Massive ALLOYS 19" OR 20" ON T350 OR TAmora?
Discussion
You'll have to work on the arches too unless you want that offroader look. I think the biggest a small car can go to without looking daft is 17"s. 18"s works for bigger cars like M3s, Skylines or Supras. It just looks wrong if the tyres are too thin.
I saw a muscular pickup truck today with 20" chrome alloys. It just made me think it was the automotive equivalent of a muscular man wearing a black leather policeman's outfit with a leather cap... if you see what I mean
I saw a muscular pickup truck today with 20" chrome alloys. It just made me think it was the automotive equivalent of a muscular man wearing a black leather policeman's outfit with a leather cap... if you see what I mean
shadowninja said:
I think the biggest a small car can go to without looking daft is 17"s. 18"s works for bigger cars like M3s, Skylines or Supras. It just looks wrong if the tyres are too thin.
18's are standard on the T350... and they look OK too:-
Anything bigger would be pointless... unless form is more important than function - trust me 19"s or above would be terrible.
>> Edited by Nicksey on Wednesday 28th January 10:12
Nicksey said:
...but destroy the handling.
Couldn't agree more. I think this is common on most cars not just TVRs.The manufacturer designs and tunes a chassis around a specific wheel size then someone comes along and sticks oversize wheels on.Must hold my hand up to this, I had the wheels on my Tuscan increased to 18inch, looked great but the handling suffered.I dare say the tuscan is better on 18s now they are supplied that way by the factory.
p7ulg said:
...but destroy the handling.
Couldn't agree more. I think this is common on most cars not just TVRs.The manufacturer designs and tunes a chassis around a specific wheel size then someone comes along and sticks oversize wheels on.Must hold my hand up to this, I had the wheels on my Tuscan increased to 18inch, looked great but the handling suffered.I dare say the tuscan is better on 18s now they are supplied that way by the factory.
Not sure about that , my Golf 4motion came with 16`s as standard i put 18`s on it and i felt it improved the handleing , sure the ride was worse .
Nicksey said:
I think the biggest a small car can go to without looking daft is 17"s. 18"s works for bigger cars like M3s, Skylines or Supras. It just looks wrong if the tyres are too thin.
18's are standard on the T350... and they look OK too:-
Anything bigger would be pointless... unless form is more important than function - trust me 19"s or above would be terrible.
>> Edited by Nicksey on Wednesday 28th January 10:12
I suppose that's because the T350C was designed with 18" alloys in mind. It also helps that there's a lot of shadow under the car (which lessens any raised effect) and the wheel fills the arches nicely... concentric circles with no huge gap.
Okay maybe 20" is abit extreme, but i think 19" would look crazy in a good or if not wider 18"s at the back.But i think i would go for 19"s and add HQ turbo.The bigger wheel size help in puttin the power on the road and i have more grip.My friends have BMW ZMcoupe and Roadster(abit smaller than t350) both on 19"s with no trouble just adjected suspention and both tuned to about 410bhp.
T350CSupercharge said:
Okay maybe 20" is abit extreme, but i think 19" would look crazy in a good or if not wider 18"s at the back.But i think i would go for 19"s and add HQ turbo.The bigger wheel size help in puttin the power on the road and i have more grip.My friends have BMW ZMcoupe and Roadster(abit smaller than t350) both on 19"s with no trouble just adjected suspention and both tuned to about 410bhp.
On what basis would you go for 19"s?
The front tyres as standard are 35 profile - are you seriously saying that you think even smaller and therefore stiffer sidewalls would be a good thing? Putting larger diameter wheels on would just be for show - and truthfully, I think that they would make the car undriveable on anything other than a race track where they would add very little benefit anyway.
The whole quest for larger diameter wheels is incredulous - it originally started so that larger disk brakes could be accommodated for improved performance. There is plenty of space to increase disk diameter, upgrade callipers on the standard 18"s if needed. Now in my opinion its all about showing off and not about improving the car in anyway.
Wider diameter rears - they would certainly add a percentage more traction but you would have to be quick to catch the car if you overstepped the mark - you would have a brutal snap into oversteer - it would be comical on track, lethal on the road and probably slower through the twisties!
Apologies if I appear to be sounding off - the quest for the biggest wheels ever really really bugs me - how to destroy a cars integrity in one easy step.
Rant over 
DISCLAMIER
ALL THE ABOVE IS IN MY OPINION ONLY AND DOES NOT REFLECT THE OPINION OF PISTONHEADS OR IT'S MEMBERS. NO OFFENCE IS INTENDED
>> Edited by Nicksey on Thursday 29th January 09:35
sorry to barge in on the debate, but i disagree with the last statement.we've just put a set of wheels on the tvr power car(17"fr,18"rear on 35 profile)and it has had little effect on the ride quality with standard sus on.a properly designed 19"wheel wouldn't look out of place on a t350 and wouldn't adversely affect the ride quality or driving characteristics
Barge aware Racketman, barge away - the more the merrier.
A couple of points:-
Did you change the wheels on said car and as a result the tyres ended up 35 profile (like standard T350 front) or did you change a car that already had 35 profile tyres and put a bigger set of wheels that decreased profile to say 30 or lower (as would happen if you put 19" or bigger wheels on a T350)?
