big wheels whats the point?

[omega]

my mrs was offered some wheels for her old corsa but when i went to check them out they where some 15 inch boy racer style when hers are 14 inch,which got me thinking whats the point of big wheels? i can think of lots of disadvantages
eg they might catch the body,shocks,gearing will be out[unless you go for the same rolling ratio,so you might as well stay standard],they ride wont be as good, the insurance man wont like it,they will but more strain on bearings,they will be heaver and tyres will cost more etc
the only advantage i can see is that they might look better
or am i missing something?

[Gary406]

my 16" vulcans are a standard 406 wheel. so i got it all in terms of everything.
looks. they wont cause any problems at all cos its a proper 406 wheel nop rubbing no strain on anything.

i hate aftermarket alloys anyway . thats why i traveled a 550 mile round trip for my vulcans which were brand new

[lozz]

Iagree.
ive put big wheels on cars in the past,
it only came to me how daft the idea was when it came to New tyre time,

they fill the Gaps better, and they look good but,
ithink standard wheels are best,

Ihad 19s on my old Mondeo, ended up going through alot of, bushes, droplinks wheel bearings etc,
and the speedo was way out,

[Bailes1992]

If you change the wheel profile to suit you won't have any wheel arch catching as you keep the rolling radius the same.
In which case the only downside is a rougher ride.

But in return you get less sidewall flex meaning better handling, better stability and a more direct and sharper turn in.

[lozz]

On topic of the vauxhall corsa,
if your looking to change the wheels,

Grab aset off a rover 200 /25 (bubble shape Rover) 15"
ihad some on a corsa van, it drove well on them

[grasmere59]

The way i look at it is that the car makers spend hundreds of thousands of pounds designing the cars brakes,suspension etc etc and someone goes and spends a couple of hundred quid on boy racer wheels and convince themselves it goes and handles better than the car makers can.It makes me laugh when i see those volks polo's that have those huge deep dish rims and undersize tyres stretch like elastic bands on them,whats all that about?

[lozz]

The way i look at it is that the car makers spend hundreds of thousands of pounds designing the cars brakes,suspension etc etc and someone goes and spends a couple of hundred quid on boy racer wheels and convince themselves it goes and handles better than the car makers can.It makes me laugh when i see those volks polo's that have those huge deep dish rims and undersize tyres stretch like elastic bands on them,whats all that about?

Deep dish wheels on early vws look awesome,
seen the price of em ? they cost more than the car there sat on

[Doggy]

No, you're not missing something. There's absolutely no need to shell out loads of dosh to destroy your ride / handling setup and achieve all the other problems you listed.

* goes to sit with omega & grasmere *
'did I tell you the Carlton & Senator lads used to keep a set of 14" steelies with skinny tyres for the best lap times on track days ?'

[Welly]

Most after market Big Rimz look crap, they either make the car look too wide (wrong offset) or make it look like it's on stilts but the worst thing of all is that they reveal the standard 'milk bottle top' break discs for all to see

The biggest problem by far is that they buckle on the inner rim very easily.

My Volvo is running on 17" wheels and whilst they suit the car they are a bloody pain - some folk on the old duffers forum I use have dropped to 16" wheels for an easier life

[mjb]

The way i look at it is that the car makers spend hundreds of thousands of pounds designing the cars brakes,suspension etc etc and someone goes and spends a couple of hundred quid on boy racer wheels and convince themselves it goes and handles better than the car makers can

Are you saying that anyone who goes and puts £300/corner racing tyres on their car will have worse grip round a track or dry road than the P6000 ditchfinders the car left the factory with? Or that the P6000 are a better choice than proper winter tyres in the winter?

Are you saying that the way the OEM (non-Brembo) brake pads melt mid-way through a spirited run of the Peak District is the best way for brake pads to behave?

No, of course you're not (I hope).

The fact is they build nearly every car on the road to be either a city car or motorway cruiser. If you're inclined to push cars - taking them on racetracks for instance - then it's more than likely you'll find major fault with the OEM build. With experience of driving my 406s at the limit, I'd like the rear-end downforce of a decent spoiler, stiffer suspension, lower profile tyres, straighter exhaust paths and more power from the engine. I'd also like to strip the car down to reduce weight and ditch the ABS. Will I do that on my beloved daily drive coupé? Hell no. Would it make a difference to the amount of fun I could have in it? Very much so.

