5.5 wheel width vs. 7 inch, advantages and disadvantages Options

[opera guy]

well, it looks like i have my heart set on a set of ATS Classics wheel. i think i will get the 15 inch diameter ones. but im not sure of it yet.

what is the advantages of 15x5.5 over 15x7 besides i have to add flares?

is 15x5.5 in front and 15x7 in the rear a good set up? good compromise?

how much slower/faster is the 7inch over 5.5 inch? (diminish low speed performance? like 0-30mph)?

how bout 15inch vs 16 (or 17inch) besides speedo discrepency? like.. performance wise

[Mueller]

what are your plans for the car?

as with everything, comprimises will occur....

a 5.5" rim with a 195/60 or 205/50 will give you good handleing and a decent ride

a 205 tire on a 7" is a darn near perfect match, the sidewalls will be stiffer, making for a better handleing car, but the ride might be a little firmer as well

with the proper rim, you can fit 205/50/15's on 7" rims under stock fenders.....finding the these rims will be tougher and slightly more expensive (see other your other post for rim options)

the ATS rims can be bought for I think $165 each brand new and of course less if used.

how much slower/faster is the 7inch over 5.5 inch? (diminish low speed performance? like 0-30mph)?

no difference at all...it's all about the overall diameter of the tire, if you do a search here, there a few links to "tire calculators" which will let you play with different diameters (and you can input the stock tire size as well) (I lied, the wieght difference can affect the acceleration, but some 5.5" rims weigh more than some 7" rims)

same as with the diameter of the rim, you can change the tire to make the overall diameter smaller or larger to meet your needs....
my 205/45/17's are approx. the same size as my 205/60/15's

[ArtechnikA]

What is the advantages of 15x5.5 over 15x7 besides i have to add flares?

is 15x5.5 in front and 15x7 in the rear a good set up? good compromise?

how much slower/faster is the 7inch over 5.5 inch? (diminish low speed performance? like 0-30mph)?

how bout 15inch vs 16 (or 17inch) besides speedo discrepency? like.. performance wise

-some- 7's fit -some- cars if the offset is just right and the guys at Karmann built the shell exactly right that day. also depends a lot on the tire - short tires with narrow sections will fit better... but i wouldn't depend on it. (you might get by with just pulling them a bit, rather than a full flare ...)

bigger in back can keep a high-HP car neutral on corner exit; otherwise it just adds to understeer. most people think it looks cool and never drive the car hard enough for the handling factor to be an issue.

7's will bump you a lot of classes in most regions if you're thinking of autocrossing...

wide wheels will be harder to turn in low-speed situations, like parallel parking. wide wheels only slow you down on the Autobahn.

there is no speedo discrepancy when changing wheel diameters - all that matters is the total diameter of the roadwheel. so running a 16" 50-series tire can result in an identical roadwheel diameter and no speedo discrepancy.

but it's hard to find tall (e.g. 17") tires that are also skinny enough to fit narrow wheels...

[opera guy]

as far as 0-30mph with 5.5inch vs 7inch width.. im enquiring about the added weight. will that extra weight in 7inch wheels affect 0-30mph acceleration very much?

no autoX for me, not without quite a bit of motor work which im not experience enough, nor am i rich enough for <_<

i just want something that'll be able to handle curvy mountain roads (down hill, of course) better than what i got. which i think are 5.5x15, but they're in pretty bad shape.

also, is 5.5 inch width an odd size? is it easy to find tires for? IIRC, i read somewhere on this forum where ppl "dislike" the riviera wheels bc of the 5.5 odd size, is this a myth or did i misread that comment?

thanks for the great info.

[ArtechnikA]

as far as 0-30mph with 5.5inch vs 7inch width.. im enquiring about the added weight. will that extra weight in 7inch wheels affect 0-30mph acceleration very much?

also, is 5.5 inch width an odd size? is it easy to find tires for? IIRC, i read somewhere on this forum where ppl "dislike" the riviera wheels bc of the 5.5 odd size...

the weight difference between 5,5 and 7,0 wheels is negligible. the tires will weigh a bit more - but it's just not a significant factor in normal street-car sizes.

5,5" is not that unusual - there are lots of tires that will fit. people hate Rivieras because there are about 15 subtly different flavors so nowadays it's hard to get a 'really' matched set - and of those 15 flavors only one has an offset appropriate for a 914 - most are Bug wheels. if you can find a set of 914-offset wheels they're okay (a bit heavy) but mostly you'll find VW wheels that will limit you to 165 tires due to adverse offset.

[lapuwali]

People don't dislike the Rivs because of the size. The stock wheels are also all 5.5x15 (including the much liked four-lug Fuchs). People don't like the Rivs because they're very heavy, and many think they're pretty ugly, too.

[Joe Bob]

http://sba.pca.org/classifieds.htm

The guy selling the Cayenne S is also selling some 914 wheels.....both a pair of Fuchs and a full set of Minilites with tires......

Joe Boucher teamed up with Tom of PP and won the Parade Rally a couple of times....BTW .....he's a bit "stern"....

[Mueller]

some people like riv's, otherwise so many of them would not have been sold and installed....if you have to buy new rims and stay with a 15x5.5 rim, there are better choices.....I think one would be crazy to buy brand new Riv's, but I'm pretty sure Performance still lists them in thier catalog.

the only "problem" with riv's are like Rich mentioned, for a bone-stock fendered car, you are limited to tire selection unless you find and have the perfect offset rims, otherwise, you pull the fenders a little or run a narrower tire.

unless you find a smoking deal, going with 15x7's for a stock fendered 4-lug car (and even a 5-lug one) is going cost you almost double than staying with the more common 15x5.5 options..........what you need to decide is what your budget is, then go from there