I have decided to keep my 92. Beside the many performance upgrades I am considering, my first project has to be tires and wheels. I have decided to go with CC Wheels in Daytona. My question to you folks -- is wheel size 17 or 18 inch strictly looks, or is there a bigger foot print to be had from an 18 inch wheel? Would you ever consider putting 18 on the back and 17 on the front? The goals for my car is to be strong on the street and some drag racing. as this is my first venture with a C4 any comments will be appreciated.

 

This could get complicated, but the basic answer is "no, an 18" wheel will not, in and of itself, give you more footprint"
Only two things determine the footprint of any wheel/tire combination:
air pressure in the tire and the weight that wheel/tire is supporting. Believe it or not, THAT'S IT! I know this sounds odd to most people, but think about it.
A wider tire is desireable over a skinner tire (and both will have an equal footprint given equal weights and psi) because vehicle dynamics favor a footprint that is short (in the fore-aft direction) and wide (lateral direction), whereas a long, thin footprint just doesn't work as well (so I'm told). This explains the ever-increasing width of tires in competition...that and the fact that a wide wheel gives more support to the tire and the wider the tire, the wider the wheel can be.
So much for widths.
The most compelling reason for going to a larger DIAMETER wheel is to allow a larger brake disc. So, it was the road racers who started this trend, which the street racers quickly picked up on.
If you are concerned with drag performance, I'd check to see what TIRE you want to run and, based on the tires sizes available, select your wheels accordingly. For street use, the 17" wheel is functionally the equal of the 18". Plus, you'll pay a small premiun for 18" tires (over the 17")
That's my take on it.

Larry
code5coupe
:seeya





[Modified by rocco16, 3:51 AM 2/16/2004]

 

Larry --- thanks for your insight --