Rosy Outlook
 

https://lh6.ggpht.com/_4xQFBZJE2fI/TK...0/DSC08505.JPG

Curious; has anyone installed giant wheels and have they improved MPG?

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

I know people that have done it. they are unbelieveably heavy and they ride like you have NO shocks. on top of all that, they are pretty expensive (not including the lift that most require on the car)

I kind of see it as a waste of money but I guess everyone has to have a hobby

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

I live in Indy, and the big wheels are all the rage. My current favorite, though, was one that my wife and I saw in Chicago last weekend. It was a 1974-ish Mustang II with a rust-free body, MASSIVE (I'm guessing 26"-28") bright green wheels, and a lift kit to keep the fenders from touching the tires. The engine was struggling to get it up to speed. I did not want to be in front of it, becuase traffic was going from 0-50-0 quite often, and I doubt that they did any updgrades to the brakes to stop those heavy wheels and all of their rotational inertia.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

The style is called "donk". I can't understand what makes someone want to do it...it doesn't look nice, it costs a lot of money, and it makes severe sacrifices to functionality without gaining anything at all.

https://images.forum-auto.com/mesimages/377316/donk2.jpg
https://www.trlocke.com/wp-content/up.../30inDonk1.jpg

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

maybe it is the fact that it costs so much money.

just a simple show of wealth maybe. I personally would put my money elsewhere and do other things with it.

we joked about it at work that all the tuner guys used to laugh at the rednecks with the jacked up pickup trucks and now they are doing that to their cars.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

It's re-donk-ulous if you ask me, but like it was said before, everyone needs a hobby.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

It's nothing more than conspicuous consumption.

Turn your car into a show of how much spare money you have to throw around, that you can waste tens of thousands of dollars on truly useless things.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

It bugs me to, how a Americans are attracted to the most wasteful items!
Loud and Heavy vehicles and wheels and items like these etc.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

Just an FYI, if you do the calculations about brake force and slowing the car, you'll find that wheel diameter cancels itself out.

I'm not sure why we don't see these loony cars in Mass, I suppose it might be because we have a fairly strict annual inspection (but I'm also not sure that those are a safety issue, either).

-BC

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

MA law doesn't allow more than 4 inches of lift.

I've seen a couple in the RI/MA/CT area, probably while I was in a city.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

bob,

I agree with what you say about rotating inertia but just the sheer added weight is a huge deal. I work with a bunch of guys that go muddin and they have large tires too (though in a different fashion) their tires can weigh up to 200# each. this can add 800# to the car. that within itself would need a brake upgrade I would think.

holycow,

not sure about mass. but in VA the factor is the height of the bumper and many get away with it by either adding a second bumper that is low enough or just relocating their bumper to the legal height.

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

Boggers that weigh 200 pounds each replace OEM tires that weigh 40 pounds...your math is a little off, that would add 640 pounds. Anyway, donks get tiny tires on those huge rims. I'd be more worried about the leverage of the extra diameter with 26 to 30 inch wheels, totaling 28 to 34 inches vs. the 26 inch tires that might have originally been on the car.

I don't know enough detail about MA's law, but in RI a drop bumper won't help. From the RI motor vehicle inspection manual:

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

Actually I didn't mention rotating inertia, on purpose. I only mentioned brake force.

You are correct that rotating inertia is a "double-dipper" in the momentum category. Not only do you have to slow forward momentum, but you also have to slow the wheel RPMs (I^4th and all that). That's why racecars will try hard for lightweight rotating components throughout. But when you consider the overall mass of the car, I don't think that the weight/diameter of those wheels will affect things more than a percentage point or two, especially when you remember that at a given MPH a larger-diameter wheel will have lower RPMs.

-BC

Re: Rosy Outlook
 

But now you have increased the frontal area and have more airflow under the car. An area which wasn't smooth before you shifted the driveshaft and axles more into the airstream.