funeral, buried, dug up and beaten some more. Don't be surprised when I end up locking the topic.

think pet cemetery. sometimes dead is better.

8)