MX-3.com

I just thought about this-
How much is the difference in the size of the tires?
for instance-
ive got the stock 14's on or whatever.. freakin tiny,
but because they're smaller tires, and they spin a different amount then a larger tire (17's)
i was wondering what the difference was if anyone knew it? if there even is one.
being as the 17's are larger... they take a longer time to get around a full rotation then the 14's. Therefore... a quicker reveloution makes a quicker car?
i dunno... just an idea
Your imput

smaller diameters work better for accel - eg. autoX
larger work better for top speed - eg track

i am unfortunately gonna have to go from 14" to 16" soon, and thats gonna hurt my autoX but oh well

Yeah ive never run my car seriously yet.. so i guess it dosnt matter... but what? i plan on takin my girl to the track every now and then... any prefrence for size? maybe 15' 16'?

Yup. A quicker revolution makes a quicker car and also, lighter unsprung weight at the wheel assemblies is easier for the suspension system to react quickly to road surface irregularities.

Larger diameter wheels should not equal a larger outer tire diameter. With a move to progressively larger wheel diameters, the correctly fitted corresponding tire sidewall profile gets narrower. Larger-than-stock wheel/tire combos should still have an overall outside tire diameter, at the tread, that is the same, or very close to the same as the stock wheel/tire combo's outer diameter. Doing otherwise can lead to problems with difficult fitment on the car, handling, suspension wear and tear, and incorrect speedo readings.

Smaller wheels are generally lighter than larger wheels plus the smaller wheel diameter means its wheel-wt./mass is located closer to the center hub so that rotational inertia is more easily overcome (= easier accelleration). Larger wheels have that wheel wt. located further away from the center hub and so increase rotational inertia. This is also true of larger dia. hi-perf narrow profile tires which tend to weigh more than smaller dia. tires. So you end up with a heavier wheel AND tire combined with a greater amt. of weight placed further away from the center hub.

how much better are smaller tires

i got 17's didnt notice any change