Hey, Team.netters,
I need some wheel wisdom. After a year of autocrossing and track lapping
my Nissan 300ZX I am hungering for more rubber beneath me. Initially I would
use the bigger wheels only for lapping and maybe later for a move to SP.
My question is how do I decide what wheel size to move up to. (The car
has 16 x 7.5s all around.) I'm sure that going to 17s and not 18s is the
right move, (weight and tire price), but how do I decide the best width?
I notice that many race cars have the same size (width) wheels all
around, but many (both rear engine and front engine) have front tires
considerably smaller than the rears. Is this an engineering choice that is
car specific and too hopelessly complicated for a rank amateur to figure out
at home? Do I just try to put the widest wheels possible under my fenders
and hope that they work well?
To complicate matters, the car has factory designed understeer that
could use correcting. How would wheel choice affect that tendency?
Thanks for the advice.
Craig Daugherty
Tyler, Tx
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