Best wheel Size for handling

[bellegt06]

We all know 19s or 20s will slow the car down, becasue they weight more, but what size wheel is the best for handling. I don't really race, but do want the car to be a corner carver. I will probably be adding FR handling pack or Roush's down the road.

Just wonder what will be the best wheel size/diameter for this application.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bellegt06]

ttt

 

[anthony05gt]

18's are the best overall size for a good riding and handling car when it comes to '05-up stangs.

 

[bellegt06]

I would have thought that 18s would best for ride quality. Also looking at most perforamnce cars that are more focused on handling than the mustang (350z, corvette, Porsche) they all seem to go with either 19s all around or a 18s and 19s. I personally think 18s are still a little small for this body.

Should 19s perform as well as 18s for most apps. Also what width is best for front/rear.

Thanks

 

[nycstang37]

19 will perform the best handling wise, the shorter sidewall is what you want. theres less tire and less room for the wheel to roll sideways, if thats clear. technically you could ge t the best handling with 17 inch rims if you put a short enough sidewall but then you speedo would be way of and it would look stupid. dont let people get into a "what looks the best arguement" here. i personaaly am going with 20's on my 06 gt but for looks and a slight handling advantage over stock. dont forget wheel weigjt is am important factor in handling as well. too heavy a wheel and they will not take bumbs properly for optimum performance. if money is not option, look at hre and iforged for high perfomance wheels in 19 inch sizes. usually about $1000 a wheel but thats why porsche and vette owners use em! plus they look great too/ also noticed you wnated width, for handling get the same all around, like 9.5 inches or stagger them, 8.5 front and 10 rear. the staggering can provide great handling but can also induce over and understeer. depending on applicantion.

 

[bellegt06]

Thanks that is about what i thought. I have been looking into some lightweight 19s or 20s but unfortunately can afford $3000-5000 for wheels. So i am hoping to find some reasonably priced 19s that weight around 25 lbs. Unfortunatley, a lot of manufactors make it difficult to get the weight of there wheels.

 

[Ara]

17 inchers... the lighter the better. Less sidewall doesn't always mean better handling, especially on public roads. And they make low enough profile 17 inch tires. Less wear on your axles and suspension bits too!

 

[kooldawg6]

This is what the FR500C wears(the $125K race car for those who are wondering)...

Fiske Wheels
18" x 10" front and rear
Can't find anywhere as to what size or brand tires they use...

 

[Mr_Q]

And quite surprisingly the FR500c's wheels weigh a TON for a racing wheel, 31lbs!

Doesn't seem to stop them frmo winning though, go figure.

 

[discofan]

But if the new Shelbys use 18" wheels and tires, don't you think that they would be a better performer???

You can buy 18" tires with 45/40/35 sidewalls so that would make more sense to me...

Wheel weight also makes a difference...

Dave

 

[bellegt06]

Ok so i have been looking at American Racing Razors/Rogues in bothe 18" and 20". I couldn't find their weight anywhere so I emailed them and this is the response i got:

Dennis,

Thank you for your interest in American Racing! The 20x10 Rogue weighs approximately 38 lbs and the 20x0 Razor weighs approximately 30 lbs. The 18x8.5 Rogue weighs approximately 30 lbs and the 18x9 Razor about the same at 30 lbs.

I hope this information helps!

Sincerely,

American Racing

First of all 38 lbs is damn heavy for 20s let alone 30 lbs for 18s and why do the razors weight the same in 18s as the do in 20s?

 

[bellegt06]

Also it interesting to note they gave approxiamtes as opposed to actual weights.

 

[D-06]

We all know 19s or 20s will slow the car down, becasue they weight more, but what size wheel is the best for handling. I don't really race, but do want the car to be a corner carver. I will probably be adding FR handling pack or Roush's down the road.

Just wonder what will be the best wheel size/diameter for this application.

Thanks in advance.

I just ordered 19's. 18's are probably a slight bit better but I bought CCW's which are performance wheels, going with the Ford K springs to lower it. I should have both soon and I'll let you know the difference.

 

[kooldawg6]

Wheels sizes of the production sports car world:
Ford GT-18"front and 19" rear
Corvette-18" front/19" rear
Viper-18" front/19" rear
911 Turbo-19" front and rear
Ferrari 340-19" front and rear
Ferrari 599-19" front and rear(this thing has 620 hp!!!!!!!!)
Lamborghini Murcielago-18" front and rear
Lamborghini Gallardo-19" front and rear
Aston Martin Vanquish S-19" front and rear
Panoz Esperante GTLM-18" front and rear
Panoz GTS-18" front and rear

Seems each manufacturer has different ideas as to what wheel size works best for the exotic beasts. Now, is the reason for the shorter front wheels for better turn in response/less rolling resistance while turning?
I was just checking on the tire size the Corvette runs...245/40-18 and 285/35-19...the rear tire/wheel combo is slightly above 1" taller than the fronts...isn't the idea to try and match height?

 

[nycstang37]

some manufacturers that go 18 and 19 front and back engineer that into the car. the new g35's come with 19's and 35 series tires all around. the fr500 race car uses 18's but look at the tire, a very low profile that would not work and a street mustang unless the computer was tuned for the smaller overall diameter. basically go with the wheels you want, unless your tracking the car your not taking turns at 100+ to really need the perfect wheels! 18's work, ride good and have many tire choices but in my opinion look way too small for the 05 up, 19's are perfect becuase you can get a 35 series tire with a nice width which would provide the best handling, but this size is hard to find and tires are expensive, more so then 20's sometimes. and 20's flat out look the best in my opinion but you sacrifice ride a bit and add some weight depending on wheels. im going with 20 inch deep dish bullits on mine with 285/30-20 for teh rears and 255/35-20 fronts, hopefully it will live up to my driving style, and i think they should.

 

[Saleen-wana-be]

my 20 inch saleen rims are kinda heavy but i dont think it really hurts handling all that much. I know it does a bit but i LOVE the look of 20s with my eibach springs! The ride isnt that smooth any more but i didnt get the car for a smooth ride. I also have BMR race lower control arms...that means, no bushings, so that adds to the "bad" ride, but i wouldnt trade them, she handles great, even with just the 255s, but i really want 275s all around.

 

[bellegt06]

I was really starting to like the 20" AR Rouges until i found out they 38lbs. I could except 30-31 but 38 is crazy. I might have to veryify that 38 lbs is correct. Might lean more towards the razors now or maybe Foose Nitrous (depending on their weight).

 

[bellegt06]

Anyone know the weight of the 20" foose nitrous.

 

[nck67]

18 or 19" seem to be the way to go with these cars. I think the car feels really nice with the 8.5" all around actually.

Maybe the most I would do is a 9" up front and a 9.5" out back. 255-45-18 front rear should be a nice track tire. Maybe wider in the back, but only with a wider rim. Last thing you want on the track is a huge tire streched over a tiny rim.

On the GT I dont know if I see a benifit to running a 9.5" up front. The GT500 does but it is carrying 600lbs more weight in its nose and needs all the traction it can get up front to not be a pushing pig.