custardtart Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Fandango Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Blimey! What a mass-debate!?! I'm of the opinion that a Westfield handles ten times better than most tin-tops regardless. As such you don't really need to think about the choice of wheel/tyre combination to enjoy your vehicle. Dare I say the suspension setup will play a bigger part than choice of wheel/tyre. True, I would personally stay away from 17 inch wheels... (i) look a bit excessive on a seven, (ii) fewer tyre choices, (iii) expensive tyres, (iv) low profile tyres give an extremely hard ride, (v) pot holes will more easily dent the wheels with low profile tyres. 13"s 14"s 15"s 16"s All the above sizes are commonly used on Westfields... 14"s perhaps being unfavourable because it's not a common size for tyre. If you have large brakes, sometimes 13"s will not fit over the caliper assembly. Reduction in unsprung weight is always a good thing but unless you're driving in competition it's not a factor... your brakes are going to work well regardless. My advice is to get 'em on and check clearance. If they don't rub on anything then thank the Lord, start her up and get driving! PS: Weight saving tip... You could blow the tires up with Helium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juansolo Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Lets face it, big wheels only look good on touring cars (where they're only used to get them around the mahoosive brakes) and touring cars are just spammed up Fiestas and Civics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Billsberry Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 The Great Fandango · Posted on Dec. 18 2007,16:12Blimey! What a mass-debate!?! Reduction in unsprung weight is always a good thing but unless you're driving in competition it's not a factor... your brakes are going to work well regardless. My advice is to get 'em on and check clearance. If they don't rub on anything then thank the Lord, start her up and get driving! Common sense prevails at last If he comes back and says he's using it for competition then yeah go for weight saving however the above comments applies Thank you the great Fandango Buzz When I race the genesis, that runs on 15"against a lot of cars that run 13" in the same class and I generally beat them.... or is that just talent!1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott beeland Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 No talent involved in punting your opponents off circuit is there Buzz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu999 Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 QUOTE If your just using for the road then 16" will be fine, because if you’re gonna be driving on the road as you would in competition then you really shouldn’t be a loud a driving licence. If you are driving a Westfield anywhere near its full potential on the road *whatever* the wheels fitted, you are likely to lose your license. So why not sell it and get a car which big wheels dont actually make any difference on - and you have less chance of losing your license with ? Also the reduction in unsprung weight by using 13's as mentioned above *is* a factor when using it on the road - in fact possibly more so than when on track. Again, bigger differences will be noted on lighter cars, but basically the lighter the wheel/tyre combo, more greater likelyhood of the wheel and tyre staying in contact with the road surface - especially when the going gets bumpier But each to their own Be a boring world if we were all the same And yes, I use 15's on my car - but only because 13's won't clear the brakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custardtart Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 The Great Fandango · Posted on Dec. 18 2007,16:12 Blimey! What a mass-debate!?! Reduction in unsprung weight is always a good thing but unless you're driving in competition it's not a factor... your brakes are going to work well regardless. My advice is to get 'em on and check clearance. If they don't rub on anything then thank the Lord, start her up and get driving! Common sense prevails at last If he comes back and says he's using it for competition then yeah go for weight saving however the above comments applies Thank you the great Fandango Buzz When I race the genesis, that runs on 15"against a lot of cars that run 13" in the same class and I generally beat them.... or is that just talent!1 So what's common sense about that? The guy's been offered 16" wheels, if they're free fine but if he's paying for them why do it? 13" is common sense 16" is not. 30kg of unsprung and rotating mass is a huge amount on a light car like a westy wether racing or not. Even if you can't tell the difference there will be a difference. If however he just likes the look of big wheels, furry muff i guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horizenjob Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 For a light car, un-sprung weight is much more important. It's the ratio that counts. You should be able to feel that in the ride on the street and on track the tires should stay on pavement better. I think 60 aspect ratio tires are easier to drive then something like a 40 or 45. Just always assumed people did the big wheel setups for looks. I see lots of dented rims and flat tires on peoples cars with the big rims. We may have more difficult roads here in northeast USA. I managed to hit curbs head on a couple of times in my Mustang GT with 60 series tires. Once got about 3 or 4 feet of clear air under the wheels, but no rim or tire damage. ( fooling around in a parking lot under construction... ) Did move the motor back some 13 inch rims fit enough brakes for a formula atlantic... I wonder if some of the lighter rims being quoted are suitable for much mileage. You can get lighter Revolutions, but they are stamped "For track use", due to fatigue issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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