As some of you already know, I was planning to get new rims (Enkei RPF1 17x8) hoping to make my car slightly faster both in the corners and straight line. However, I have recently started realizing that these wheels would look really ugly on a Maxima; so ugly that I think I’ll have to reconsider my decision.

Instead of getting wider tires with lightweight rims I can get a set of good coilovers and still have enough money to get myself new tires for my OEM rims. So what I want to ask you guys is which one of these two setups will be more effective, judging purely by lap times.

Just to clarify:
First setup: 15.5 lbs Enkei 17x8 -35mm offset, all-season 245/45-17 tires
Second setup: properly tuned coilovers, RSB, all-season 225/50-17 tires, 24 lbs stock rims.

Thanks in advance!

 

Lap times for what? If it's auto-x, the lighter rims may help more if you're running sticky rubber.
Lap times for a real track? Then I would definitly go with the coilovers. The all seasons aren't going to help you though, they will wear out a little quicker.

 

for what? Well, I think real track would be a better answer, I will be only auto-xing this season but it's only because I don't consider myself experienced enough for a race track.


BTW, why would you choose coilovers for a race track and sticky tires for an auto-x?

 

what's wrong with ugly track wheels?? You're not there to win a beauty contest...

my track wheels look terrible on the maxima, but they are 8lbs lighter than my street wheels, so they're worth it.

 

um... I was going to use them for the street...

Maybe there's something wrong with my logic but I figured, since the car is driven on the street most of the time, i might use the best stuff for the street as well.

 

I owned a maxima for 6 years before getting new wheels. I upgraded the suspension and tires first

 

um...well, you are in the autocross/road racing forum, so discussions in here tend to focus on track performance, not street performance...

for street, I'd go with STRONG over LIGHT, personally...unless you're a street racer, the performance difference for normal driving is not going to be huge. The weight difference at the track is what gains you those precious seconds....

 

Because I've done both.....and suspension makes a HUGE difference while doing 90-100mph on a banked or flat turn, trailbraking, and when you can get back on the throttle. On a real track whatever tires you are using have more than enough time to heat up and start sticking like they should.
Auto-x on the other hand is usually around 45-60 seconds of 2nd gear acceleration and lots and lots of turning. The tires never really get a chance to heat up, or they heat up to fast and get greasy. Tires and rims would make a more noticeable difference in auto-x. I am not saying suspension wouldn't make a difference, just the time you might gain in comparison would be more noticeable at an actual track.

Let me make something very clear here, you do not need any experience to drive on a real track, or do time trials for that matter either. Every organization has either HPDE, PDX, or novice time trial sections, they all WANT you, so they all cater to noobs...

 

Sorry man, I didn't intend to make my previous post sound the way you took it. There's one thing I hate about internet forums, it's hard to understand the intentions of a person you are talking to. You simply can't see or hear that person.

I was planning to use my stock wheels for autocross (at least in the beginning) because I didn't want to waste new and expansive tires. The reason I posted in this section is because it's probably the only place where I can get this question answered and the reason I said the "lap times" is because I think it's the best factor in determining which mod will give me the most gains, not because I was actually planning to race on them. lol

I really expected the gains to be noticeable on the street though. Good thing you told me that it's not true.

 

that's pretty interesting info (both about the differences and the "noobs on the track") I might even change my mind about road racing...

 

I'm not saying it's not noticeable....depending on HOW much lighter they are, you will notice it. I'm just saying that the better "payoff" is using them at the track. On the street, the car may feel a little quicker, but remember that most lightweight (affordable) wheels are not as strong as stockers. The only really strong, light wheels tend to be forged and/or expensive...

btw, just giving you a hard time....I knew what you meant

 

if you have stock brakes why dont you go with really ugly cheap and light 16x8 in rims and still get the coilovers.

keep your stock rims for daily use

 

I'm right there with you though I cant seem to find the right rims

 

Relatively small weight differences really show up only during timed competition or in mathematical simulations. On the street, 5 lbs/wheel times four wheels might be worth 0.05 seconds and a 3 foot lead in a 30 – 60 sprint that might cover ~260 feet. Enough to see and measure, but probably not enough to "feel a difference". Other factors in normal street driving are more significant, and I doubt that 1 person in 10,000 would either recognize this while driving on an otherwise deserted road or could identify the source of such small differences running in timed competition without being given at least a hint.

FWIW, I have a fairly easy time favoring performance over aesthetics even for wheels that could end up being used on a daily basis. Performance vs cost is the tough one.

Norm

 

This sounds discouraging... I guess I'll ask local guys with coilovers to drive me around in their car. And if I like the ride, I'll probably get the coilovers and keep my stock wheels.

Too bad I won't have an extra set of rubber for racing...

 

Nah man, I'll also have to get new tires for my stockers, which will bring the cost to about $1200. Since I wasn't planning to go over $1700 -1800 I will have only 600 bucks left. Not quite enough for coilovers...

 

I kind of like the RPF1s on the Maxima.

 

They look pretty good on a lowered Maxima, but mine looks completely stock. Larrio also has them on his 5th gen, and I like the way they look on his car, but again, he's lowered, he has AE body kit and his are 18"

 

Interesting. $1500-$1800 to spend huh. Keep the stock rims & tires.

Add $800 for coilovers, $200 for used race rubber, $500 for extra rims (Rota, RX7, 300ZX, etc.). Better daily performance and killer weekend grip.

 

Which coilovers do you have in mind? I expected to pay at least a grand + $100 or so to corner balance them.

 

Ok, call it a grand. Guess it depends on the deals. Proper coilovers will make a huge performance difference.

Addition - just caught this for sale ad on another forum. That's fast for cheap.

4 Kumho V-700s, 225-50x16 -- only 1 heat cycle on them -- $40 each or $150 for all 4. Buyer pays shipping. Contact Dave at BMW02Racer@aol.com or (740) 965-5026.