Do 17 " rims affect a cars performance?

Particularly with a car with 16" stock rims?

you get lower ets

A heavier wheel tire combo will slow the cars acceleration down.
Some 17" combos are heavier than the stock 16" some aren't.

17" wheels do not guarantee lower ET's. As stated, if they are heavier or lighter it will affect performance one way or the other, but there are several other factors to understand. The first is tire height. Taller gives less gearing (like going to a lower numerically gear), and vice versa.

The next is sidewall height. A 17" tire will typically have a shorter sidewall than a 16" tire, which will flex less on a dragstrip launch. Sidewall flex puts more tread in contact with the pavement. This typically makes it harder to launch the car on 17's.

Last, but far from least is related to weight, but not static weight. The 17" wheel/tire, assuming it weighs the same as a 16" wheel/tire, will typically move the weight father out from the center of the axle. This gives the mass more leverage to work against the motor, and is similar to adding more static weight.

That being said, if I was still a drag racer I would stay with a 16x8 wheel out back shod with BFG 255/50/16 DR's or 245/50/16 Nitto DR's.

I switched to 17's for the better turn in on an autox/road course.

I'm sticking with 16's

Yeah yeah yeah....I got 18's and would go lower. The small gain I would get with smaller inch wheel doesn't equal to how good 18s look compared to a 17 or 16. Just my opinion.

I never plan on changing.. people think that larger wheels look better, but IMO it doesnt look natural.. Seems to be out of place on cars they arent designed to be on.. like trucks with 22" rims..

but again thats my opinion..


is it true that people that go to larger wheels are trying to compensate for smaller... well thats what i heard anyways.. hehehhe

Originally posted by robvas
I'm sticking with 16's
Ditto

Thanks so far guy's. Got alot to think about.

I would get some 17" polished alumninum wheels for the street and throw some drag tires on the 16"s for the strip. Then you have the best of both worlds ;).

17" rims give lower et's than 16" rims because due to the larger diameter of the wheel it takes fewer revolutions of the wheel and axle to get the same distance down the track. So we all should get 40" monster truck wheels and be really fast.:think: :bs:

i heard larger rims will slow u down a few tenths, so i will stick with my stock 16s... And all the serious drag racers down size to 15s usually...

17's seem to work better for me ;)

Yes, well it all depends on what you want the purpose of your car to be, looks, go, or a little bit of both. I'm in the both category where I buy enough performace parts to pull around my new stuff for looks, and still have enough power to smoke a couple ricers on the weekends. I'm never going to do anything major to my, just bolt ons. I'm sure a new lid or something similar would pull around those new 17's like they were 16's. My $0.02 :cool:

I am looking mostly for the street. I don't have any big plans on becoming a big contender at the strip, although I will eventually get there to see what I have been doing on the street (and maybe for some bragging rights). :D

My goal is to hit 11.90s with Z06 wheels on nitto DRs. :) Shouldnt be too difficult with a nice H/C setup and some weight reduction.

A larger diameter tire will lead to a larger circumference, which will ultimately increase top speed, but increase the amount of time required to reach that speed. If you go with a higher diameter wheel, go with a lower profile tire...this is why they were developed, to give you the look of larger wheels without the loss in acceleration. There is more circumference to rotate, which slows down acceleration. While the loss is minimal, it is noticable.

Tire heights
245/50/16 - 25.6"
255/50/16 - 26.0"
275/40/17 - 25.7"
285/40/17 - 26.0"
315/35/17 - 25.7"

As you can see, the 245/50/16, 275/40/17 and 315/35/17 are all very close in overall tire height.

Originally posted by chuck
Tire heights
245/50/16 - 25.6"
255/50/16 - 26.0"
275/40/17 - 25.7"
285/40/17 - 26.0"
315/35/17 - 25.7"

As you can see, the 245/50/16, 275/40/17 and 315/35/17 are all very close in overall tire height.

this is very useful, thanks