wwwracer

i noticed most people upgrading to 17" wheels. you guys think there was a reason Honda stuck with 16" wheels for 3 years before making the S more street drivable?

I heard that 16" wheels handle better and are better for tracking? what's the low down on this. I noticed someone on here with a super S but still had 16" wheels.

i have heard 17" for go and 18" for sho? why didn't Honda throw 17" on in the beginning. its not like they don't know what's best.



thnx

TheTaxGuy

Larger diameter wheel = more rotating mass = more torque required to initiate motion.

My guess of the 17" wheels on the '04MY is that the 2.2L puts out more torque. Hence, larger diameter wheels can be used w/o drastic loss in performance.

Just a guess... After all what does an accountant know about physics???

S2KANDRE

basically you get larger wheels so there is less tire on the side, which accounts to more accurate cornering. Most 17 and 18 inch tires weight more than stock except for some like the ssr comp, which reduce performance.

TrueDrezzer

The 2004 model also has the original engine outside the US so there's no additional torque there.

Gonna test a 2004 model next to my 2000 model at the N

Fongu

As with any engineering problem, it is balancing comprimises and working with constraints. I don't really know what the final S2000 answer is, since it is dependent on what the final goal is and the actual number crunching. Many people wouldn't be able to notice the difference and/or make a material difference for non-competition situations anyways.

Here are some general guidelines in regards to performance to make a choice. Bigger wheels have the following pros and cons:
- heavier, given same design and material, bad for acceleration and suspension (con)
- tend to have more weight farther away from the axle, so have a larger moment of interia even if they are the same weight (con)
- thinner tire sidewalls are typically stiffer providing quicker turn in (pro), and harsher ride (con)
- allows space for big brakes (pro)
- allows for wider rims that clear suspension for wider tires and more traction (pro)
- 18" wheels have the most choice for competition tires (pro)

TrophyFodder

Fongu, I must disagree with 18" having the most performance tires, but the trend is starting to turn as more manufacturers are putting larger wheels on cars. I prefer the smallest wheels that will clear the brakes, and am going to upgrade to some 16" Volks. Weight savings is the biggest issue, not only for acceleration, but braking and compression and damping reactions. In addition, you can have a 10" wide 13" wheel just as easy as a 18x10.

PilotKD

Usually, the higher unsprung weight from a larger wheel/tire combo has more negative effect on performance than positive from a thinner sidewall. The 17" OE wheels off the MY04's are heavy enough. If I were going to get an aftermarket wheel, it'd either be a light 17" (14-15lb) or I'd even consider going down to a 16. 20lb is pretty heavy.

SilverKnight

how heavy are the my00 rims?

S2Thizzle

Speaking specifically about competition tires (Dot-Rs and slicks), 18" wheels do have the largest variety compared to wheels of higher/lower diameter. Where can you find a 13x10 wheel with a 285+ width competition tire?

The guys who run 18" CCWs believe the extra width which yields plenty of extra grip outweighs the negative effect of slower acceleration. Stopping distances are also shortened with more rubber.

Fongu

I agree the typical solution is to get rims big enough to clear the brakes. But if you want the widest possible tire, there is no choice but to go to a larger diameter wider rim. It is a question of tire availability than what can be done (unless you got a millions for a custom tire manufacturing). The width of the rim vs. suspension clearance is also one of those application specific situations. Unless, suspension has no travel or you have wheels that stick out beyond the fenders, there will be a maximum inner width, which is less for lower diameters, of the wheel to prevent interference with the suspension arms (what it is ? haven't measured). I'm sure there are more subtle or not so subtle things to consider also (there always is).

An application example. Say, you just want to be able to out accelerate someone on the highway, you're not going to need super wide tires, since the tires would not be at the grip limit on the roll. The best solution here is smallest lightest wheel/tire with adequate grip for best acceleration.

Vs. a time trial handling road course. This situation requires maximum cornering grip to improve the lap times, i.e. fastest average speed. The limit is grip on the turns, so max. tire width is required. Due to tire availabilty, you have to use a big wheel, which decreases the acceleration and hinders the suspsension's control over the unsprung weight. Typically the pro's out weigh the con's to provide better times. The acceleration penalty is minimized by higher cornering speeds, so less reliance on braking and acceleration in turns, more carrying momentum. Road courses tend to be flat and blemish free, so the suspension penalty minimized also.

Here is the S2000 related specs. I'm aware of:
- 15" or less, pratically too small
- 16" wheels, min. weight ~10 lbs, max. tire width 245, stock brake
- 17" wheels, min. weight ~14 lbs, max. tire width 275, ~13" brake
- 18" wheels, min. weight ~17 lbs, max. tire width ~330, ~14+" brake
- 19" bling, bling