If I switch out the stock 17's
(6 spoke) for the stock 16's (5 spoke), how much faster would my car be. The 16's with tires weigh about 6 pounds less than the 17's with tires.

 

I can't see this making any measureable difference. At least not a big enough difference to justify the expense of downgrading to 16" wheels.

 

I would be getting new tires.

 

it wouldnt be a noticable amount. not worth it.

 

Oh, you weren't going to put 17" tires on 16" wheels?

I kind of had that figured out already.

 

17" to 16" Is very noticable.

When I take off my 17" wheels and tires and slap on my stock 16" 5 spokes I immediately notice the accelleration difference and most of all, my brakes come back to life!

Not to mention the smooth ride I get now.

16" wheels weigh less then 17's. Less rotational mass = more power to the ground.

 

i know this had been discussed before, but wouldn't most of the difference come from the fact that the weight of the wheel, as a whole, is closer to the hub? the 6 pounds savings helps too of course.

but if you're going to buy new wheels, whatever the size, why not just get aftermarket rims?

 

I'm with them, if you're going to spend money on new wheels, you mights as well get some aftermarket's that will look better and probably be lighter, even if you went up a size.

 

hhahahahah...NOT TO SMART MY FRIEND!!!...do you even care how you car looks!...geeeez.....that would look horrible!!.......i had stock 17 AE rims...i got my 18" racing hart C5's...and the C5's are lighter....pay the money for looks and weight....thats just my opinion...

 

I'm sorry. I should have clarified. I need new tires for my 17's. I don't want my 17's and I don't want to buy tires for them. I want to buy 18's, but there are currently none to be found. I was thinking of TRADING my 17's for 16's WITH good tires and riding the 16's until I can find some 18's.
that's a lot of teens...got that?

 

well, if it's just an interim solution, don't worry about performance as much as a good deal. if you're looking for a straight trade, it shouldn't be a problem.
18s shouldn't be that hard to find. they're all over the internet.

try the For Sale forum and offer up a trade. i'm sure there's lots of 16 floating around unused. but be open to offers from previous generations.

 

your tires for your 17's are that bad...?...so bad that you have to get 16's to ride on.....OK... .....no 18's to find...search more...you will find some....
www.wheelmax.com

i got mine from them....
albert

 

thank you all....I found some 18's.....maybe


please
please
please!!!!!!!

 

tell us what you're looking for. maybe someone can help.

 

Hmm! I went from 16 (SE 5 spokes stock) to 17(OEM SE 6 spokes) and now the ride is definitely much rougher. I feel lots of more bumps and the tires (Potenzass) are hard as rock. Would I go back to 16? Not at all. I like the look better. Anyone think of a way to smoothened out the unnecessary roughness? New tires? Any recommendations? Cannot afford to spend too much $$ though?

 

I went from my 15" steelies on my 2k1 GXE to 17" Konig Tantrums to the 17" stock SE 6 spoke wheels, and these have been my experiences:

17" SE 6 spoke (on my car now): These things are much heavier than either of the two other ones mentioned, and I can feel it a lot in the acceleration, but even worse than that is the brakes...they really feel like they just don't want to work sometimes. Looks wise, though, I love them (shows where my priorities are...)

17" Konig Tantrums: I think these things were actually lighter than my steel wheels (I had these in 17x7, they came off my car two weeks ago.) They definitely were good wheels, and the acceleration differences between these and the SE 17" rims are really noticeable.

15" steel: looked mad ugly, and were pretty heavy for 15 inch rims. I'd put the acceleration and braking somewhere between the Tantrums and the SE 6 spokes. Handling was terrible on these, since they were kinda thin and kinda small for a maxima.

The conclusion of all this long winded nonsense? Buy some nice aftermarket 17's, you'll get the looks and the performance you want.

 

by putting on wheels that weigh 6 pounds less, is like removing approx. 860 pounds of dead weight from your car.
check out this thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=126706&highlight=how+do+yo u+guys+remember+physics

 

I doubt that the difference is 860 lbs. By your calculation, I could put on a set of ultra lightweight volks and have a car that weighs less than me