15 vs 16 inches

thefalls

thefalls

Member +
Would like to get some feedback from members who have actually used both wheels.
If you had a choice between the two what would you go for and why?

Well there is a difference in size of tyres anyways,on the 16" rims the tyre will be a 205/45/16 and on the 15" rims the tyre size will be 195/50/15.
This is what people normally go for.
Whats better with road contact?

As far as looks are concerned i find the 16" wheels fill the arches well and aesthetically it is very appealing. The ride height is also higher compared to the 15" wheels and there is definitely lesser speed bumps scraping.
On a side note,may help with lower brace to ground clearance eg, four points ultra racing or cusco or zisco ones.

Regarding handling,i cant say much as i didnt try the 16" wheels for a long time,but they felt good.Whats the major difference when going for bigger wheels/rims like 16"?

My review will be a bit biased as i had yokohama advans on the 15"rims and good year eagle f1s on th 16" rims.
The f1s were not to my taste as they gave the car a boaty feeling,switch to yokos and the car was so much better. [ ok f1 lovers,dont hate me *runs and hides* ].

Acceleration was different as there was lesser wheel spin [ i have an ant-lift kit anyways ] and i could feel the heavier wheels,that is the 16" ones,held the car back a bit. Whereas the lighter 15" wheels were better in terms of acceleration.Thats to do with lesser sprung weight,i guess.
So if i had lighter 16" wheels,i suppose the acceleration would have been better?

Lets hear your side.
Thanks.
 
J

jayc-glanza17

Fresh Recruit
i felt on 15's compared to 16's i used for track my glanza felt more nimble in terms of turn in, and 15s were better for accelaration.

but once ive got coilovers and other handling mods i out 16s back on find out.

personally id also like to know guys opinions with a full suspension set up.
 
D

DodgyDan

Member +
ive got 16'' cos i dont do anything like track days, just straight line speed. but the ride is harder on 16'' due to tyre profile being samller
so all come down to what ur plaing with the car
 
kellygt

kellygt

Member +
I find my 16"s better on the road than my 15"s as the latter just lit up too easy in the wet or dry, 16"s are definately harder though on account of the 45 profiles if your doing a lot of track driving I would run 15"s better acceleration off the line and sharper turn in
 
glanzanut

glanzanut

Lifer
ever considered 14" mate? best for handling and acceeration imo, its what i run and wouldnt change them for the world
 
MeisterR

MeisterR

Lifer
For smaller lighter car, I find 15" being the right compromise in terms of weight, side wall size/flex, grip.

195/50/15 seems to be the most popular size, easy to get ahold of, and loads of tyre choice.
Price is reasonable, and give very good turn in with the right tyres that have stiff side wall.
 
weeJohn

weeJohn

Lifer
I run 16s but thats as the 4WD box ratios are shorter and it doesnt affect acceleration the same. With 205 tyres you run the risk of rubbing with 16s, 195s are pushing it on a car with about 25mm clearance to the arch of the wing. You will suffer more with 16s if you run a bigger turbo than a TD04L, as it doesnt go well with the lag IMO.

You mention unsprung weight so you know the benefits of light wheels, but also check out tyre weights as well, cheaper tyres are heavier and it all ads up. To me, the right tyres are worth putting the money into, they will benefit it more than size.
 
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