Metal Heart

iTrader: (3)

Wrong.
While I do agree that driving at 10/10ths on the street is quite idiotic...

20s add quite a bit more rotational inertia to the car. Last time I checked, there are no 20s that are as light weight as the stock 18s on a track edition.
They'd be able to corner just as hard because the sidewalls are bigger, have more rollover availibility and are stiffer. The difference in cornering is negligible really. HOWEVER, that extra 6-10lbs you now put on at EVERY corner... THAT matters and will slow the car down on a road course at 10/10ths... you bet your oversized wheels it does. I'd be willing to bet my wheels with the same driver and the same car, one with 20s and one with track wheels, he'd run a better lap time with track wheels everytime.

So yeah, you're crazy

I think 20s are dumb on anything really. I understand the idea, and why people like them, and think they actually look nice on some SUVs. But no car IMO should wear them, not even big bodied sedans. I also think they don't belong on a Z... hell, I don't think they belong on a G either.

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

well i auto cross my car , and even as a daily driver i cant see 20s on a Z unless its a show car. Some people can talk becasue they have mods to justify the weight but are u honeslty gonna tell me that 3 peice 20in chrome rims is gonna give u the same performance handeling wise as 17 or 18 or 19 light weight fordge rims. Honeslty i would love to here ur psysics apporach to that. Yea straight line with enough power will make up the extra weight but handeling ...thats the part that doesnt get justified. This was apprant when i saw some fool in 20in geovanna (spelling) rims at a auto x with toyos and almost slid into the wall. TO me 19 lightweight fordged is the way to go. Volk nismo, etc. but noone here is gonna tell me that 20 chrome rims is the thing to do on a sports car ,and thats my opinion. Im into handeling thats why i bought a Z every car i been into that has 20s has horrific handling besides a e55 amg which had special lightwegiht amg 20s thats it.

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

and stock for stock u make no sense if ur saying u can beat a stock Z with 20in chrome rims..lol...yea a Z with 18 track rims stock is gonna get beat by a stock 20inch chrome rim Z. Cmon buddy guy.

mrg1981

iTrader: (2)

Of course the smaller, lighter wheels will make for a slight improvement in performance. If somebody on here couldn't figure that out themselves, they probably had their special ed teacher type for them. But then again, it looks like you should have had someone literate at least HELP you type or proofread for you.

We can assume by the nature of the Op's original post that he is not going to auto cross with his car. He likes the look of the rims he posted, but he was afraid that he would notice a huge difference in power. From my experience (having had both 17" and 20" wheels on a Z), it will not be a noticeable difference. If he likes the wheels, I think he should go for it.

BTW- Mine IS a show car. Handling means shiat to me. I will never race this car, and I don't think that has anything to do with any of this conversation.

RBlover69-Out of curiosity, why would you recommend 19" for performance? If 20" are that much heavier than 19" then wouldn't 18" or 17" also give you the same edge over 19" wheels? I'm not arguing, and I don't autocross, but the physics should apply at least similarly at a smaller and smaller radius, until some barrier of traction availability/tread width is met. It just doesn't seem logical to argue that 20s are way too heavy and then recommend 19s instead of 17s. I've never spoken to an auto crosser that didn't recommend 17s.

Metal Heart

iTrader: (3)

17s if the car came stock with em. But some 17s won't clear the Brembos that well. 18s on a track will auto-x just fine. I'd recommend some better tires tho. 225 and 245s are just a little small... and those potenzas arent that great. Maybe a set of 245f and 265r Toyo RA-1s or something.

SnakeBitten

iTrader: (8)

Ok reading is fundamental folks Where in my post did you hear me say anything about 20" chrome rims...I dont have 20" chrome rims...They are high polish aluminum rims. Nowhere close to being as heavy as 20" chrome rims....I would never put chrome on my Z rims. I didnt want all that weight as the rim is 26lbs by itself. Adding chrome would have been too much. This is not to say that if someone wants to put chrome rims on there Z they shouldnt...Its your Z. Do what you want with it..

Also I didnt say anything about "track" model rims for the Z...Im talking about the regular 18" rims that came with my car. It was night and day difference in handling between my 18's and 20's...The grip and handling was waaaay above the stockers capability...Based on that alone I can carry more speed into and out of a corner just because of the Nittos superior grip and contact patch..The very slight acceleration penalty would be offset by the faster cornering speeds. Hope you understand my logic now and maybe I appear to be more like Rain Man instead of Lenny from Of Mice and Men.

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

The reason i chose 19s preferably 19 nismos because on the rear of the Z with the best rubber 19s have proven to be the best perferoming setup. Alot of jap racing Zs often have 19in rears on 350zs. For autox id prefere 17s on the z butfor road race or tracking i would def look into 19 rears fordged lightweight without a doubt. To me 20inch rims are great show rims in my opinion but i never seen a Z with lightweight 20s i mean i doubt anyone here has them. Do they even exist . Lol im sure the do . But as i said my argument was in handeling and las time i tracked my car going from 17s to 18s and riding in my boys 19in rear setup with nismo lmgt19s . With weight and width considered i personally believe 19 is the highest rim u should go for trcking . My personal opinion. For the streets i mean its no holds bar but 20inch rims diamter plus weight is always a negative feature when racing .

