I've read several posts here about 17" vs. 18" wheels, but haven't seen this particular topic addressed...
Do larger wheels adversely affect straight-line acceleration of a vehicle? In this case I'm referring to the 17" wheels on the GTO vs. the optional 18's. I understand you would theoretically gain some handling and cornering advantages due to the lower profile tires on a larger wheel, but an 18" wheel is obviously larger than a 17" wheel, so it contains more steel/aluminum/whatever, which weighs more than the air in a 17" tire. A buddy of mine brought this up at work recently after he put some 19's on his Tahoe (I forget if it had 16's or 17's stock). He said it seriously slowed the vehicle down from take-off and dropped about 3 mpg off his average. He swears its because the larger wheels are so much heavier than stock due to more steel and less air/rubber. He's a pretty serious gearhead, and I don't ordinarily doubt his word. Just curious...any thoughts?
Kegbelly
Do larger wheels adversely affect straight-line acceleration of a vehicle? In this case I'm referring to the 17" wheels on the GTO vs. the optional 18's. I understand you would theoretically gain some handling and cornering advantages due to the lower profile tires on a larger wheel, but an 18" wheel is obviously larger than a 17" wheel, so it contains more steel/aluminum/whatever, which weighs more than the air in a 17" tire. A buddy of mine brought this up at work recently after he put some 19's on his Tahoe (I forget if it had 16's or 17's stock). He said it seriously slowed the vehicle down from take-off and dropped about 3 mpg off his average. He swears its because the larger wheels are so much heavier than stock due to more steel and less air/rubber. He's a pretty serious gearhead, and I don't ordinarily doubt his word. Just curious...any thoughts?
Kegbelly