I plan on going aftermarket for a nice set of chrome wheels for my car and I was wondering what size wheels were too big to just go to the track with. I was originally going to go with 20's on the car but after talking with some friends they said that was too big.Also I have a lot of potholes in my area and I would be too afraid to damage them. That same friend said to go no bigger than 2" over stock, which would make the 19" max. The wheels I am looking at are available in 18's, 19s, and 20s. I know 18's are ok for the track but what about 19s? It wouldn't be constant track use anyway, Englishtown, NJ is closed for the winter and I would say maybe 9 runs tops during the summer, more of a see how fast I can go thing not to consistently lower my E.T.

 

The bigger the wheel,The more gear you will need.Going with 18 or 19,s you would want to install 4.11,s.
20,s or bigger,You would want the 4.30,s.

 

I'm no expert, but it seems anything over 18 starts to sacrifice performance for looks. BTW what rims are you getting?

 

I ran 19s at the track to a best of 13.5. They worked ok but weren't great because of the smaller stiffer sidewall on the tires. I had trouble getting traction and nailing down anything better than a 2.1 60 ft time. I have since switched to the stock 17 inch wheels on the rear with M/T drag radials for track duty and ran a 13.1 this last weekend. The car has 12s in it with a little more practice. I don't think I could ever get there with 19s.

 

I like the Zenetti Throwbacks but the smallest is 20s. But I like the Zenetti Fives just as much and they come in 18s,19s, and 20s.
Throwbacks:

Fives:

 

So what you're saying is that if I got 19s, that I could go to the track, switch the back two wheels off to the stock rims, and be fine?

 

Throwbacks are nice, but too big, and the Fives look like Pontiac wheels... :notnice:

 

Bigger rims mean more rotational mass to move...more work for the engine to move the tires the wheels. Probably the widest 17" one could fit would be best for the track.

 

That is what I am doing and it works great.

 

That would be much better. I personally feel the 17s are much better for performance. I have even seen a couple guys using Weld Wheels 15s at the strip.

Almost forgot, those are excellent looking wheels, I dont like most that people have shown on here. Then again, Im old school and love the Bullits, AR Torque Thrusts etc.

 

Yea I agree, but I'm looking for something a bit more modern and in chrome. That is why any wheel I would get would have to be a five spoke pattern. The Throwbacks pretty much look like bullits, but they are too big at 20" for my planned use.

 

Youre on the right track, but I think we need to clarify your message.

The taller the overall height of the wheel/tire combo the more it reduces your effective gear ratio. If you put 19's on the car with a lower profile tire, and the overall height is the same as the 17's you took off, this will not affect your overall gear ratio. Its the difference in overall height that produces this and the reason you may want to make up for it by adding more rear gear.

In many cases this is true. Or you could spend ALOT of money on a custom super lite forged wheel to save the weight, but that can end up being out of the budget of most enthusiasts.

Gus

 

I definately wouldn't consider them a Pontiac wheel. I have had nothing but compliments. I can tell you though that I put the 17s back on and the car felt faster. But I'm not going to the track everyday so I went with the bigger better looking wheel.

 

Love that title.....is they is or is they ain't??