17" vs 15" wheels pros and cons |
|
Porsche, and the Porsche crest are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.
This site is not affiliated with Porsche in any way. Its only purpose is to provide an online forum for car enthusiasts. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. |
|
17" vs 15" wheels pros and cons |
moggy |
Aug 23 2015, 01:15 PM
Post
#1
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 15-December 04 From: Wales Member No.: 3,285 |
I don't seem to see many 914 circuit racers with 17" wheels on. Everyone seems to stick to 15". Is there a reason for this? I'm less bothered about the looks of 17" vs 15", I'm more interested in this from a performance perspective. Who out there has tried both wheel sizes? what size did you decide on, and why?
I personally have 15" (Cookie cutters 7" wide all around) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i31.photobucket.com-3285-1440357310.1.jpg) and 17" (Cup1 7"front 9"back) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i31.photobucket.com-3285-1440357310.2.jpg) At the moment, I'm forced to use the 17" on tracks where I need the top speed, due to my low ratio gearbox (a hangup from when it was a rally car). The 17" wheels have a 26" overall diameter. Whereas the 15" wheels are used on slower, twisty tracks. There is a huge weight difference between the wheels (including tyres) of 32kg (70.5lbs) total, which is an obvious benefit to sticking to the 15 "cookie cutters. But weight can't be the only reason why you circuit racers stick with the 15", so what are your reasons? |
moggy |
Aug 25 2015, 01:10 PM
Post
#2
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 15-December 04 From: Wales Member No.: 3,285 |
So it seems the only real reason to go for 17" wheels is to be able to fit bigger brakes under there or for maybe better tyre options.
That's pretty much what I thought, but it's always worth a second opinion. I would have stuck with my 15" Cookie Cutters if it wasn't for the fact that I have a very low ratio box as a hangover from my rally days (e.g. 5th gear is my original 4th). I'm going to put up with the big 17" for a while. At least until I've saved up enough to afford a gearbox rebuild and put some sensible ratios back in the box for circuit racing. For info here's some weight comparisons of my wheels/tyres: 15" Cookie Cutters (7" wide) with Hankook Ventus 200/580 tyres = 16kg (35.3lb) each 17" Cup1 (7" wide) with Yokohama AD08R 205/50 tyres = 22kg (48.5lb) each 17" Cup1 (9" wide) with Yokohama AD08R 245/45 tyres = 26kg (57.3lb) each |
Cracker |
Aug 25 2015, 02:42 PM
Post
#3
|
Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,148 Joined: 2-February 10 From: Atlanta (area) Member No.: 11,316 Region Association: South East States |
You wrote:
15" Cookie Cutters (7" wide) with Hankook Ventus 200/580 tyres = 16kg (35.3lb) each 17" Cup1 (7" wide) with Yokohama AD08R 205/50 tyres = 22kg (48.5lb) each 17" Cup1 (9" wide) with Yokohama AD08R 245/45 tyres = 26kg (57.3lb) each I wrote: Those CUP wheels are the worst...kind of the equivolent of lead wheels. I had a second set for my Boxster S race car - the rains were on them and were rarely used. I understand that's what you "have" but that's not a realistic baseline for someone else choosing their tire/wheel package (from the beginning). PS: I don't have larger wheels for the brakes...its the handing and tire choices. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Tony |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 9th June 2024 - 11:44 PM |
All rights reserved 914World.com © since 2002 |
914World.com is the fastest growing online 914 community! We have it all, classifieds, events, forums, vendors, parts, autocross, racing, technical articles, events calendar, newsletter, restoration, gallery, archives, history and more for your Porsche 914 ... |