Was this a T350 or an older and comparatively softer setup car? The T350 is pretty damn stiff and skips about off camber changes, compressions and road imperfections as it is, I know that this isn't completely down to tyre profile / width but it certainly contributes... These cars can't be driven enthusiastically with one hand on the steering wheel and the other out the window.
What was the benefit gained from increasing wheel diameter on said car? You say that ride wasn't adversely affected - what was actually improved?
The rear suspension as standard on the T350 is set slightly softer than the front to aid grip under power, combine this with very stiff rear tyres on large rims and you could be heading for the scenery if you aren't on the ball.
As I said, all in my opinion! I am asking the above out of interest and it would be great to be proved wrong. There is a point at which the car is over wheeled and going beyond that must cause problems - this of course will be different for every car but I have driven a few cars on comparatively massive wheels and they were awful.
A couple of points:-
Did you change the wheels on said car and as a result the tyres ended up 35 profile (like standard T350 front) or did you change a car that already had 35 profile tyres and put a bigger set of wheels that decreased profile to say 30 or lower (as would happen if you put 19" or bigger wheels on a T350)?
Was this a T350 or an older and comparatively softer setup car? The T350 is pretty damn stiff and skips about off camber changes, compressions and road imperfections as it is, I know that this isn't completely down to tyre profile / width but it certainly contributes... These cars can't be driven enthusiastically with one hand on the steering wheel and the other out the window.
What was the benefit gained from increasing wheel diameter on said car? You say that ride wasn't adversely affected - what was actually improved?
The rear suspension as standard on the T350 is set slightly softer than the front to aid grip under power, combine this with very stiff rear tyres on large rims and you could be heading for the scenery if you aren't on the ball.
As I said, all in my opinion! I am asking the above out of interest and it would be great to be proved wrong. There is a point at which the car is over wheeled and going beyond that must cause problems - this of course will be different for every car but I have driven a few cars on comparatively massive wheels and they were awful.
bear in mind that profile is irrelevant if you don't also refer to tyre width. A 10 inch wide tyre on 30 profile will actually have a taller side wall than a 8 inch wide tyre on 35 profile.
This is because the profile of a tyre is expressed as a percentage of the width...
just thought I would throw that in!
This is because the profile of a tyre is expressed as a percentage of the width...
just thought I would throw that in!
the tvr power car was a chimaera and had much lower profile tyres fitted with no width changes{40fr,35rr)and the ride quality was unaffected and there was no tramlining either. haven't fitted to a t350 yet but have on a tuscan(19's 10"rear 8.5"front)which had similar results to the chimaera.fitting bigger and lower profile wheels/tyres doesn't always have the effect on a car that you might think it would. but there's always a limit
T350CSupercharge said:
Has anybody got or seen a t350 or tamora on customs or large rims say 19"inch or even 20"inch? It would be very nice to see this.I think it would enhence the look of the cars , especialy the T350.
Here's a perfect example why PW should never allow his vehicles state side.
T350CSupercharge said:
Has anybody got or seen a t350 or tamora on customs or large rims say 19"inch or even 20"inch?
T350CSupercharge said:
i think i would go for 19"s and add HQ turbo.
I've put some bigger alloys on my T350c, couldn't get an HQ turbo but managed to get some S.T.E.A.M. upgrades - unfortunatly they have affected the responsivness of the Speed 6 engine, but no worse than bolting on a turbo.
I can happily report that I was wrong - fitting bigger diameter wheels does not affect the ride quality..... much.
I've not tried any corners yet but you certainly get a lot of 'traction' in a straight line.
** I'm sorry that one was really terrible **
The modifications to the body shell aren't complete yet - I had trouble with the front wheels as they rubbed on the inner wings on full lock, but once its complete and back from being sprayed I'll post another picture.
I've used the exhaust can from the Sagaris concept, but like that one - I couldn't route it properly so it had to point up in the air. Also managed to find room for a 'space-saver' spare wheel as you can see.
What do you think?
>> Edited by Nicksey on Friday 30th January 16:45
cars should be run on the size of tyre they are designed for.
think of the increased load on bearings if you whack a 19 inch wheel on a hub designed for a 16.
tyre compound and sidewall play a major role too. TVR like the Toyo on the Tuscan because it has a softer sidewall than many (SO3 for example) and gives more progressive breakaway.
the weight of a wheel is very important. Racing cars always look for the lowest amount of unsprung mass and this should also be the case with road cars.
the lower the unsprung mass, generally speaking, the more responsive and grippier a car will be, assuming it is set up properly. big wheels usually make steering become heavier, ride worse and tramlining more obvious.
also, larger wheels will generally make gearing higher, hence slower acceleration and higher top speed.
my tuppence esp. based on road cars, track cars and a head full of opinions!
think of the increased load on bearings if you whack a 19 inch wheel on a hub designed for a 16.
tyre compound and sidewall play a major role too. TVR like the Toyo on the Tuscan because it has a softer sidewall than many (SO3 for example) and gives more progressive breakaway.
the weight of a wheel is very important. Racing cars always look for the lowest amount of unsprung mass and this should also be the case with road cars.
the lower the unsprung mass, generally speaking, the more responsive and grippier a car will be, assuming it is set up properly. big wheels usually make steering become heavier, ride worse and tramlining more obvious.
also, larger wheels will generally make gearing higher, hence slower acceleration and higher top speed.
my tuppence esp. based on road cars, track cars and a head full of opinions!
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