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Best wheel diameter for performance?
I am curious and also confused. For many years, 15" diameter rims were the standard for good performance, ride and handling. Then, the big push to the 16" wheel, and more recently blowing all the way up to 20"!! Is this just for styling design and or personal preference, or do they make handling improvements? Where is the point of diminishing return for improved handling, and not worth giving up other characteristics.
I can see an advantage to 16" and maybe even 17" on some cars, i.e. Porsche, Corvette, etc.. I am sure the suspensions were designed for this. On most sedans, what would be a good recommendation for a wheel setup, allowing for the best handling and keeping some significant ride qualities left? Is 16” the reasonable compromise? Also, I would appreciate advise on my car. I have a 560 SL and am looking at refinishing the standard 15's or if I buy new wheels, going up to 16 inch wheel if it would improve the handling and keep a good ride. I am not displeased with the current setup, as I do not push the car hard at all, but if an improvement can be gained with technology, then great. I personally like the look of the 15 hole wheels (I wished they were machine polished) , and the 15 “ tires. IMO the 15’s seam to fit and look proportionate for the car. Considering that the 107 chassis started with 14's then going to 15", I wonder if any gains can be realized by going with a larger diameter wheel with the old suspension setup? Thanks!!! BD
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87 560 SL 93 300E 2.8 91 300CE-24 |
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One part of the picture (but not all)
Back in the 14" and 15" days, high-performance radial tires had a lot of circumferential reinforcement in their sidewalls just above the bead to stiffen the radial structure and give quicker steering response and resistance to higher lateral g-forces. What they have been doing in recent years by going to lower and lower profiles is eliminating this stiffened sidewall by replacing it with the larger diameter aluminum rim as stiffener and keeping only the previously unstiffened part of the radial sidewall in the tire. That's why these 45 series tires don't ride as much worse than 60 series as you might imagine, and still gain something in handling because the rim is indeed stiffer than even the reinforced part of the sidewall was.
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