I too have personal experience with light versus heavy wheels. My experience goes contrary to yours, though. And Mr.E.Poo's, apparently. Perhaps Mr.E. and I don't enjoy (or can't tolerate) this change in the car's character. Regardless, the effect is there.

I'm not referencing an "article, somewhere", more a fundamental truth of mechanical engineering.

-LRW

 

Probably less important on a car, but still important nonetheless since it still has to change direction. Id image that in extreme situations it could promote understeer, but keep im mind you are also talking about momentums effect on almost 1.5 tons versus 600 lbs. (with rider) AND, on a bike, you can alter the center of gravity by simply moving across the bike...

 

I love it when people drop the "engineering" comments.


What 19" wheels and tires did you run on your S2000? Perhaps your wheels were a bit heavier then mine or not sized very well. Perhaps you were running a lower quality tire on your S2000 with the 19s. I can tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, if I were to put you in my car and you were to drive around for a day not being told if the stock 17s were on there or the 19" HREs, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.


Just another tidbit of info, my 19" HREs weigh less then my stock wheels. I am carrying a couple extra pounds per corner, but thats the result of the much wider tires. If you run a 275 wide 17" tire you're going to pay similar penalties.

Again, I'm not going to claim the 19" wheels are the best choice for a performance standpoint. Hell, I'm not going to say 18s are the best choice. However, for day to day driving at near legal speeds, there is almost ZERO difference when I swap wheels back and forth.

 

 

Looks like Don Garlits or Ed Roth set that one up. Drag Car?

 

...What does that even mean?

The issue wasn't stock versus lightish big wheels. The issue that's being debated here is between some possible wheel upgrade paths. There's what the op is suggesting: a massive wheel, as light as possible given the size. Or, there's the 17" mono-block teabag-light Prodrive GC-07's, the greatest wheel ever conceived by man, or gifted by god - depending on how you look at it (or volks, works, whatever you want in that vein). IMHO, if you're going to blow a few grand on new wheels/tires for your s2000, you'll probably find yourself vehemently perusing one of those two routes.

If you think that I, or anyone, wouldn't feel the difference between even the mightiest set of 19's and a well-sorted set of 17" mono-blocks, you've got another thing coming.

Your HREs' handling is indistinguishable from stock? Sweet. I believe you. And may I say that those are very nice looking wheels. But that isn't the point I'm trying very hard to make.

The inescapable truth (that is really the only important idea I am trying to contribute to this thread) is that if you're in the market for a set of wheels for your s2000, given the two basic paradigms I listed above, there are going to be opportunity costs in the handling department if you put something big on. Which is kind of a big deal, to me and others, because I think that the specific opportunity cost of throwing on big wheels could be better used to contribute to what is (IMHO) the core characteristic of the car: its handling. If I were about to inject that much money into wheels and tires for my S, I would expect it to handle better than it did pre-upgrade.

Perhaps all we've been arguing about is whether or not form follows function.

-LRW

 

get the prodrives. then form and function walk nicely hand in hand.

and flite, i realize that i accidentally included a few people in my statement that i shouldn't have when i said "19s look like ass." my apologies, as your setup does look good. i can honestly say that yours is the only setup i've ever...and i mean ever...seen that was bigger than 18s that appealed to my eye.

 

lol

 

make the front wheels larger, like a 19 inch

 

Form was the reason I wanted the wheels I got. The only point I was trying to make is that you don't necessarily ruin the handling dynamics of the car by putting bigger wheels on it. It is possible to run big wheels and tires on this car without ruining the handling. However, you're going to pay for it. The relatively heavy cast stock wheels balance out the relatively light 19" forged HREs, as do the narrow but aggressive stock tires vs the much wider but less aggressive Continentals.

I know full well that putting smaller, lighter wheels on the car will do nothing but improve the handling of the car, and that's why my next purchase is going to be either a set of Prodrives, or RE-30s for track days. I just want to make it known that putting big wheels on an S2000 can be done without sacrificing the stock handling. If you want to IMPROVE on the stock setup however, you're going to have to go similar sized, and lighter.