OK, i know lighter wheels are better, but smaller wheels = less weight then bigger wheels (same weight and sometimes lighter then the light weight bigger wheels..like slipstreams and SSR type-C) but have more rubber on the tire. while bigger wheels weigh more but have less tire. Now my question is this..in the end which would be lighter, 14" wheels (i don't know there weight) with more tire, or 16" wheels light wheels (11lb-14lb) with less tire? and does the weight really make that big of a difference?

on a second note i am looking for some 16" wheels for my car, and would like some input/suggestions, i am not a fan of chrome at all. I love the looks of the SSR Type-C but there about $320 per wheel, the slipstreams are OK but i don't know if i like the wider spokes. and the gram lights weigh alot compared to the slipstreams and type-C.

 

I had this question answered a while back... smaller rim=better performance... but you're talking little horsepower difference until you start taking your car drag racing or something....post a picture of your car and I will photoshop a wheel on your car... take a side shot and it will be very quick.

 

heres a photo, iv seen the SSR Type-C on my car at tirerack but not the slipstreams

[IMG]local://upfiles/7503/B2B13D7CCD2C45798102E557BCE4B2C5.jpg[/IMG]

 

Just give me a little bit to do it... i will try to do it today, but most likely i will forget it until first thing tomorrow... until then... look around and post the tires you want to see on your car... that way I can do it in about 5 minutes.

 

the less weight you have on the spindles on your car the less your suspension will have to react- aka the smother the ride and better the car will handle.

 

I would imagine tyres weigh less than wheels if you were to weigh a cubic inch of both, and there's lots of air in a tyre. Small wheels are gonna weigh less overall, but the difference in ride quality and deformation in the sidewall while cornering with the big profile tyre make comparing 14" and 16" wheels with weight as the factor irrelivent.

 

a lighter wheel means less rotational mass means less work for your transmission to spin the wheel means faster accelleration and deccelleration.

 

Does that mean a smaller wheel with a bigger tire is going to get messed up if I take corners aggressively (which I do)? So I would be better off with a bigger rim and lower profile tire, which would sacrifice ride quality? It's like a car dealership then, you something here, you lose something there.

 

id rather autox a 205/50/15 than a 205/40/17

 

I'd still want more tire. The sidewall will deform more when cornering hard, but it will generally lose grip in a smoother way than a low profile tire. For outright speed and grip you want low profile, but the ride suffers, and while you could probably travel just as fast on a rough road as a car with smaller wheels, you probably wont want to.