Large wheels for show, little wheels for go?

Greetings, I’ve been told this old adage: "Large wheels for show, little wheels for go." is true. Is it?

More specifically, are there any individual dimensions against which 17 inch wheels would actually perform better than the 16 inch version of the same wheels?

For example, might the 17 inch wheel package perform better on some handling or ride quality dimension, even though they would theoretically decrement acceleration?

I just purchased a 2000 Celica GTS and I am making modifications, including new wheels.

Although 17 inch wheels would look better, i’m not willing to Improve the appearance of the car if I’m literally decrementing performance on every non-appearance dimension.

Thanks for any advice you might have!

There is quite a lot of info on this topic, so here are a few I pulled from a quick google:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/video/is-smaller-better-when-it-comes-to-wheel-size/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/bigger-always-better-when-it-comes-wheel-and-tire-/

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/bigger-or-smaller-wheels/176070/page1/

For the rest, toss this into the googler:

site:grassrootsmotorsports.com wheel size

In that particular case, 17s would perform better because you can actually get tires for them.

In reply to dps214 :

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=28117&width=205/&ratio=45&diameter=16&rearWidth=225/&rearRatio=45&rearDiameter=17&performance=ALL

Given OP's application, I don't see a problem with 16s. 

In reply to SotaCelica :

You're not going to notice a difference on the street, get the ones you like. Less revs per mile is usually a good thing for wear and fuel economy. Potentially a slightly harsher ride depending on the sidewall ratio.

If you're racing you'll have to tell us what size wheels you're looking for, what type of racing you're doing, etc. 

I always ran smaller diameter wheels for Auto-X, comes out of the hole faster.    So, yes.

It's a balance of weight and diameter. A heavy 16" wheel will typically be a little slower than a light 17" in the same diameter on the same tire compound.

17" are going to have more tire choices but if I remember right the Celica has a smaller wheel well so you are not going to fit anything bigger than a 235 in there anyways without some massaging so that may be a non-issue. 

For drag racing or offroading, yes absolutely.

For track use, no, for a given tire diameter, bigger tends to be faster, at least up to a point, as discussed in the previously linked articles.

When you get into overall wheel diameter that opens up a bunch more cans of worms, but I assume this is referring to changing wheel size and keeping overall tire diameter the same.

If you're not familiar with it, read up on Moment of Inertia.

As a generalization, tire material is heavier than most wheel material.  For that reason, it sounds like bigger wheels should be lighter and respond better to acceleration and braking forces, but that's not the whole story.  When you go up in wheel size (even if you keep the same overall diameter) you're moving the heaviest mass closer to the outer circumference.  More weight/longer lever means it takes more torque to accelerate the mass and more torque to stop it.

For instance, if you had a 10 lb disc of solid steel and another disc where you cut out a bunch of holes and weld them onto the circumference, the one with more weight toward the outside would require more force to spin it.  They both weigh 10 lbs, and they're the same diameter, but the one where you moved mass toward the outside will require more torque to move it and stop it.

The secret isn't bigger or smaller, it's what is correct and fits your driving style.  Shorter tire sidewalls tend to be less predictable at the limit.  A big gumball tire with a tall sidewall will deflect a lot and give up grip progressively.  A short sidewall tends to grip a bit better... until it doesn't and you find yourself facing the wrong way.

My Impala SS came with 17s.  They fit my driving style fine.  I did 18s for a while and they made a more positive "connected" feel with the road.  Someone traded me for some 20" wheels.  They looked killer, but for my driving style they SUCKED.  They really planted, but there were times on a freeway on-ramp that I pooed my pants a little because they decided to let go rather unpredictably.

This also plays into static camber, camber curves, and body roll.  As a generalization, smaller wheels/more sidewall might be suited to more camber.  As you push the tire in a corner, it deflects like a pencil eraser... more deflection for more sidewall height.

So it all plays together.  You'll find a lot of info out there.  Many performance-oriented people within a group of Celica owners may have already come to the consensus that [insert range of wheel sizes] is the sweet spot for Celicas.

If you're just looking to have killer looks, slap some 19s on it and lean the seat back.

The Celica is really lazy and slow out of lift. A shorter tire works wonders in decreasing the amount of time the car is out of lift. I'm currently running a 205/45/r16 ecs, but if I were to move up to 200tw I think 225/45r15 would be the choice.

For street I like to step up a few % larger to drop some of my buzzy VW MK1 revs.