Hey guys,

I'm getting closer to parting with the cash for new rims and tires. I'm confused about the handling differences when upgrading to a 16 inch wheel. Is it just as simple as bigger rim = bigger contact patch for the tire which translates into better handling? And how much better? Could you tell in a daily driver that is occasionally driven hard?

I don't have a real answer for you, but I can tell you that switching from a 14 to a 16 showed a marked improvement in handling. Of course, along with this I went from 225/60 (if i remember right) rubber to 235/50 amd 255/50 front and rear.

The larger diameter rim means you run a shorter sidewall and as such it isn't as prone to flexing as much so the tire is basically more solid. That is assuming though that your overall diameter of the tire is the same between the two rims.

Jon,
My impression is pretty much what boodlefoof said in that the gains you get are not from the rims themselves, but by using different tires. When you go from 15" rims to 16 or 17", you are probably not going to be running the same size tire (except larger rim hole). Normally what people do is to get a smaller series tire to go along with the rims and this is what gives you better performance by not flexing as much. Also, changing to a wider tire will provide better handling also. As an example, using a BFG radial TA, if you had a 245/50/r14 wheel and tire combo, you would be at 23.7" diameter. If you were to stay with the 245/50 series but went to a 16" rim, would now have a wheel/tire combo that was 25.7" in diameter. So, in order to go to a larger diameter rim, you need to drop the sidewall ratio to compensate and thus get a better handling tire. check out www.bfgoodrichtires.com (http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com) for more info. Another thing to look at while you're there is that BFG has special construction features that create a stiffer sidewall, but the catch is that this is only available on their 50 series tires... so for a lot of people that change to 50 series when they go to 16" rims, they are getting several bonus features!

Hope that helps.
Bill C.



[This message has been edited by BC (edited 04-25-2001).]

The type of tire compound will have more effect than simply the wheel size change. Other reasons for going to a larger wheel are : ability to install larger brakes and appearance. For most street drivers, 15"'s are fine and tires are more affordable. If you're going to push 10/10ths doing track time or autocrossing, the extra size will help.

Well bigger rims means smaller sidewalls so your tires don't flex as much. Which also means a rough ride in most instances with first geneartion camaro. It also means you have to readjust the speedo set up or it won't show the accurate speed at which you are traveling. Bigger tires also means more mass to have to throw around, slower off the line. I personally wouldn't go with 16 on a first generation. It just looks out of place in my eyes... Rather go with 15

A the larger rim diameter causes you to run a lower profile tire. This give you more lateral firmness and better initial turn-in and more high-load cornering stiffness. All this translates into more response from the tire for a given amount of steering input.

One of the biggest differences, is in the tires that you have available in the 16" size. Most high-performance tires are 50 series or smaller and therefore if you stay with 15's you won't be able to use the "good" stuff. There is a big difference in performance between the Radial T/A and a g-Force T/A in the BFG world. I would recommend 16x8 wheels with 245/50R16 g-force T/A KDW's. I am using these and have been very happy with them. They are also reasonably priced for performance tires at $126 each last time I checked at tirerack.com.

most 16'' rims today are aluminum allow and as such are lighter than many 15'' steel rims. You may lose weight swapping wheels and tires, I did.