i know this sounds stupid but does going with bigger rims slow u down??? ive heard from several people that when they went with bigger aftermarket wheels, that their rides felt significantly slower even with better rubber! im no hardcore street racer or anything so i dont care if they slow me down any, but in general, what the deal? i understand that going bigger means more weight, but with better slicks, it should pretty much offset itself. Any thoughts?

 

I think that what really comes into play is the total weight that the wheels are. If all four wheels are heavier than what they were before there will be more drag as a result. If you have ever seen an old toyota tacoma with giant tires and the truck is a total dog because its little four cykinder engine can barely turn those massives rubbers around. There is also the factor or your speedometer being out of whack when you plus you sizes.

 

One of the other issues that you face with larger rims is that if they are heavier, say for example going from 15's to 18's to stand to gain around 5-7lbs per rim, so that's 20-28lbs more on your car, not to mention that once the get rolling there is an increase in weight (centrifical weight is heavier than resting weight) so the estimates of physics state that for every pound of centrifical weight you actually have anywhere from 3-7 lbs of gain (the number varies because I've seen people say they've proven it's one and some say it's 7 just depends on who you ask) either way that accounts for about a minimum of 60 lbs gain on take off/moving so all that being said, weight reduces speed so yes your car can (and probably will depending on how big you go) feel and actually be a bit more sluggish