Im talking about gram lights or nismo 19" rims. How do they compare to 18" versions of the same car or even to a stock g35c 6mt 18" rims? Thanks

 

I put 18's on my car and seemed to notice a slight decrease in performance. Everyone has told me it is just in my head.
I think they are right. It may only take .1-.2 of the 1/4 mile, which is barely noticable.

 

Larger wheels will generally yeild better handling and lower drag times.

 

moved

 

Extremely low profile tires(large rims) generaly screw handling and raise drag times.

look at GT race cars, max 18".. most having 17"

no one in their right mind will track(or even drag) with 19" wheels on a 350z...

 

Grand Am Cup cars are running wide 17" wheels. I think 9.5" front and 10.5" rear.

They are made by CC Wheels.

http://www.ccwheel.com

Victor

 

Can someone tell me how chroming my stock 17" wheels might affect performance at track/drag strip?

 

Negatively

 

Figured this much...but significantly?!

 

A heavier wheel/tire combo will hurt all aspects of performance. Now....the whole trend towards increasing lower profile tires and bigger wheels can benefit handling upto a point, but after that, it is purely for looks, and the heavier wheel can be a detriment to handling. Large wheel sizes were originally intended for large brakes, but like most "fashion trends", the idea has gone beyond it's original purpose.

What does this all translate to......

If you really want the best performance, find a light 17" wheel. Any tire with an aspect ratio of 45 or less will give more than enough steering responsiveness and sidewall stability during hard cornering. In fact, if your sidewall is too short, shearing forces during cornering will upset the seating of the tire in the wheel, and will adversely affect handling.

18" is good place to be for looks, performance, and ride comfort. When you go to 19", you will start to lose in all areas, except for looks, of course. Obviously, the more you can spend, the more you can get a lighter 19" wheel, and whether you care about the detriment in ride quality is up to the individual.

All this being said, you are only going to differences at the absolute uppermost limits of performance. If this is important, you shouldn't be looking a 19's in the first place. So....if the ride is okay for you , you should be fine with 19's unless you really want to squeeze out every drop of handling and speed.