Bigger the rim the higher mph?
yea it depends on the tire sidewall ratio you go with, but if you want simple answers, then yes, most likely you will end up increasing the overall diameter of the tire and in a sense have taller gears. But your rotation per mile will go down and give you better highway milage, but you might also burn your clutch more everytime you come to a stop. I've learned my lesson and use strictly tires that match oem OD only, I can feel the difference from the tires that are .1 inch bigger Overall Diameter. You accelerate faster, corner better, but don't get the best milage but same as stock.
Typically with larger rims, you compensate by running tires with shorter sidewalls so the overall diameter of the rims/tires remain as close to stock as possible. That is why you see big SUVs running 22-24" rims, and their tires look like little rubber bands.
^^^not really... its the low profile look they want not because thats whats required. you can get super low profile tires on smaller wheels as well. its just what people want their wheels to look like.
i guess you havent seen trucks with the same 22" wheels with low profiles then they switch it out and put swampers on there...
theres no compensating needed, you run what you want.
as for the OP, if your drag racing, switching to bigger wheels results in more rotational mass. its harder to turn a big bicycle wheel as appose to a smaller one. less work on the engine. you can get taller tires on smaller wheels to give you the extra mph.
Last edited by sujinX; Aug 29, 2011 at 02:37 PM.
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I would say the rotational mass would affect acceleration just as much as more height. The height difference is relatively small, but a bigger tire is heavier for the most part. On my blue Evo I went with 245/40, so slightly wider, but shorter overall height. I'm happy with the look and how the car feels.