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

The reason i chose 19s preferably 19 nismos because on the rear of the Z with the best rubber 19s have proven to be the best perferoming setup. Alot of jap racing Zs often have 19in rears on 350zs. For autox id prefere 17s on the z butfor road race or tracking i would def look into 19 rears fordged lightweight without a doubt. To me 20inch rims are great show rims in my opinion but i never seen a Z with lightweight 20s i mean i doubt anyone here has them. Do they even exist . Lol im sure the do . But as i said my argument was in handeling and las time i tracked my car going from 17s to 18s and riding in my boys 19in rear setup with nismo lmgt19s . With weight and width considered i personally believe 19 is the highest rim u should go for trcking . My personal opinion. For the streets i mean its no holds bar but 20inch rims diamter plus weight is always a negative feature when racing ......

Driven1

iTrader: (2)

Here's my set-up. 20X11 rear 20x9 front. My 20's are lighter than any of the available stock set-ups and chrome. Where is this "proven info" for 19's being the best performing set-up? I have yet to see this. Typically 20's are bulky and heavy, but everyone seems to think that 20's are ALWAYS gonna rob you of power and performance. Has anyone looked on the any of the new exotics? Many of them are now doing 20" wheels (and some larger). The fact is, that these stereotypes of 20" wheels aren't true. Just the availability and demand for a wheel that size for that purpose hasn't been there due to manufacturers designs.

Driven1

iTrader: (2)

Sorry, forgot the pics. lol

Driven1

iTrader: (2)

Sorry forgot the pics. lol

mrg1981

iTrader: (2)

Driven1- Sweet looking rims! They look a lot like mine, but I believe you have a larger lip. What rims are those? What's the body kit too?

Driven1

iTrader: (2)

The wheels are a 20" Savini Forged 3-piece SV-10. And the body kit is the Vizage w/ the wing

Vq.turbo.DremZ

iTrader: (6)

I'm trying to peace together your logic. You say that there was a big difference in performance from 18's to 20's but from what i see it's your comparison of tires/width rather than wheel diameter. I'm not trying to be a d.ick but i truely can't comprehend your logic.

RBlover69

iTrader: (2)

most exotics are also testest with those rims to meet cetain performance criteria , and also, exotics have the pwoer to weight ratio to support the adjustment aswell. And most exotics offer elect suspension to get the most out of there setups aswell. Usually adj the suspension etc. The Z was in no way testest with 20in rims on a track to perform to any benchmark. Neither any car in its class. When u have a bugatti veyron with quad turbos weight is nessasary to an extent. When u have a plump sports car weight is not nessasary and huge rims will not equate to better handeling. Last time i checked there are no cars in the rolex series , andy sports car series that runs 20s. Must be a reason.

jjellyneck

I remember an article that Car&Driver published several years ago on this topic. They tested various tired sizes on a stock Honda Civic to see what kind of performance diffs they would see on a straight line timed 0-60 and 1/4 mile. I remember that it was quite noticeable when they jumped up one wheel size. This is of course amplified due to the lower power of the Civic.

Driven1

iTrader: (2)

You're quoting full race cars man? Fully sponsored race cars are a far cry from what you can buy or build with aftermarket parts and your local tuner. So please come up with a better argument. They build their cars for their specific set-ups and an infinite number of hours go into R&D on those cars. Just because they "use" a certain size doesn't mean that thats the "best". That means that, that is what they built the car to run with for their application and use.

You're still a far cry from arguing that there are negatives (performance) to putting 20's on a Z vs. 19's and tuning the suspension accordingly. Actually from what you said above...if I tuned the suspension for the 20's it would be fine. But according to you I dont have to change the suspension to make a 19" wheel perform just as well?

No Z is set up for 19's or 20's from the factory. So why are 19's soooooo much better?

jjellyneck

It mainly depends on the weight of each wheel (of various sizes) and not the size. But...the farther toward the circumference that weight is situated, the more power it takes to get the wheel in motion, so the rim or barrel portion of the wheel has the greatest influence on performance in a pure acceleration comparision. The weight of tires will also have an influence since most of their weight is in the very outer portion of the tire.

nasty50

here's mine on axis matrix 20x9 and 20x10.5

SnakeBitten

iTrader: (8)

Ok bear with me...Im saying that my car with its stock 18's with tha BS reo40 225f/245r would run a slower time on a roadcourse than my car with the 20' with 255f/275r. Reason being that my 20's arent that much heavier than the stock 18's and that weight would be offset by the 20 tires much better contact patch. The 20 would be able to carry more speed on entry and should result in a faster exit just based on the superior grip of the Nittos vs the skinny stockers......

However, if the 18's had comparable rubber to my 20's it would be faster on the track than the 20's as they would have similar contact patch and less unsprung weight. So the 20's would not have any advantage...Many variables to consider instead of just arbitrarily saying that 20's cant perform and are bad for your car...Again on the street this isnt an issue. On the track I would chose an 18" wheel with the proper tire for best performance 10/10's....For the street Ill rock 20's cause Ill hang with any stock to lightly modded Z. Hope that made my logic clearer... Hey Im no track guru or am I claiming I know it all...Im basing everything I say on my personal experience coupled with the little knowledge I picked up from reading and from track rats.

The only Z's that have put a few car lengths on me was a rev up with intake and 18's and that was only at speeds in excess of 130mph. Dead even till we got over 130mph....The rims didnt cost me in anyway cause he pulled another stock non revup Z with stock rims...Look everyone is gonna believe what they want. Im not here to beat you into believing what Im saying...Just dont be surprized when you cant pull a Z with 20's as the myth said you should