What to do?

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:13 pm

Well My R/T is about to go from worn stock struts and 1gn R/T springs to NEW Tokico HPs and SRT4 springs. The current setup rides like crap and doesnt handle all that great since the struts are bad but it looks good low. I have three different sets of wheel and need help between the three.

First set are some aftermarket 15"x6.5''s painted gunmetal with a polished lip. These wheels look way to small with my lip kit on. Tires are 205/55 but need to be replaced. Good ride bad handling.

Second are my stock 16''x6'' 5spoke R/T wheels. Tires are 205/50s and are bald. Decent ride decent handling.

Third are my 17''x7'' C5 knockoffs. Tires are Toyo Proxes 4 215/40s two are almost new the other two are bald. Poor ride great handling!

Im gonna have to buy tires no matter what. I can get some cheap Kumhos for the 15''s or 16''s for about $280-$300 mounted and balanced for 4. Or I can get two new Toyo Proxes for the 17''s for about $260 mounted and balanced.

I want the car to look good, ride good and handle good. What would you do?

jetas · Post by **jetas** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:15 pm

Go with the 17s. small rim-too much tire-looks dumb IMO

OB · Post by OB » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:44 am

I hope you dont think the larger the wheel the better the handling will be. Sure, the sidewall flex and thus the roll will be reduced, but the added weight and rolling inertia will hurt braking and acceleration much more than the reduced flex will improve handling. I would go somewhere in the middle, with a compromise on how it looks, for a wheel that is both light and good looking. Get the widest tire possible to improve contact patch and you'll get the best of all worlds.

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:00 am

Im not to worried about acceleration cuz 2gns are slow!

Dont you think my braking would probally be just as good or better with 215 TOYO Proxes vs walmart special 205s!

I know about rotating mass inertia etc. but at the same time the difference a good tire vs cheap tire makes in handling and braking is significant enough to offset rotating mass as a disadvantage.

OB · Post by OB » Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:42 am

You're correct, but that is only within one set of circumstances. The bottom line is, smaller wheels w/ good tires will outperform larger wheels with the exact same tires in almost all cases. Now this can vary with different setups, but generally speaking the smaller package will provide more pro's than con's. The ability to ajust tire inflation to compnesate for a higher profile tire's flexible sidewalls is another added benefit. Suspension modifications can make up for this as well. Did I mention that smaller wheels and tires are substantially less expensive than their larger variants?

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:19 am

Once again I understand completely.

I actually recently read a Grassroots Motorsports article where they tested a BMW with different wheel and tire sizes. They tested a set of 16''s, 17''s and 18''s with the appropriate sized tires, all the same brand. The 16''s were decent, 17''s were great, and the 18''s handled and rode worse than the 16''s! The conclusion was that +1"s with same overall diameter were the best solution.

Anyway, In my stituation a set of Toyo Proxes 4s mounted and balanced on my 16''s would be $500+! I dont have that much money to spend. Im kinda limited on $300 max!

Im leaning toward the 17''s due to the fact that itll be cheaper, handle better(Than crap tires on the 16''s!), and they look good.

EvoNeon02 · Post by **EvoNeon02** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:29 am

if you are going to buy rims dont go cheap get the 17's they will look alot nicer on your car and eliminate some of that wheel gap

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:03 pm

I already have the 17''s and they look really good. Im pretty sure Im gonna go with 17''s!

OB · Post by OB » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:25 pm

Keep in mind that a BMW is engineered from the factory to use larger wheels than the Neon is. The car has more power and a completely different suspension design. I read that same article last week.

A 17" wheel is a decent choice, but if you use a cheaper brand the results will be less than desireable. Anything larger would be overkill IMO, but then again I feel that a 16" is the largest anyone should go unless the wheels are very light and required for brake clearance.

EvoNeon02 · Post by **EvoNeon02** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:36 pm

16" rims are too small

MoxHair · Post by **MoxHair** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:04 pm

vntned wrote:Im not to worried about acceleration cuz 2gns are slow!

Your 2gn is slow. Not all 2gns are Slow.

I'd be more help in this topic if we were talking about performance tires. Since we aren't.....

pyro · Post by **pyro** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:06 pm

If you do go 17", and you will, you might go with 45 series vs 40 series. I've run a few sets of both, and the 45's ride better. They are bigger and heavier, sure, but like you said neons are slow anyway. The extra sidewall helps a lot with ride, & first gear is low enough to pull the taller tire fine. Screw the odometer.

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:12 am

"Your 2GN is slow. Not all 2gns are Slow."

Yeah, I should have said "Most 2gns are slow". Your car and all other SRT4s are obviously not in this catagory.

Im just used to all of the older TDs I have or had. A 3'' exhaust MP computer and Gvalve and you can go from 15s in the 1/4 to 13s easy. Compare this to my '04 R/T that wont get out of the 15s without nitrous, stroker kit or a turbo!

Heck, my old '96 DOHC coupe went 14.9s at 90-92mph with just a MP ECU, CAI, shorty header and 55mm TB!

My R/T is a reliable 4 door that gets good fuel milage and has AC. If I didnt have a 2yr old son Id be back in a GLHT or CSX!

And OB, You can stop now. Im goin with 17''s. I realize that my lap times to and from work might increase by 3seconds, and my 60-0 will gain like 15ft. Thats ok though cuz last time I slammed on brakes from 60-0 I was in my Viper SRT10 on PS2!

OB · Post by OB » Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:14 am

Alright ill stop if you really cant be convinced!

own3d5974 · Post by **own3d5974** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:39 am

vntned wrote:I was in my Viper SRT10 on PS2!

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:27 pm

Damn I'm the only one that voted 15s.

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:37 pm

own3d5974 wrote:
vntned wrote:I was in my Viper SRT10 on PS2!

No really i was in my Viper on PS2(Playstation2)!

NeonOn19s · Post by **NeonOn19s** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:38 pm

17's are good ... either 18's or 19's all the way though... seal up the wheel gap with the srt4 springs

MoxHair · Post by **MoxHair** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:04 pm

18s and 19s are nice if you are only into looks.

vntned · Post by **vntned** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 5:35 pm

Here it is with my new Tokiko HPs and SRT4 springs on the 15''s I have.

Ive got to get an alignment before I put my 17''s on.

2GN.ORG

What to do?

15''s 16''s or 17''s

What to do?