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View Poll Results: Which do you prefer classic 15 or modern 18?
Classic is best stick with 15" 61 70.11%
Can't beat the better performance of the 18" 26 29.89%
Voters: 87. You may not vote on this poll

Kirkham Motorsports

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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 02-12-2014, 08:50 PM
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Default 15" vs 18"

So I'm torn the classic look of the 15's or the better performance of the 18's?

What say ye?
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Old 02-12-2014, 09:12 PM
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15" with the large sidewall tires fill the wheel wells and look better, IMO
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Old 02-12-2014, 09:13 PM
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18 for performance, their isn't a tire that comes even close to the best 18's out their for performance, the 15 inch Avon's are great for performance, but put on a skid pad they will get left behind...
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Old 02-12-2014, 09:24 PM
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Buy a set of 15s with Billboards for the look and then a set of 18s for racing around on...
Win/Win.

Me, I'm a 15s original guy, so went with Avons because they are DOT.
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Old 02-12-2014, 10:25 PM
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I have 17" they look "normal" to me. It is what ever you get used to. No matter what you have, you will like what you have. That is, unless you want to be pissed off all the time..... ha ha ha...
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Old 02-12-2014, 11:03 PM
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It's all a personal opinion and what You think looks best. For me the 18's are out of scale regardless of their performance advantage. Too much wheel, not enough tire.
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Old 02-13-2014, 03:09 AM
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15s if your car is more traditional looking, 18s if using for racing performance purposes.
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Old 02-13-2014, 04:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimis View Post
Buy a set of 15s with Billboards for the look and then a set of 18s for racing around on...
Win/Win.

Me, I'm a 15s original guy, so went with Avons because they are DOT.


Best option as you can run race 18s and street 15s. SRs for street and R6/A6 for track/autocross.

Last edited by vatdevil; 02-13-2014 at 04:50 AM..
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Old 02-13-2014, 05:00 AM
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Where is everyone buying their tires?
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Old 02-13-2014, 05:19 AM
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Here's a thought about tires that I don't recall having seen on this forum. When designing the suspension for a car, engineers consider the contribution of the tires as if they were additional springs. So a car that will run tall sidewall tires with lower air pressure will have more tire spring than a car running short sidewall tires with higher air pressure. I mention this because people who arbitrarily switch tires from what the designer intended are likely affecting both the handling and ride comfort of their cars. ... Admittedly this is neither noticeable nor a problem for most replica Cobra drivers, but it is a consideration for those who put a high value on either maximum performance or maximum comfort.
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Old 02-13-2014, 06:28 AM
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Good thread; going to follow it.
I will also be making the leap from 15-18 for multiple reasons.
Going to stick with a wheel that looks as close to what I already have.. as not to draw a lot of attention to the wheel/rim difference.
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Old 02-13-2014, 08:41 AM
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I don't get the 18" decision by a lot of different companies. It is the most limited performance tire market compared to 17's and 19's.

Personally, I think the 17's look great on these cars.
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Old 02-13-2014, 09:47 AM
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15 inch for street and 18 inch for track, really?

Now watch this video of Bill Shepherds Cobra....


Nurburgring Aug 2010 Cobra incar footage - Bill Shepherd Mustang - YouTube



.....he is running 15 inch. Tell me again about 15/18 street/track again.
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Old 02-13-2014, 10:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G-Pete View Post
15 inch for street and 18 inch for track, really?

Now watch this video of Bill Shepherds Cobra....


Nurburgring Aug 2010 Cobra incar footage - Bill Shepherd Mustang - YouTube



.....he is running 15 inch. Tell me again about 15/18 street/track again.
Too bad Bill wasn't running 18s, he would have done even better. 15s vs. 18s boils down to a very simple question, do you want original looking wheels on your non-original replica or do you want wheels that optimize performance on your non-original replica. One need look no further that what the exotics are using to see where the performance edge is
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Old 02-13-2014, 10:34 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AL427SBF View Post
do you want original looking . . . on your non-original replica or do you want . . . that optimize performance on your non-original replica. One need look no further that what the exotics are using to see where the performance edge is
Jeez. Don't be so hard on us!
Aren't those gauges you use "original looking"?
They certainly aren't the best gauges you can get and certainly not what the exotics are using.


We ALL ride the fine line, no, make that the FAT line of looks/originality vs performance.
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rodneym View Post
Jeez. Don't be so hard on us!
Aren't those gauges you use "original looking"?
They certainly aren't the best gauges you can get and certainly not what the exotics are using.


We ALL ride the fine line, no, make that the FAT line of looks/originality vs performance.
... last time I checked gauges didn't improve lateral g's
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buddyg View Post
So I'm torn the classic look of the 15's or the better performance of the 18's?

What say ye?
If you go 18's, do they make those chrome hooptie spinners for them?
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:27 AM
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Default 15 vs 18

Quote:
Originally Posted by G-Pete View Post
15 inch for street and 18 inch for track, really?

Now watch this video of Bill Shepherds Cobra....


Nurburgring Aug 2010 Cobra incar footage - Bill Shepherd Mustang - YouTube



.....he is running 15 inch. Tell me again about 15/18 street/track again.
You put him on 18" Hoosier A6's with proper camber and spring rates and he would pick up 6 seconds a lap. I ran 15" back when they actually made good slicks for 15's (1970's), LMS 16" slicks in the 1980's and 1990's on wider than stock rims (9.5 F and 11 R) and now 18" on (11" F and 12" R) and I can tell you there is no comparison. Yes, part of it is modern compounding but the steering response is so much more precise with low aspect ratio's I would never go back. There is also the problem of tire distortion under high loads
with large aspect ratios especially with poor suspension geometry. There is a reason that the automobile and tire companies gravitated toward larger wheel diameters, they are better.
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Old 02-13-2014, 11:44 AM
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18's on a Cobra look about the same as 26's on a Monte Carlo. Go with 15's for the best look.

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Old 02-13-2014, 11:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AL427SBF View Post
... last time I checked gauges didn't improve lateral g's

Fair enuff.
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