is there and equation or nething that has to do with rims size and weight effecting a cars power or torque or nething... cause i have 17 inch giavanna CHROME rims on my civic and this kid was saying that him and his daddy were taking about it and they think those rims should increase my torque cause of more surface area in which case me and another kid from HAN called him an idiot... any proof u guys can gimme on this?

 

The kid is a dumbass.

Big rims are heavier and harder for our Torqueless pos cars to turn and it makes them slower. Usually the rule is not larger than 15'' if you don't want to sacrifice performance.

 

the smaller the wheels and the lighter the wheels the easier it is to turn them.

you get big wheels for better ride quality and "cruisin' "

did you remember to kick the kid in his man apples?

 

how does getting bigger wheels help with ride quality. i thought getting bigger wheels with lower profile tires help with handling or something. correct me if im wrong

 

Actually i think the smaller the rim and the fatter the tire the best ride, since the tires absorb the bumps and stuff better.

If you roll on 20''s chances is your gonna feel every bump.

 

o...k...

im afraid you're wrong my friend, please go find some big wheels to bling about town.

 

i see, im talking about the physical wheel & tire size total, not just the wheel size. the wheel size will have no effect on performance if the final wheel & tire size is the same as it was.

 

That kid and his daddy ae morons. Take for instance an empty merry-go-round and a fully load merry-go-round. Same size diameter but one weighs prolly 2 tons more. Which would take more energy to spin?

Yes wider wheels can be better but then your adding more weight. Bigger wheels have smaller sidewalls (if you want to keep the speedo accurate), which help in cornering, but at the price of acceleration and braking speeds. But a larger wheel can also cause a suspension to move slower and not react as quickly over bumps making the ride harsher.

Smaller wheels have more cushioning (sidewalls), but when I went from 17s to 16s to 15s I gained more cornering abilities and better acceleration.

 

Explained perfectly. Your friend and his dad are talking out of their asses.

 

There is an important distinction you need to make: Assuming that the tire outer diameter are the same, lower profile tires make for a worse ride, mainly due to less flex in the sidewall (it's narrower). But, since wheels usually weigh more than tires do (at least, their mass distribution is further out), more wheel/less tire makes for a slightly heavier setup than less wheel/more tire for the same size outer tire diameter. To nitpick, it takes the same energy to turn the merrygoround, but it does take more power to turn the loaded merry go round (power is energy over time). Heavier wheel/tire combos do make for a slightly harsher ride, too (unsprung weight in suspension components is the culprit there).

There is no less torque on heavier wheels and tires than on lighter ones: The difference is angular acceleration of the tire, which translates into linear acceleration eventually (F=ma, or t=Ia (torque = moment of inertia times angular acceleration).

The only reason why wider tires tend to give you better grip is because road surfaces aren't perfect (and some other ones that involve exactly how a tire gets grip on pavement).