big heavy 17's


jimmy

jimmy

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Sep 17, 2008
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hi this is actually my first post.iv just picked up my first ek9 its a 98 face lift champ white carbon ctr spoiler carbon bonnet 5ziegen exhaust and horrible 17" lenso stage 1 wheels (removing at weekend)!! any way moe to the point the car made 160 bhp at the wheels on the rolling road just wondering would their be much differehce power wise with light 15's or 16's also what would be the best for performance/handling.cheers!
 
This is my personal opinion:

17 wheels on a ek9 = no

Why?

The lighter the wheel, the better, since you'll be having less unsprung weight (weight that the suspension is not holding) which is better for our honda cars.

In my opinion 15inch is the way to go on a EK9, since you can find 10 pound wheels in that size for a good price, or even a 8 pound wheels!

With lighter wheels you have better handling, since the tire stay more time "sticked" to the road since the wheel is light and the vibration and rebound is less than a 17 inch, so you have better grip.

And the best, the car will be lighter!

Hope this helps
 
thanks lads.what about the power difference it would make and gearing in 4th and 5th especially?
 
jimmy said:
thanks lads.what about the power difference it would make and gearing in 4th and 5th especially?
Click to expand...

The power will be the same, but your acceleration might improve since you have smaller wheels, some people speak about loosing top end speed, but if yes, it should be a minimal loss. :nice:
 
as rvm said....power wont increase at all....just the feel of the car...perhaps slightly better acceleration but def better handling.

15s are best for EK9,.....16s at an absolute push if you ask me
 
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In terms of power I don't think it would make a difference, never actually checked though. wheel size would definatley affect driving type you want to perform.
15/16s would be best suited for circuits with shorter straights and more tighter corners and drag racing. 17s would be best suited for circuits with longer faster straights and wider corners. 17's would do good on hwy driving as well.
Had 15s on for a low speed corner intensive time attack and car responds wonderfully. Time attack got a little faster track now (still a little corner intense) so got some 17s and gave it a try and car was definatley more sluggish going around. Trying to sell and try out some 16s to maybe get a better balance for a mix course.
 
actually guys the power will increase ;) Larger wheels will add to drivetrain loss so a car with large wheels on a dyno will make a bit less hp.
 
From personal experience (having tried all three sizes - 15, 16, and 17), all tested with road approved race tyres:

15 and 16 - Had OEM EK9 wheels when I first started out, were great to learn on because they weren't too expensive if I wrecked one (about NZD150 for a crap set - yes, a set! :shocked:). The step up to 16 was interesting, the size was 16x7.5 (Advan RG) so were the same weight as OEM and the same OD so performance wasn't affected, but the wider tyre meant lots more grip, and braking performance was improved also.

I recently changed to a 17 (to fit over my new brake setup), and although the OD is slightly larger, the increase in braking performance and grip have more than made up for it, the car is now much faster than ever before, especially through corners.

During back to back testing with a transponder in the car using official timing, someone I met through racing circles who races an EG6 in the local Honda Challenge series found that a 17 was by far and away the fastest wheel, even though it weighed more. Tyre wear was greatly reduced too.

Up to you at the end of the day, if you like 17 inch wheels then keep them, although JDM purists might disagree!
 
if you get the right wheel 17 can look great, i recall the hasport/hytech integra also raced on 17" wheels and they also said they got loads more traction, granted they where 17x9.5!!
 
^^^^^

Yikes! Mine are 17x8, and +35 offset. No way they clear the OEM guards though.
 
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