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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
June 2003
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 Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 00:26
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I am needing to get some new wheels. As you probably already know, I have still got the stock wheels on my ma70. I find that I really need more than the 16x6.5 (or whatever they are). I just lose traction. So basically I was thinking of getting some nice 18x9's.
However I have this problem. The wheels that I like only come in 18x8.  So I was just wondering if you guys could advise me. How much of a difference in traction would I get from the 8's to the 9's?? Is it really going to matter? Should I go for performance over looks? Or go for looks over performance?
Cheers.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 00:55
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Wholly depends on the tyres.
Then again, there is a unique device that is able to control traction in any car. Right foot 
Rim width only determines what tyres you can legally fit, but I reckon youd have fun getting 9" wide rims under there. The standard rims are 16 x 7" and the offset is +38mm
Cheers
Michael B
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 01:01
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Ah ok. Thanks. I was just thinking that for straight line acceleration, the wheels just dont stick. Width would make a difference in that wouldnt it?
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 01:24
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Width helps, but don't expect improvements in straight-line traction if you're installing 18" rims. Big rims = ultra-low profile tyres = poor traction.
If you're having problems with wheelspin, the best cure is to fork out for GOOD quality tyres and maybe get your LSD shimmed.
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Location:
c'town, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 01:54
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wider tyres does not necessarily mean more rubber on the ground
for example 7inch tyre and 8 inch tyre will put the same area of rubber on the ground if vehicle weight and tyre pressure is the same.
there is a good section explaining this in the book 21st century perfornace.
have a read, the 1st time i read about it i didnt believe it.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 01:55
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Ah. Ok. Thanks guys. Big help!! Good tyres here we come! 
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 06:33
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| rob_RA40 wrote on Fri, 21 November 2003 09:54 |
wider tyres does not necessarily mean more rubber on the ground
for example 7inch tyre and 8 inch tyre will put the same area of rubber on the ground if vehicle weight and tyre pressure is the same.
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not entirely true
a 7inch tyre on a 6inch rim will have less tread on the road than an 8inch tyre on a 9inch rim
but yeah, the concept is right, pressure matters
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 07:11
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but wouldnt he mean 7 and 8 inch tyre on the same rim?
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 07:45
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he may well
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 07:52
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ah well....we all got the idea
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 07:57
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| Norbie wrote on Fri, 21 November 2003 09:24 |
but don't expect improvements in straight-line traction if you're installing 18" rims. Big rims = ultra-low profile tyres = poor traction.
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How does this work Norbie?
I've always assumed that the smaller the profile, the softer the compound, and hence the grippier the tyre?
Or is this only on expensive tyres, not cheap ones
(and yes I do know that the cheaper the tyre, the harder the compound, but I have only ever dealt with 60 series and above)
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Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
April 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 08:08
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I think Cal was meaning, will he get better traction buying 9'' wide rims (if they fit) or 8'' rims, and purchasing the respective tyres for each. Ie, not 'wider' tyres on the rim.
ie would there be a performance increase having wider wheels (and therefore tyres) such that it would be worth buying 9'' rims rather than 8'' (which are in a style he likes)
BUT if 9'' (which is very wide) don't fit in an MA70 (sombody know here?) this discussion for Cal's purposes will be rather pointless
Interesting though. I would have thought the wider the wheel (and tyre) the better the traction (ie, drag cars with wide wheels)
Rob
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Location:
c'town, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 09:38
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what i meant was a 7" tyre on a 7" rim will still put the same amount of rubber onto the ground as a 8" tyre on an 8" rim.
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Location:
Camden, NSW
Registered:
June 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 10:30
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why is this? is this due to different pressure in the tyres?
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Location:
c'town, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Fri, 21 November 2003 23:34
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nope different pressures mean different area of rubber on the ground
7" tyre on a 7" rim will still put the same amount of rubber onto the ground as a 8" tyre on an 8" rim when BOTH run the same tyre pressure and both have same amount of weight applied
its certainly an interesting concept
u can actually work out the weight of your car (at each corner) by using tyre pressure, and the area of rubber each tyre is putting on the ground.
i dont know the equation offhand as im not at home, but will post it later if i can dig it up.
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Location:
Newcastle
Registered:
July 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Sat, 22 November 2003 02:13
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[quote title=Cressida Supra wrote on Fri, 21 November 2003 18:57
I've always assumed that the smaller the profile, the softer the compound, and hence the grippier the tyre?
Or is this only on expensive tyres, not cheap ones[/quote]
bingo.. its a quality of the tyre... you can easily mistake lower profile tyres for being *better* as generally the cheap as chips hard compound tyres dont come in the really low profiles.
but if you put a hard compound non-sticky tyre in a 35 profile it will be comprable to the same tyre is a taller profile... but the biggest problem is the larger rim... more weight.. and more importantly.. more rotational mass..
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Sat, 22 November 2003 02:21
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rob - I beg to differ
think of 18" rims on a ford laser, ultra low profile tyres
5" tyre 5" wide rim will put pretty close to 5" of rubber on the ground
10" tyre 10" rim will put pretty close to 10" of rubber on the ground
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Location:
Newcastle
Registered:
July 2003
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Sat, 22 November 2003 03:22
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i think what happens (?) is the wider rim/tyre combo will give you mroe grip off the line but once your going the tyre will only contact the same ammount of road given the same spung weight. so having a larger tyre will not nessecarly make you handle better once going but a wider tyre will help prevent you lighting it up.
personally id say invest in some awesome sticky tyres..
im running goodyear gs-d2's atm.. whilst not the best tyre out there they are very sticky for the dollars you pay for them (ie reasnably cheap) and they get reasnable tyre life.. i get about 12000-15000km out of them.
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Location:
c'town, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Sat, 22 November 2003 03:44
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im not going to argue guys, go and do some research.
this is not to say that a wider tyre doesnt have any other benefits, dont get me wrong, ive argued a single point and i stand by it. most of what else has been said i agree with.
return 0;
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Wheels Wheels Wheels.....
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Sun, 23 November 2003 04:10
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Rob is entirely correct re contact patch. There is no point arguing, this is a well-established concept. But don't take my word for it - as Rob said, go and do some research, there's heaps of info out there!
So while a wider tyre won't give you a bigger contact patch, that doesn't mean it won't give you more grip. We all know wider tyres generally do give you more traction in a straight line at least, and there's many reasons for this, but one of the major ones is heat. A wider tyre has a wide but short contact patch, which means each square mm of rubber is in contact with the road for a shorter period of time each time the tyre rotates. It also means there's a larger overall area of rubber on the tyre. What this means is the tyre is less likely to overheat, which is your biggest enemy when it comes to traction.
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