Not to lose the power?

[greygoose]

Ok,I know a lot of ppl that have put bigger wheels on their vehicles and all have said that,they have noticed power lost at the rear wheels.So in thinking about the things that I want to do to my truck,like adding some 20's with the 307 or a 350 engine with a good cam in it,something around 300hp.What are some of the things that I could do to it,so I wont feel the power lost.....keep in mind,that my money is funny..(funny...that I never have any)..lol I need budget fixes...lol

[DavidB]

The best way would be to change to a lower gear in the rear end. The weight of the big wheels hurts to exspecially on cheap ones.

[Chevymann1968]

I am running 20s on my 03 SS and it has 4.10 gears!!!! The only problem is that i am also turning almost 2400 rpms at 70!!!! 3.73 wouldnt be a bad gear for the 20s!!!

[Dingfodgy]

First of all, the 20 inch rims aren't why people are losing power....it is entirely due to the tires they mount on them. If you run a 50-series tire, like say a 285x50-20 you'll end up with an overall tire height of over 31" which makes the truck feel sluggish off the line, but should lower the R's for freeway cruisin. In effect- having a taller tire does the same thing as running a higher gearset in your diff.
However, if you roll on some 35 series rubber (i.e.- 295x35-20) you get it down to a 28" overall height, which is the same as the 275x60-15's I have on my GMC. Naturally, you'll give up some comfort, durability and will spin higher rev's at freeway speeds, but will not lose that off the line snappiness.
Another thing you could do is not run 20's, but go down to 18's. Doing this would allow you to run a higher aspect-ratio tire which is more comfortable and durable, yet still keep the O.A. Height in the 27-28 inch range. Granted you loose the "bling" factor, but ......
Or if you're running the stock 3.08 rear diff., you could swap it for a 3.32 or 3.73 to get your ooomph back.
Lastly- if you have a stock 3 or 4 speed manual or auto tranny- you could look into running a Tremec TKO-500 or Richmond 5 speed manual, or a 5L50E 5-speed automatic from a Cadillac SRX. The 5 speeds typically have lower 1st gear than a 3 or 4 speed- so you can keep your bottom end power. But they also have closer gear spacings so you can keep your motor in the powerband. Plus with the overdrive you can still cruise on the freeway at a respectable RPM.

Now aren't you glad you asked?

L8R

[ChevLoRay]

It's all about the style, right? Like women wearing those stilletto heels, even if it causes back problems and makes their feet hurt. As long as you look good driving down the street and when you can find a nice big window to drive by and look at your reflection.....

I believe that 17-18's is about right. I don't get the ghetto fabulous look that some people get when they stick the biggest possible set of wheels on the most un-worthy vehicle. When you have to climb into a sedan that can then clear the ruts in a logging road.....?!

Yeah, I'm older but so what? I like style but not at the expense of comfort. Fads and trends are just that....fads and trends. But I'm gonna guess that the people who brought out the "cushion" tires in the mid-30's were bucking the trends of the day. Those little donut tires couldn't possibly be good for MY car!

Stick me with a fork...I'm done.

[LockDoc]

-
Guaranteed to increase mileage... While coasting downhill..

LockDoc

[see ten]

Weight of the wheel will also affect things. If all other factors are equal (total height,width of the rolling assembly) but the weight changes...It's possible you'll feel a change.

[WIDESIDE72]

It all boils down to the fact that no matter the rim diameter, if the replacement tires are the same overall diameter as the tires that came on the truck, nothing will change. A larger diameter will make your truck seem slower off the line, but the engine will spin slower going the same mph as before (and screw up your speedo reading). Smaller diameter tires will do the opposite.

[PanelDeland]

This may help
http://www.rims-n-tires.com/info_specs

or this
http://ejelta.com/tiresize/index.htm...size=185/60-15

or this
http://www.dakota-truck.net/TIRECALC/tirecalc.html

or even this

http://www.csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html

And this one will show the difference in tire sizes
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html