Rim width?

art leong · 12-29-2012, 11:49 AM

I see almost everybody runs a rim slightly wider than the slick.
I haven't tried a rim wider but with my style tires the narrower rim (6" rim 8" wide tire) Does not grow nearly as much as an 8" rim 8 " tire
My therory is that the narrower rim pulls in the sidewall (very little sidewall on my tires 3" at most) and stops or retards growth at higher rpms.
Going to have a pair of wheels made (for 8" wide tires) and was thinking about a 9" width
What are the pros and cons of a wider wheel?

Ed Wright · 12-29-2012, 12:22 PM

Art, most automatic trans cars use radials which don't grow anyway. Are you using bias tires? Back in the '70s I first started using wider wheels on Firestone 10.5" bias (all we had then) tires on my C/SM Camaro. It hooked harder and ran quicker with more air, same as my car does now with radials.

Seems like they grew less? I'm very old, so may not remember it correctly. :-(

Run to Rund · 12-29-2012, 01:05 PM

I asked a similar question of Hoosier regarding their 30x9 bias ply slicks. Combined with my limited experience using 8" and 10" wheels with them, it seems that they grow more with the 8" wheel, and section width is about .8" less. The sidewall seems to work harder and wrinkle more with 8". I am told you can run the pressure up from 11 lb. to 13 lb. with the bigger wheel, but haven't tried it yet. Performance is similar and Hoosier confirmed that on slower cars there won't be much difference. That was confirmed by a former holder of the D/S record, who used up to13 lb.

I just bought a new pair, and got 9" wheels for them. My hope is that the sidewalls will be happy and I will get the best of the growth vs. footprint vs. section width. It is not as expensive for me to test as I use 20 lb. Marsh racing wheels (steel) for a nostalgia look/car. [I get them with centers for 5/8" studs, 45 deg. lug nuts such as ARP sells].

art leong · 12-29-2012, 07:48 PM

I'm going to buy a pair of Diamond Racing Spun Wheels for my circle track 13 x 8 x 20 tires I can get the backspacing I need and they are only 14 pounds each.
I wish I could use a radial tire. But I have to be happy to even have a biased ply that is 20" tall.
If I go taller I kill the car at least .15 and 2 mph. Which is fine in protect mode
I've tried ABA testing of 6 inch rims and 8 inch rims and the 6 inch cross the finish at least 200 rpms higher. So the narrower rim (in my case) grows a lot less.
These are not ordinary slicks there is almost no sidewall (3 inches).

12-29-2012, 11:49 AM	#1
art leong VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Richmond Hill, Georgia Posts: 2,003 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Rim width? I see almost everybody runs a rim slightly wider than the slick. I haven't tried a rim wider but with my style tires the narrower rim (6" rim 8" wide tire) Does not grow nearly as much as an 8" rim 8 " tire My therory is that the narrower rim pulls in the sidewall (very little sidewall on my tires 3" at most) and stops or retards growth at higher rpms. Going to have a pair of wheels made (for 8" wide tires) and was thinking about a 9" width What are the pros and cons of a wider wheel? __________________ Art Leong 2095 SS

12-29-2012, 12:22 PM	#2
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Rim width? Art, most automatic trans cars use radials which don't grow anyway. Are you using bias tires? Back in the '70s I first started using wider wheels on Firestone 10.5" bias (all we had then) tires on my C/SM Camaro. It hooked harder and ran quicker with more air, same as my car does now with radials. Seems like they grew less? I'm very old, so may not remember it correctly. :-( __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

12-29-2012, 01:05 PM	#3
Run to Rund Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 583 Likes: 8 Liked 54 Times in 27 Posts	Re: Rim width? I asked a similar question of Hoosier regarding their 30x9 bias ply slicks. Combined with my limited experience using 8" and 10" wheels with them, it seems that they grow more with the 8" wheel, and section width is about .8" less. The sidewall seems to work harder and wrinkle more with 8". I am told you can run the pressure up from 11 lb. to 13 lb. with the bigger wheel, but haven't tried it yet. Performance is similar and Hoosier confirmed that on slower cars there won't be much difference. That was confirmed by a former holder of the D/S record, who used up to13 lb. I just bought a new pair, and got 9" wheels for them. My hope is that the sidewalls will be happy and I will get the best of the growth vs. footprint vs. section width. It is not as expensive for me to test as I use 20 lb. Marsh racing wheels (steel) for a nostalgia look/car. [I get them with centers for 5/8" studs, 45 deg. lug nuts such as ARP sells].

12-29-2012, 07:48 PM	#4
art leong VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Richmond Hill, Georgia Posts: 2,003 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Rim width? I'm going to buy a pair of Diamond Racing Spun Wheels for my circle track 13 x 8 x 20 tires I can get the backspacing I need and they are only 14 pounds each. I wish I could use a radial tire. But I have to be happy to even have a biased ply that is 20" tall. If I go taller I kill the car at least .15 and 2 mph. Which is fine in protect mode I've tried ABA testing of 6 inch rims and 8 inch rims and the 6 inch cross the finish at least 200 rpms higher. So the narrower rim (in my case) grows a lot less. These are not ordinary slicks there is almost no sidewall (3 inches). __________________ Art Leong 2095 SS Last edited by art leong; 12-29-2012 at 07:52 PM.