[naz]

oldeguy,Sep 19 2007, 02:42 PM Wrote:This has bugged me for awhile, and I can't seem to get a straight answer. What difference does wheel and tire diameter make? Why is a 16" tire better than a 15" tire, not including profile.
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i personally don't think bigger diameter wheels are necessary better. i think the ideal wheel is one that will let you just clear the caliper and mount the widest tire your fenders can handle since that setup will be lightest and have cheaper tires

most ppl will say that lower profile tries will handle better because of stiffer sidewall but i that reasoning goes out the window when you talk about pure summer tires like the falken azenis sport. the sidewall is just crazy stiff on that tire (and similar tires) i ran a 60 series (195/60/14) azenis sport tire on my integra and the sidewall never rolled over during autoX and hard street driving..

personally i think there is no advantage a larger diameter wheel other than looks and ability to fit a bigger brake setup

for what it is worth on my wrx wagon i have 225/50/16 tires on the stock wheels and other guys with bigger tires on their wagons have 225/45/17 or 225/40/18 tires.. they don't have any more contact patch.. their sidewalls probably aren't any stiffer.. their wheel/tire combos are heavier and more expensive.. the only thing better is their cars have nicer looking wheels