Does size really matter?

[Fawkes]

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.