ruben

Do bigger rims improve performace or just the looks? I have 15" GLE rims and don't want to do anything to the looks until I improve performance first.

Thanks.

Viscous

bigger rims will probably slow you down, but provide better traction.

if you want performance, get an air intake + a y-pipe to start with

optimus310

iTrader: (1)

you can have bigger wheels and yet have the same diameter of your 15's. You just need the right size tire. The thing that slows you down about bigger wheels is the weight. If you want bigger wheels and want to improve then you will need some light wheels and be ready to spend some big bucks on them. You can try Volk's or SSR competition wheels. I know those are pretty light wheels even in bigger sizes.

XeroX

iTrader: (13)

yeah they do slow you down, i havent tracked my car with my new rims....or with the stock 15s...

But i do notice a SLIGHT difference in accelerating, but for the most part its better concidering i get it off the line easier without having to worry too much about spining the wheels...altho i do have an automatic....not to hard to accomplish this with an auto but it made a difference

To be quite honest, if you dont car about your .02 second time difference...wich should be the only difference if you get som O.K. 17" or 18" rims....

as long as they arent chrome...you should have to worry TOO much about decrease in performance (acceleration)

ilyaat

I just want bigger wheels for better traction and handling

sryth

If you can get past the weight issue associated with bigger wheels (read: get light wheels), they should handle better as long as you maintain the same tire diameter.

Bigger wheels will give you a lower profile sidewall. This will cause a decrease in lateral movement in the turns.

limsandy

iTrader: (1)

No, F1 cars have 13" or smaller wheels.


~limsandy

Teufelhunden

iTrader: (8)

yeah, but maxima's no F1 car, if you ever watch circuit races, which have RSX, Integra, and BMW's they have larger wheels, like 18s or 17s.
but ibet they are lightweight forged rims, which is probably lighter than your stock wheels.

limsandy

iTrader: (1)

Sure.... I'm just answering the main question of this thread, which is whether bigger rims improve performance, and to which I answered NO!


~limsandy

vipervadim

iTrader: (10)

yes and no.

there are 3 factors to consider:
1. diameter - the larger the wheel the more faster you can go on the top end but robs your low end.
2. weight - lighter is better since less mass to turn (just like UDP)
3. performance orientation: do you drive on highways or in the city? drag or circuit? depends on your definition and application. try to drive on 19's in brooklyn you'll have blown tires and dented rims in no time.

and if you want real performance screw the wheels and save for a SC

Pit5Bull

Found this from NissanPerformanceMag.com... It helped me understand this issue much better. In the article, they're discussing the wheel upgrade from 17s to 15s for their 200SX 1.6L Turbo project car... Hope it helps clarify this for some of you that don't really get it, like me before I read it...

"Why is Lightweight Better?

Now many of you are probably saying, "What's the big deal between 11 lbs and say 25 lbs?" Well if you're interested in performance it makes a night and day difference. A term that's commonly used when discussing this issue is "Unsprung Weight", which basically means extreme wheel weight.

The Basic's of Unsprung Weight

1. The heavier the wheel the more force it takes to move that wheel. So if your motor is working harder to move heavy wheels your wasting horsepower. This is especially true in the acceleration and mid-range portion of the power band, which we showed in the Project baseline dyno test.

2. Braking distances are directly affected by the wheel weight. The heavier the wheel the more braking power it takes to stop. The lighter wheels will not only improve your stopping distances, but also improve the life span of your brake pads.

3. Heavier wheels will not allow your suspension to work to its highest potential making it less effective. The heavier the wheels the harder the suspension has to work. So a lighter wheel will translate into a smoother ride. Even if your upsizing, the ride quality will actually improved quite a bit.

As you can see the weight of the wheels will directly affect many areas of your vehicles performance. So it's a good place to start when you're looking to improve not only the looks, but overall performance."

...now I KNOW I want lighter wheels

peace2u

90maxgxe

So if I get a 30lb. 15" wheel with sticky rubber, it will perform better than a 45 lb. 17" with the same rubber, is that correct?

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

It should.

Norm Peterson

The biggest handling performance improvement comes from the tires, not the wheels, so start with researching the available tires. You'll probably find that most of the stickier rubber models in sizes adequate to carry the Max's weight have moved up an inch or two from your 15's, and that their profile is somewhat wider/lower than you'd find in 15" anyway. My point being that you may not be able to find the same sticky rubber in a 15" size that's commonly available in 17, with the possible exception of dedicated competition tires (DOT treadwear ratings from 50 or so down to 0).

Yes, weight is an issue, but NissanPerformanceMag.com overstates its importance when it comes to braking, at least as it applies to street driving. The combined effect of extra mass plus the larger rotational inertia of heavier wheels represents the smaller portion of the total car inertia, so doubling the wheel/tire mass doesn't double the total load on the brakes. In street use, you simply step on the brake pedal a little harder.

Norm

90maxgxe

I'm still stuck on the weight issue, I found some yokohama es100 tires 215/60/15 at 30lbs. with the wheel, would they not be better than the same tire at 225/45/17 and 45lbs. these are very sticky tires.

90maxgxe

bump bump

ChromeSE5

iTrader: (3)

what about width? Does that factor in? Like 205 vs 245?

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

245s will weight more but will give more surface area to grip the road.

phenryiv1

iTrader: (19)

What rim allows you to come in @ 30 lb. for the rims and tires? My BBS are 13 lb. and the tires I am getting are 21.3, but that is still almost 35 lb.

90maxgxe

Rota subzeros are 12 lbs. for 15x6.5 and 215/60/15
yokohama es100 are 17.98 lbs.= 29.98lbs..

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

You are worried about weight so much that you are going to run 15"s?