Fawkes
12-14-2007, 01:22 PM
So here’s the question; how much wheel is too much? I’m not talking about ridiculous looking, as that is a matter of opinion. Rather, at what point does it begin to become a hindrance on performance? After all, one of the reasons for going with an aluminum wheel vs. a steel one is freeing up unsprung weight. Will an 18” or 20” aluminum wheel have the same effect as a 15” steelie in the quarter mile? Any thoughts?
Here’s an idea for PHR or one of the other car rags; do a comparison to find out. Take a Camaro/Firebird, a Mustang, and a Mopar of choice, and run them all through a gauntlet of tests, et al R&T or C&D. I’d like to see a skid pad test, road course times, quarter mile times, and seat o’ the pants opinions about them all after a ten or twenty mile road trip. Compare these cars with a 15” factory wheel for the benchmark, and then with 15, 17, 18 and 20 inch aluminum wheels. I’d be interested to see if and where performance drops off.
Here’s an idea for PHR or one of the other car rags; do a comparison to find out. Take a Camaro/Firebird, a Mustang, and a Mopar of choice, and run them all through a gauntlet of tests, et al R&T or C&D. I’d like to see a skid pad test, road course times, quarter mile times, and seat o’ the pants opinions about them all after a ten or twenty mile road trip. Compare these cars with a 15” factory wheel for the benchmark, and then with 15, 17, 18 and 20 inch aluminum wheels. I’d be interested to see if and where performance drops off.