I am guessing it would also have to be of something less than 45mm to clear the stock caliper?

 

No i don't think it would work, with my stock 15" rims they are pretty close as it is...

 

What about rim width? Say that 15" is the smallest diameter of rim that we can go with, then what width would be the largest that we can go on that without causing any interference? 7", 8", 9"?

The reason that I'm asking is to find the ideal rim size to mount slicks on.

 

Thanks! I just wanted to get my boundaries so that when I start looking I can pick up the best possible deal within the boundaries.

Would 14" diameter on the rim be too small too? I'm just looking to minimize weight here.

I guess a 8x24.5x15 would be best? (25.2" is stock so smaller but not too much smaller can only help).

 

The weight you are going to save by getting a smaller rim is not much (maybe 2-5lbs/rim). For a maxima, 20lbs doesn't mean much as far as affecting performance. Stick with a 15" rim or bigger. Smaller and your car won't handle right. I have 15" rims because the roads around here suck, so a bigger tire helps make the ride more tolerable. My rims weigh about 17lbs, and unless you spend $200 or more per rim, getting much below 15lbs isn't easy. But like I said, the weight savings is negligable.

I weight your only concern? A smaller rim will help with acceleration, but decrease handling (assuming your outer tire diameter is the same as stock). 15-17" rim width seems to be the best sizes to stick to for a balance of handling, ride, and acceleration. Later

 

He said slicks for the strip. It isn't all just weight savings either, having the weight of the wheel closer to the center makes a notable difference in how much work it takes to spin the wheels. Also with a smaller diameter wheel you can mount a slick with a smaller diameter. Lowering the overall diameter of the wheel/slick combo lowers the overall gear ratio. This may not play as large a role for 5 speeds, but for automatics lowering the gearing is a huge benefit at the track, especially on the relatively low stall speed of the stock torque converter.

TK

PS Mazda Millennia wheels don't cost 200+ per wheel and they weigh 11lbs. Also every 1lb of unsprung weight is the equivalent of 9lbs of sprung weight.

 

These rims aren't for daily driving. They are going to be wrapped in slicks for drag only. Not much handing involved in a 1/4 mile burst in a straight line. Even if you look at a difference of 5 lbs per rim, that is not a total of 20 lbs. 1 lb of rotating mass is equal to 8 lbs of unsprung weight so an extra 5 lbs per rim is more like 40 lbs sitting in your car... for a total of 160 lbs extra weight.

My daily drivers in the summer are SSR Type C rims which weigh 11.0 lbs a piece which were over $400US a piece when I bought them about 3 years ago, imported from Japan. I would love to get a couple more to mount slicks on but the cost is just too high even though they are cheaper and available in the US now.

So I wonder if going to 14" would be possible for fitment... and I am assuming that 8" is the widest slick that I would need. It is quite hard to find 7" wide slicks.

 

Annish I tried the 14's, no go.

I think the best bet is the 6" millenia wheel at 11 lbs. However there is probably only one slick that will fit it. I tried the M/T 22x8x15's and they would not seat even with over 100 psi. So I bought a couple of Kosei K1's which are 7".

The only tire I know that will fit is the MHR-21 7.5x23x15 which is made for a 6" rim. There is also a 6x26x15 as well which may be better for a 5 spd. http://www.dragracetires.com/m_h.html

I am currently working on something for my rear wheels this year and if it works out I will have a pair of millenia wheels for sale. I am using those with a set of 15" cheapy tires currently.

 

Hey Jim, thanks for the input! I think I am understanding something incorrectly here. I look at a slick (eg, 8x24.5x15) and translate it as a 24.5" tall tire that needs to be mounted on a 15x8 rim. However as per what you described above, you are putting a 7.5" wide slick on a 6" wide rim... so how do I figure out what slick width fits what rim??

Stock wheel height is 25.2" for me (95 SE), and going smaller is obviously beneficial, but I don't know how small is too small. You are recommending as low as 22" which I thought would be too little. However you also went as high as 26" and I don't know if going bigger will be of any help.

Thoughts?

P.S. Let me know the status on your Millenia wheels when you finalize your rear wheel plans... what do they weigh? What size are they?

 

If you look at the url I posted it tell you what size wheel you need, thats what I used as a guide. You can probably cheat by 1/2".

Actually the 8 is the tire width not the required rim width, however if you look at the listing they show you the rim width required. Those dimensions you quoted are for the actual tire not the required rim size.

I wouldn't recommend a 22" for a manual, you guys already have enough problems with traction, only for an auto. I have never tried anything but 22" in a slick.

The 5 speed guys can give you better info than me but from what I remember they are using 24-26.

PS The Millenia wheels are 15x6 and weigh 11.5 lbs

 

Damn, so I am stuck with the 15's.

I wanted to go with such a small wheel strictly for the strip. Anyhow it looks like the hunt for something that is 15x7 or 15x8 is on that is wide enough to fit 8" slicks and less than 15lbs....and not to mention cheap!

 

Will the K1 wheels fit on a 2k?

If I did the math correctly, a 22in slick brings 1st down from 47mph to about 28mph, 2nd from 81mph to 60mph, and 3rd from ~117 down to ~93mph. This is all for an auto, feel free to correct me if my math is wrong.

Jim, did you run the NA 14.6 with the slicks or was that on street tires?

TK

 

The K1's fit on my 2k2, tried them yesterday as well as the millenia wheels on the rear.

According to my calculator the difference is 14.4%, 25.9" vs 22" ie 60 mph is 51.

47=40
81=69
117=100

Which seems about right because I had to shift into O/D before the end of the 1/4 when I run close to 110 trap speed.

14.6 was with the slicks, I don't run street tires at the strip, just a totally useless exercise to me.

 

Ok my math sucks. Any bogging in 1st when running NA?

 

I have never had it bog, that feature is usually reserved for manual trans cars.

The lower the gearing the less chance of that happening even for them because the car revs faster.