DUBS something different
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,341
Likes: 0
From: Southern MD
Originally Posted by btstone84,May 8 2008, 12:22 PM
i havent even had time to look, anyone who knows how to photshop can be very useful and show us. its gonna take time, this isnt some rims you just go buy and throw on
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by bluegas68,May 8 2008, 08:37 AM
As far as when I was road racing bikes, I was always given the example that on a 17" wheel, 1 oz. of rotating mass @ 100 mph was equal to 100 lbs. It was extremely important to have the wheels balanced using as little weight as possible (which sometimes meant spinning the tire on the wheel) and to have really light wheels. It really made all the difference in a podium and mid pack finish. To illustrate this for yourself, take a bicycle wheel and hold each side of the axle with your hands, spin it and then try to turn it. The heavier the wheel, the harder it is. ANY change of direction is hard, not just leaning as if a bike would.
Also, yes the s2000 is very minimalist. Elegant, too, but those two are not mutually exclusive. You'll find the word "minimalist" in virtually every review written about the car. Google it. Also, I don't feel the least bit threatened by "your game", op. We should probably leave the personal statements alone, too, or we'll have to leave the technical forum...
Former Moderator
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 0
From: middle of a corn field
Originally Posted by Lukerw51,May 8 2008, 07:20 AM
You're wrong. My argument in favor of preserving or enhancing the s2000's performance via a wheel upgrade had nothing to do with raising the performance potential. (Though I totally agree that the street is no place to probe said potential.) Adding weight to the wheels fundamentally changes the character of the car, especially when you're getting into such small tire profiles. This change will be quite noticeable at all speeds, even if you aren't even getting on the car. The car's dampers won't function as well. The car will feel different. Long in tooth, it may be, but don't discount the argument, because it will all affect the car profoundly. Since I bought the car because of the way it felt (light, nimble, etc), I think that what the OP is proposing to do is totally ridiculous. He will destroy what makes the car great.
I run on both stock wheels and big 19x8.5f/10.5r HREs. I switch out fairly often as well and I can tell you from first hand experience that there is a VERY small difference between the two when driven at moderate (legal) speeds. Turn in is a little crisper with the stock wheels, but that's as much a product of the narrower tire as it is the wheel diameter. Over very sharp bumps there's hardly a difference at all. The Continental tires on my 19s are less aggressive than the stock wheel and I believe have a more forgiving sidewall.
As I've said before, I'm sure there is a measurable difference, but for day to day driving, I can honestly tell you that there is VERY little difference in the feel of the car. On track, I would never run the 19s. I admit full on that they are strictly for looks. And in my opinion (and most others) they look damn good.
