alexsoufi

Greetings,

Can someone help me understand why acceleration is slower with a larger wheel diameter?

Is this statement true even if the wheel/tire circumference and weight of 18" wheels are the same as those for 16" wheels?

Would 15" wheels make the S2000 accelerate faster?

What is the best wheel/tire size for the race track?

Thanks in advance.

Caffeinated21

Google "rotational inertia"

Depends on the track... =-), smaller, lighter wheels improve accelerationa and braking, while larger wheels can aid cornering.

alexsoufi

http://www.mazda6tech.com/articles/suspens...nd-inertia.html

Sideways

As well as rotational inertia you have to consider the thrust is decreased as the wheel radius increases.

feistyS2K

I'm understanding that if the circumference is the same (lower profile tires with larger rims) your acceleration should be the same. However, the weight is going to be the bigger factor.

My buddy was so excited about these rims he got a good deal on. He bought them from another Aviator owner so he figured that were ideal I guess. What he didn't ask was why the guy was getting rid of them or at least the guy didn't tell him the REAL reason. Anyway, he found out the hard way that the rims were heavy, I mean REAL HEAVY, and it totally effected his acceleration. Now he spends even more on gas on his commute to/from work.

meth

if circumference and weight of 18's are the same as 16's which is possible but unlikely, since nothing is changing in this equation(circumference is the same, and weight is the same), acceleration would be THE SAME, no difference.

YES, acceleration would increase as your wheel size decreases, assuming you don't have a high profile tire. BUT your top speed in each gear would decrease plus you would be shifting gears like mad the smaller you go. but do you really want 15"s or some 11" dayton's? that is a downgrade IMO. but to answer your question, yes, in theory a smaller tire would increase accel.

depends on the track. if someone asked me what i would like to use if i only had 1 choice for the track i would select the volk ce28 in 17". that is if weight is an issue. or buy that guy's spoon sw388's, they are 16" and super light..

mbilderback

Not necessarily. This has been rehashed before. Location (proximity to the hub) of the weight is also an important factor. Larger rims put the weight further from the hub thereby reducing acceleration.

Axel6

This is correct. The mass should be as close to the hub as possible.

Think of a skater doing spins. Tucking in her arms increases her rotational speed, however, her mass has not changed.

duff0000

I doubt you would even feel the car being "slower" with a forged 17'' rim (compared to ap1 stock 16''s) I felt no difference when I put my 17's on.