impulse wrote:
If the rim weight is increased by going larger, your mass at the centre idea is incorrect. With the same rolling radius, larger rim would have more weight nearest the centre. Bigger rim does not increase tire weight- acually less if width doesn't increase. As for performance- larger rim means lower profile tire required to keep the radius the same. Lower profile = better cornering performance. All of this is useless info unless you're NASCAR racing with your Liberty.
I'm running 18's - see tire forum
This isn't entirely accurate.
Larger diameter wheels, same width, are heavier.
(unless you are comparing different classes of wheels, like a steel wheel with a SuperLeggera, but for our purposes, a larger wheel is heavier)
As for the performance aspects. A larger rim with a low profile will have better turn in response, and with better tires, less understeer. However, there is a performance hit because of the mass. This is, as mentioned, in fuel economy & acceleration. Higher unsprung mass also contributes to premature wearing of suspension components, which can lead to poor tire wear too (especially where the wheel-tire combination is 10-15lbs heavier per corner). Secondly, a stock dampers may not be able to properly respond to the heavier wheels, which can result in much poorer performance over broken pavement, as the wheels are simply bouncing around rather than being controlled.
And tire weight may not go down with a larger diameter wheel High performance street tires with thick sidewalls and stiff tread may be heavier than touring tires for a 2 or 3 inch narrower wheel.
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