best size wheel for novas handling and how low

[graham kirkbride]

hi whats the best size wheel to get for maximum handling on a nova also how much do i lower it by fr best handling its on coilovers and poly bushes all round

[Adam]

15" alloy, or 14" steelies are good for handling IIRC.
I'd lower it about 40-60mm, handling depends a lot on the stiffness of the suspension too.
You dont want it set too stiff.

[jamie gsi16v]

mines on 15" comp mo's with bridgestone protenzas, seam welded bay/chassis, poly bushes, avo coilovers wound down bout 80mm on setting 14 stiffnes back and 3/4 stiffness front. strut braces, no arb and handles fecking awsome, bit dicey in the wet but the tyres now compensate for that, hope this helps, j

[Austin_Nova16]

15" alloy, or 14" steelies are good for handling IIRC.

What difference does it make wether its alloy or steel?
I now run 14" astra alloys on mine, which i think work well.
15's or 14's though....

[Dar]

Austin_Nova16 - I think that steel wheels are actually lighter than the equivalent allow wheel.

I run 16" wheels on mine at the mo, and they are fine. However decent grippy trackday tyres are very hard to get for them (correct size). So I would suggest a 15" wheel just on the basis that the tyres are easier to come by. Also its seems common knowlage that 15" wheels are better on a Nova that 16" wheels when handling is concerned.

[TommySR]

Ive got mine lowered 60mm at minute with front strut brace on 14"s and it handles quite well, bigger wheels comin soon though, so ill let ya know..

Tom

[mikey14sr]

I'd say 15" is about the best for rim size, well that's what I've allways heard is the best for any car. Just look at the rims on caterham racers, rarely bigger than this and they handle as good as anything apparently.

[bump]

What difference does it make wether its alloy or steel?
I now run 14" astra alloys on mine, which i think work well.
15's or 14's though....

Steels have more torsional flex than alloys IIRC

[graham kirkbride]

Ive got mine lowered 60mm at minute with front strut brace on 14"s and it handles quite well, bigger wheels comin soon though, so ill let ya know..

Tom thanks for the info cheers

[graham kirkbride]

Steels have more torsional flex than alloys IIRC thanks for the info cheers

[graham kirkbride]

mines on 15" comp mo's with bridgestone protenzas, seam welded bay/chassis, poly bushes, avo coilovers wound down bout 80mm on setting 14 stiffnes back and 3/4 stiffness front. strut braces, no arb and handles fecking awsome, bit dicey in the wet but the tyres now compensate for that, hope this helps, j thanks for the info i thought 15,s would be best

[Adam]

What difference does it make wether its alloy or steel?
I now run 14" astra alloys on mine, which i think work well.
15's or 14's though....
I should of really just put 14"wheels, but i assumed that most 14" wheels on novas are the SR steel wheels.
But ye, they will no doubt be lighter etc than alloys.

:thumb:

[SuperNova!]

I think that 14inch alloys are the best size for handling on a nova.

If you go any bigger on rim size then you will loose too much acceleration due to widening your gear ratio massivley.

Also if you have a wide tyre it doesnt mean that you will get good grip, this is because novas are light and if you go bigger than 185 you will not have enough pressure on the tyre and the road.

Also there is the issue of tram lining and so on and so on.

hope this helps

[womble sri]

i use 195/40/16 on speedlines or in the winter 195/45/15 on some dots 15" wheels which im not sure are the right offets with a 60mm apex s+s kit and it handles a treat but better with the 15s bigger wheels will **** up the gearing i.e it dosent do alot in 5th im gonna get some 14" wheels for the track with some slicks

[Dan]

15" with a 45 profile size tyre is the same rolling diameter as the stadard 14" wheel so gearing isnt affected. Also if you wish to retain the 185 size then a 185/45/15 tyre size can be found so not an issue. Only difference is the gain in less tyre roll.

[Nova_Tek]

An old article in TV where they modded a 1.3 Nova SR, was saying that for best handling 14" 15" rims and no more then -30mm drop on quality suspension plus all the other upgrades like anti roll bars etc.

[Lee]

I think that 14inch alloys are the best size for handling on a nova.



Although bear in mind nova 3 spoke alloys wont fit 256 brakes behind them, so Astra GTE allys are the better choice of 14's

[Adam]

The 14" black SR steelies MIGHT just fit over 256 brakes.
Mine wouldn't quite fit with brand new pads, but with slightly worn pads, i have heard they will fit.
Tis a close fit tho.

[mad-driver]

no arb and handles fecking awsome,

Can anyone tell me why removing the ARB makes it better, and in what way?

[dannyb]

I have 14" Cavalier Steelies, the 5.5J wheels which are half an inch wider than the GTE 14" alloys, sprayed satin black. As you can tell I'm not worried about looks and more about the actual 'go' of my Nova. Fitted to these will be 195 55 14 toyos but at the moment its got rubbish champorio (or something) 195 60 14s which still give a reasonable amount of grip.Having a 14" like this keeps the rolling diameter the same as the puny 145 80 13s it started out on. The biggest difference between 14 and 15 is the cost, 14"s cost more now than 15"s (although 10 years ago the opposite was true) I think 15 is the biggest you can go on a Nova without losing acceleration which is a Nova strong point. I got 20mm Anti roll bars front and back from a GSi which has made things a bit tighter, although I imagine running ARB with coilovers, poly bushes etc might make things too uncomfortable for road use.

[jamie gsi16v]

Can anyone tell me why removing the ARB makes it better, and in what way?
i have found NOT having one is better in a few ways, in the wet you can corner better due to alot less stiffness and differant roll from drivers to passengers wheels. when driving hard on a private road if you hit a pot hole or bump in the road whilst going round the corner ul find that one wheel will lift and one will stay on the floor giving you traction instead of both lifting and chucking you towards the verge. less weight, less money to put summet on that has loads of disadvantages.

fit poly bushes, and good suspension and you will be fine. j