is it true that the larger size of a rim/tire gets better handling?

and actually for NEON (2000 model), which size is the best for handling? coz i always be in freeway and dun want the car shaking so frequently.

and one more question. which size is best for saving gas? tell me in the range between 13-17

 

A larger diamater tire does not mean better handling, a WIDER tire will give you better handling in dry/wet conditions, while a skinny tire will be better for snow. As for gas mileage, on a low horsepower N/A car the larger the tire, the slower the car, and lesser gas mileage (unless they are lightweight wheels...which most aftermarket wheelsare far from lightweight). Thats the general idea anyway...

 

In general larger rim sizes are heavier thus have lower fuel efficiancy. That is why all true ECONO-BOXES are all small wheels and skinny tires. LIGHT weight. The wider the tire the heavier, the bigger the rims have more mass near the outer edge so even if they are lighter on a sale the dynamic load may be much greater. Try turning a ball on a string on a 6" string and then a 30" string which one can you spin faster??? Same weight, just different dynamic loading. So if mileage is your main concern, 14" with 175/70R14 would be great, cornering performance then try 205/40R17 and be happy.

As far as shaking, you should not really have an issue either way sounds as if you may be barking up the wrong tree. I have driver over 85 on the old stock rubber with no difficulty, smooth as butter, and also on modified cars. Tire size is not the issue, balaning maybe.

 

alrite. actaully, wut's the size of the stock wheels?

and one more question. i'm about to purchase a 00' plymouth neon LX. but wut i saw the car has a problem. it comes with steel wheel. as i know, the LX model should come with stock rims. AM I RIGHT?

if it's a YES, i will lower the price to the seller. i went to ebay, it's about $100-$150 for a set of OEM rims.

 

Girl at work has an 00 with 15" steel wheels. P185/60R15. So just check the door jam on the drivers door and you will know stock size for the car year. Mine was P175/70R14 and P185/60R15. Other years had P185/65R14 which is "Almost" the same size(to the speedo) as P175/70R14 and P185/65R15.

Alumininum was an popular option maybe more than stock. No biggie. Just get the wheels you want. For tires in stock sizes I like Traction T/A's as they are pretty quiet, good snow traction and better than stock dry traction. UTOG 440 AA A. Almost 30000 miles and still have 7-8/32' tread depth too.

 

wah! T/A's! but in SAN FRANCISCO, i dun have a chance to see the snow.

so i dun need a snow tire.

 

larger diameter = less sidewall = less sidewall flex
wider tires = better heat dissapation = cooler tires = better handling (no, wider tires with the same compound, as far as straight physics, have no more 'grip')

 

Wrong. Wider tires mean that there is more tire touching the road at once. That means there is more friction. More surface contact = more friction. Simple. Friction is 'grip'.

 

it is true you have a bigger patch on the ground, but you have the same amount of weight on more surface area. thus you have less downward force per cm2 touching. thus the same amount of friction. this is a very common argument

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/81404

although you may be closer to right than I.

but i think im going to further research this instead of trying to reflect on how my physics professor explained it.

 

I get what you're saying, and I think it is partially right. I can't, however, put the right words together to explain it, so I will just provide two examples. Top fuel dragsters and off-road vehicles. Drag cars have extremely wide wide tires. If they had regular width tires they would suck, plain and simple. Anyone who offroads will tell you this: air down your tires; more tire will be in contact with the ground, and you will have better traction. This is a proven fact. As to the science behind it, I can't explain it.

Also, the other factor is that friction causes heat, and heat, at a high enough level will cause a loss of traction. A wider tire spreads the friction out over a larger area and by consequence creates less heat. Unless you're using drag slicks, less heat is a good thing for the most part. This is obviously affected by the rubber compound. In winter tires, even a small amount of heating will make you lose traction quickly, where summer tires work better at a little higher temperature (for obvious reasons). A skinny tire and a wide tire of the same compound on identical cars should provide fairly equal amounts of traction at the start. After some use however the wider tire will prove to be substantially better, especially after heavy cornering and acceleration.

I don't pretend to be an expert at this. Someone should probably email BFGoodrich or something, but what I have here is just what I have gleaned from practical experience.