LOL. De we pick for ourselves, or do we have to let others pick for us?

That could be trouble.....

As for the GT500....and Mustang in general....really like the front, but still can't get by the rear of the thing. And even with the 100# loss, its still a pig, IMHO. Maybe not quite as porky of a pig, but just not for me. For that kind of money, I'm in a Vette without even beginning to think twice.

Still not a fan of 19 or 20" wheels either.

Bob

 

Is there any real functional benefit to going past the 16s on my F4 Camaros?

 

I like the new mustangs and I'm diggin' the rear. The old rear seemed too... blah for me, I liked it at first but it got old real quick. I'm right with you on the big wheels. What's up with that these days??? I put 17" C5 Z06 Motorsport's on my fbod in the beginning of 08 and I would never consider a rim bigger than 17". I think it's the perfect size.

 

The key here is "my F4 Camaro".

Today's cars look good with 19", 20" inch wheels. That's why manufacturers apply them. As for functional reasons, yes, they serve a purpose - to accommodate huge rotors to stop heavy cars. The rotors are huge because it's cheaper to have a bigger rotor than to make it smaller and apply some machining to it and treat it to make it perform better.

Torque is king on big rotors!!!

 

Functional? I think perhaps. GT race cars have a rather low profile tire. On the other hand, Formula 1/Indycar uses much taller sidewall.

Rims started getting bigger when people started paying attention to numbers. 18", 19", 20", etc... But some of the 18" wheels today don't look any better overall than 16" wheels of about 10 years ago. The overall wheel diameter goes up, and tire wall increases.

Not to mention the increased rotational mass...

edit: SSbaby also brings up a valid reason - larger rotors and calipers, to stop ever heavier cars. Although some manufacturers do well with 16" rim, or 17" and still manage to stop a 3800 lbs porky just fine.

 

My question was directed towards street cars. It sounds like larger rotors is about it.

 

Race car technology trickles down to the street. Ever wonder why family cars today can handle 0.85g? Lower profile tires generally improve handling.

 

You can have a low profile 17" tire that doesn't have any more sidewall than a low profile 20" tire. Additionally, while low profile tires do generally help handling, they also generally degrade ride quality.

Big wheels today are almost totally about style and virtually nothing about functionality.

 

Yes and no. They will have a little less rolling resistance (maybe negated by mass and MOI) and the longitudinal footprint is slightly better. But all in all I agree that it is mostly about style.

 

Agreed. And I think it's stupid. Massive "DUBS" on sports cars? Really?

 

You have your opinions, Bob, and I have mine... but I definitely do not agree with that statement.

As a point of comparison, the Brembo's used on the SS Camaro just aren't a patch on the 100kg heavier HSV GTS for stopping power - the HSV's rotors being just 10mm bigger in diameter but the 6-piston calipers seal the deal. You need good real estate for those 6-pot calipers and the bigger rotors certainly provide that.

I'm not sure if your views stem from your drag racing background but I dare say a lot of circuit racers would also respectfully disagree with your view particularly if they have to retard a relatively heavy vehicle.

Now, I only hope the Camaro team adopt HSV's rotors for even better track times.

 

I'm with Bob on this one. The extreme wheel sizes we see these days are almost entirely about style. You do not need 20" wheels to clear 14" rotors.

The new 2011 Silverado / Sierra have 14" rotors standard, front and rear. The base wheels are 17 inches in diameter. So the 16" wheels that were standard on the 2010 HDs won't cut it, but they didn't have to suddenly make 20s the new base size to clear the new brakes.

The 20s on the Camaro are entirely about style, just as they are on the SRT versions of the Chrysler LX cars and any number of other late models.

The previous gen CTS-V had 14" Brembos with 18" wheels. The Corvette Z06 has monster 14+ inch front rotors with 6 pot calipers, and it uses 18 inch wheels.

 

Why don't you school me with some facts instead of my tossing out purely opinions? To wit; do you have to have 20" wheels to fit those brakes? 19"? 18"? What size do you need? I understand the wheels have to be big enough to fit brakes that are big enough to stop cars that are heavy enough to need brakes that are big enough to stop cars that are heavy enough.....eerrr...ya.

Anyway, if I can fit correctly-sized brakes under a 17" or 18" wheel, then the single biggest reason to go to a 20" wheel is style. Is that not correct?

 

Not trying to be a dick, but he's got you on this one. 20's are not for functionality. They built a bulky car that needed big rims to look right. 20's are not necessary to fit those calipers and rotors. Ever look at a new SS? Tons of extra space in those wheels.

 

Truth be told.....


GM Design dictated the 20's on the Camaro.