315's slow you down?
 

I read somewhere that switching from a 275 on a 9.5 inch wheel to a 315 on an 11 inch wheel will drag you down. Is this true?

Also, just out of curiosity, roughly how much wider is a 315 on an 11 inch wheel compared to a 275 on a 9.5?

More rolling resistance and weight, they wont make you faster (unless traction was an issue before)

I went from stock 16" snowflakes to 17x11 ZR1s, it definitely slowed me down. These are not mounted on wheels, but it will give you an example of 315 vs 275...

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...o/27531502.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q...o/27531501.jpg

^^ Thanks for the pics! Dam! they look so awesome but I cant afford to slow down :( .. I'm trying to build a mild strip set up.

pretty sure most of the weight you add is from the zr1 wheels the tires aren't THAT much heavier. those snowflakes are light too.

Yeah...

[QUOTE=jetlag;8876656]I went from stock 16" snowflakes to 17x11 ZR1s, it definitely slowed me down. These are not mounted on wheels, but it will give you an example of 315 vs 275...

275 on the snowflakes?

:D who cares, they look tits. i put some 17x11 TT2's on my SS....once you breach the 450rwhp mark, traction on the street becomes so scarce, you won't notice it slowing you down.

if you're referring to using a 17x11 at the track, it will slow you down. the light/smaller the wheel, the better. less rotating mass, with more centralized mass, coupled with a taller sidewall will provide optimum track performance.

No...I was just letting him compare tire sizes, the 275 went on my ZR1s on the front...

Not always the case.

1-If you had traction issues, the wider tire can help. = better ET.
2-Depends on the wheels. Chrome ZR1's are heavy no matter what. If you go from a chrome 17x9 ZR1 to a painted 17x11 ZR1 for example you will lose weight.


Bottom line, the 315's look mean as hell!

Actually, the 17x9 chrome ZR1's are not that heavy, only 20.5lbs. The difference between the chrome 10 spokes (23lbs) and the painted 10 spokes (22lbs) is not that much. I dont see how going with more metal could be lighter.....

But as you said, bottom line, the 315's look mean as hell :D

well im gettin my 315s put on in the mornin along with my new y2ks....ill let you know if i feel a difference

i love mine, but traction gains weren't that noticeable on my car. when i ran at the track, i had MT ET Streets on some Z06 rims....couldn't afford track wheels at the time...obviously the wider the better, but for the track, a good sticky tire on a 9.5" rim won't perform much if any worse than the same setup on a 11" wide rim. if you're nit-picking over the traction gains from 1.5" of rim width, you've either got something badass and need that extra .001 of a second, OR you're obsessing over the wrong problem. if you're worrying about that slowing you down, stay on the 275 and put some suspension under the car :thumb: my car cut LOW 1.5xx 60's on MT ET Streets on the 17x9.5 Z06 rims.

every little bit helps, but IMHO, 11" wide rims have their place, but provide more aesthetic benefits than performance. of course, all i've had on mine were bald Nittos....the shittiest tires when they're new, and mine were bald...:lol:

So true :devil: I still have no traction on the street

All I know is my chrome SLP ZR1's weigh alot more then my buddies painted 17x11 ZR1's. I have woked on both cars and was amazed. My other friends polished WS6 wheels are much lighter too.

do that

im changing my factory ws6 17"s on firehawk tires to 18x10.5 and 18x9.5 rims with 315 35zr 18 and fronts 285 35zr 18. im hoping i see a difference. my car spun to hell =(

A couple things from someone who has experienced this firsthand.

1. I dyno'd my car with the stock snowflakes and it made 333rwhp. I changed nothing about my setup except adding a set of ZR1's with 17x11 rear wheels and GSD3's. Took it back to the same shop, same dyno, and made 320rwhp. Now, I'm willing to grant that the atmospheric conditions and temperature played a role, but 13rwhp is a pretty big drop.
2. I've read several times - and I don't know how true this is - that 1lb of wheel mass is like 7lbs of weight anywhere else on the car. Unsprung weight and rotational mass plays a HUGE role in how much energy it takes to move those big meats.

That said, you get a wider contact patch with a 315/35/17 tire, and...well...they DO look very cool.


-Mike

:nod:

like said above if you are under 450rwhp there really is no need for the 315's unless you are having some traction issues.

The traction of the 315's can overcome the weight if you have more power, and result in quicker times.