The difference between a car set up for track use and a chavved-up one is slim however.

While driving round the Nürburgring in the pouring rain, there was this 405. I swear each time I was overtaken (and I wasn't driving far off the car's wet weather limits) by him, he was going at least 50% faster than me. It looked and sounded like a right chavved-up banger with HUGE wheels, but if it weren't my first time there I'd bet he was having even more fun than me, and it was obviously a car which was *vastly* better handling and had a lot more power than when it left the factory.


For the record, I hated the 18" factory-fit wheels on my Mk4 Golf. If I'd have kept the car I'd have surely bought a smaller set for it to make it more comfortable.

[sirwiggum]

The big alloys on my GTV just ate tyres because as soon as the low profile tyres got soft they destroyed the sidewall.

Also, I was dating my girlfriend at the time and she lived in a narrow city street with high kerbs, the alloys were wrecked parallel parking.

Was glad to get big balloon tyres on the 406 standard alloys.

The Accord coupe does have standard alloys, but I don't think they look great. Would love to put Type R alloys on it.

[grasmere59]

The way i look at it is that the car makers spend hundreds of thousands of pounds designing the cars brakes,suspension etc etc and someone goes and spends a couple of hundred quid on boy racer wheels and convince themselves it goes and handles better than the car makers can

Are you saying that anyone who goes and puts £300/corner racing tyres on their car will have worse grip round a track or dry road than the P6000 ditchfinders the car left the factory with? Or that the P6000 are a better choice than proper winter tyres in the winter?

Are you saying that the way the OEM (non-Brembo) brake pads melt mid-way through a spirited run of the Peak District is the best way for brake pads to behave?

No, of course you're not (I hope).

The fact is they build nearly every car on the road to be either a city car or motorway cruiser. If you're inclined to push cars - taking them on racetracks for instance - then it's more than likely you'll find major fault with the OEM build. With experience of driving my 406s at the limit, I'd like the rear-end downforce of a decent spoiler, stiffer suspension, lower profile tyres, straighter exhaust paths and more power from the engine. I'd also like to strip the car down to reduce weight and ditch the ABS. Will I do that on my beloved daily drive coupé? Hell no. Would it make a difference to the amount of fun I could have in it? Very much so.

The difference between a car set up for track use and a chavved-up one is slim however.

While driving round the Nürburgring in the pouring rain, there was this 405. I swear each time I was overtaken (and I wasn't driving far off the car's wet weather limits) by him, he was going at least 50% faster than me. It looked and sounded like a right chavved-up banger with HUGE wheels, but if it weren't my first time there I'd bet he was having even more fun than me, and it was obviously a car which was *vastly* better handling and had a lot more power than when it left the factory.


For the record, I hated the 18" factory-fit wheels on my Mk4 Golf. If I'd have kept the car I'd have surely bought a smaller set for it to make it more comfortable.

Where in the original posting did it say taking a car racing or round the Nurenburgring as i'm buggered if i can see it! or any mention of omega's o/h racing her Corsa or taking it to the Nurenburgring.

[mjb]

Where in the original posting did it say taking a car racing or round the Nurenburgring as i'm buggered if i can see it! or any mention of omega's o/h racing her Corsa or taking it to the Nurenburgring.

You said you can't spend a couple of hundred quid and make a car better than the manufacturers can.

I disagree and have given examples to support my view.

I suggest you re-read what I wrote.

[waue1978]

Where in the original posting did it say taking a car racing or round the Nurenburgring as i'm buggered if i can see it! or any mention of omega's o/h racing her Corsa or taking it to the Nurenburgring.

You said you can't spend a couple of hundred quid and make a car better than the manufacturers can.

I disagree and have given examples to support my view.

I suggest you re-read what I wrote.

Rather than get caught in the argument, can I just point out that Matt's example shows that it improves certain aspects of the car (performance & handling) whereas the standard finished item is built as a compromise between handling & comfort. The same argument can be used with regards to engine tuning - yes the engine is capable of giving more power, but it will usually require more care (servicing) than the standard version which is designed to cope with a certain level of abuse & neglect, but still last for a reasonable time.