Originally posted by CivicSiRacer
In my honest opinion yes 17s are way too big, even 16s are too much. Takes away from your torque which is almost essential for autocross. Plus not many performance tires in 16s. Only 15s and 17s.
YOu can go lightweight all you want but 17s push the weight further out from the center of the driveline which takes more energy. If you have 15lbs 15" wheels and 15lb 17" wheels if will take more energy to turn the 15lb 17s.
For example take one of the merry-go-rounds you push. Take 10 people and put them close to the center of the merry-go-round and push them compared to those same people on the outer edges of the merry-go-round. It will take more work to push the people if they are hanging on the edges.
As always, your answers are very helpful! I like the merry go round reference, never really thought about it that way.
Thanks
rob