19doug90

I am getting a new set of rims soon and need to decide what i want to do size wise. I am not really concerned with looks but more what is going to provide better handling. I'm trying to decide what combo will work the best.
19x9.5 rear, 17x8 front
18x9.5 rear, 17x8 front
18x9.5 rear, 18X8 front

I am thinking that if i went with the larger rim out back then out front the back tire would be as large (sidewall depth) as i can while the front tire would remain with the stock size (so more rim less tire but same over all size). However if sugested 18's all around im not sure if it would be better to again go a slightly thicker tire in the back or just have all the same size.

What do you guys think would be the best combo handling wise? The car is being oriented more towards road racing then drag racing. Also how do you think i am set up for front and rear width?

Hunter Motorsports

If you plan to go road racing why not just go with 17X9.5" or for that matter 17X10" on all 4 corners. Then you would be able to rotate tires.

19doug90

okay im not going to be doing much racing (id like to but dont have the funds) its a daily driver more or less but i would like to set it up so that if i wanted too i could go racing with it. Being able to rotate the tires is not an issue. What of all of those setups would work the best. I was under the impression that going with something as wide as a 9.5-10 up front would be unplesant to drive every day. How much better would it be for racing to have fronts that wide?

Hunter Motorsports

If you want it to be "pleasant" to drive - stick with a 16X8 wheel and a 245/50-16 tire.

The short sidewall tires in the bigger rim sizes are what make things less "pleasant" not the width of the wheel.

If you want the performance - the more rubber you can get under the car the better.

As far as the issue of being able to rotate the tires - well to say it is not an issue is a bit ignorant. Yes it is an issue - and yes it is a benefit to be able to rotate them at will. I sometimes rotate tires between run groupes at autocross events to keep the tire wear even.

Ultimately it is your choice what you want to put under the fenders, but if you are going to spend that much money on wheels and tires IMO it is best to maximize what you are getting for your dollars. More rubber means more grip.

19doug90

Grrrrr....okay im not looking for super plesant i want this car to handle like a bat out of hell.....So lets just talk about whats going to give me the best performance. The issue with going wider in the front is wouldnt a thinner wheel give you more nimble steering? If so i would think that 9.5 wide in the front would be unnecessary because 8's would give me more nimble handling and how often does your front end lose traction so how necessary is a super wide tire up front? Correct me if im wrong please.
EDIT: and to help back up that point these are the tire sizes off the koenigsegg (swedish super car in league with the mclarens and zondas) Front: 265/35 19" (y) Rear: 335/30 20" (y)

Still looking for info on which combo of front and rear heights would give the best performance.

Also in terms of rotating your wheels the front and rears have different offsets i believe so doesnt that make it impossible to switch front and backs?

Hunter Motorsports

BIG TIRES!!!(*&^$(*^#(*$&#($*(&ARGHHHH

WRONG!!!

WRONG!!!

Do you want to go fast or not?

DONE!!

And where is the engine in that car???? What is the weight bias??? Apples to apples please. We ARE talking about a Camaro here - aren't we?

Height is only one part of the equation. Footprint is what gives you grip. You can get more footprint by increasing tire rollout (diameter) or by increasing tire width.

WRONG. With the correct size wheel in 17 or bigger you can run the same backspace front and rear. Been there. Done that. May require a small spacer in some cases - 1/4" or less.

Take your car out to a SOLO2 event and see how much your car lacks in front end grip - then get back to us.

I run 18X11s on all 4 corners. My car is an FTD car at autocross events. More rubber means MORE GRIP. End of discussion.

19doug90

cool that answers my width questions
now how about rim size combo, is there any advantage to 19's out back and 17's up front as opposed to 18's all around?

Hunter Motorsports

Sure - the advantage is that if you run 19's and 18's you will empty your wallet alot faster when buying the wheels - and the tires - and then when you have to replace the tires...... The bigger the wheel the more expensive the tire. 17's are now available for a reasonable price. 18's and 19's - not so. and as far as performance benefit - well what do you think the difference is between a 275/40-17 and a 275/35-18 is? same width - same height...... hmmmm ------- same amount of rubber on the ground. You tell me.

19doug90

okay lets go extreme....wouldnt having 20's out back and 10's out front with the same tire patch make a very large difference. I'm trying to wrap around in my brain if the fact that the front wheel would take less time to do a single revolution wouldnt that help reduce understeer or at least have some effect?

Hunter Motorsports

of course it would - but now you are just being plain silly. The difference would be in the slip angle of the tires - one would be very high because of the super tall sidewall - and one would be very small because of the super short sidewall.


In a word - no. Like I said... contact patch - more is better - get it however you can.

19doug90

Okay can you explain why a bunch of front engine "sporty" cars use larger wheels out back then out front? The only car thats coming to mind right now is the nissan 350Z but i know theres more.

MrDude_1

because they want more traction?


wider= larger contact patch on the ground... and that means they wont spin as easily.


keep in mind though, no factory car in the realm we're talkin of was ever tweaked for road racing.... even street versions of cars made for racing have diffrent tires then the racers.





im going to be stuffing huge rubber in the rear of mine, and as big as i can stand to live with in the front... i probly would be better off with the same (large)size tire on all 4 corners if i was autocrossing, however im 90% street driving, i drag race more often then i autoX, and when i play on the road, im not going 10/10ths so the fact that my car will understeer a lil and not rotate as well isnt a issue to me.




what do you want to DO with teh car, and we can give a better answer.

keep in mind larger rim dia are for looks. hot rod once did a handling comparison and found that anything bigger then 17s and you LOSE cornering....

MrDude_1

mmk large rear tire stock cars?


VIPER. 13" rears


looks mean and badass

hooks like crazy in a straight line.





ask any viper about the snap spin they do.


the rear tire contact patch is huge.. and cornering, it grabs... go a lil too far though and break it loose, and suddnely all that traction is gone.. the car loops around........


and since most viper owners cant drive, its always fun to see

19doug90

I'm in a very similar spot as you. My car is a road car, takes me too and from school during the summer, goes out and gets me into trouble on a friday night etc. Although as i said before id like it to handle like a bat out of hell so any handling advantage i can get id like.

You said that anything over 17's will lose handling on our cars? Does that apply for both the rears and fronts, or just the fronts.

MrDude_1

as great as a thin stiff sidewall seems for handleing, there is such a thing as too stiff.

esp on the street. one pothole can easily ruin your friday night fun.





for you, and anyone else on the street, i wouldnt go over a 9.5" width front rim on the street, mostly because anything bigger and you will have trouble parking the car and driving in slow tight areas...


for the rear, stick whatever you want 9.5" and up, but just realize that if you go bigger then 10 then you start to have to mod your wheel wells to fit em.



as for the rim dia, i wouldn NEVER go bigger then 18, and for the most part and largest tire selection pick 17" or smaller




id listen to what Hunter Motorsports has to say though.. not only does he know more about it then me, but hes actually DONE it.