Ok, so I've been looking around at different wheels and tires and trying to find the best combo of wheel/tire for what I'm looking for. Was wondering if I could get some second opinions or advice, maybe even testimonials. Ok, so here's what I'm looking for: Lightweight rims, and tires that have their strength in strong takeoffs without much wheel spin or tire hop. I know to get something good, I may have to pay a decent amount, so I'm already aware of this. I'm thinking either 16" or 17" wheels but not sure. I was told the 17's might have better handling, but the 16's better take offs, and like I said I'm looking more for strong takeoffs. Can anyone confirm that's true about the 16's vs. 17's? or any more insight? So here's some things that have caught my eyes so far. For wheels, I'm thinking either Motegi Trak lite's or trak lite 2's. I don't think there are 16's for the trak lite 2's though. For tires I've been thinking about the falken azenis rt-615, falken fk-452, or one of the bfgoodrich kdw series. Any of those sound good? bad? ok? Anything better out there? I guess some of it might depend on the mods I've done to my car too, so to keep it simple, it's got a rebuilt engine, the eaton m62 supercharger with 3.0 pulley, and the tein ss super street suspension kit w/ edfc. Also, if there are any other mods/suggestions that might help me hook up better from a stop that'd be good too? Thanks for your time, and if you have any questions to figure out more what I'm looking for, feel free to ask. Thanks

Sounds like you've got decent power and suspension, but how much track time are you looking at? And what type of racing?

Wheel size is a preference, for the most part. Drag racing is more about the stickiness of the compound rather than the size. But as a general rule you want 15s or 16s for weight purposes.

Auto X is about cornering, so you can forget a little about the weight and focus more on sidewall thickness. 17s are mostly used.

Street tires are tough because you have to decide what is more important.

You can get a bigger wheel and thinner sidewall for corners, but worry about denting a pricey wheel in a pot hole.
You can get a sticky compound for out the hole traction, but then you have to worry about quick wear.
And pretty much whatever combination you pick you have to consider how much rain or snow your area gets.

That's the reason why most people get a good street tire and an extra set for track use.

I'm going through the same debates with myself right now. What to do....what to do?

Well, I'm looking more for out of the hole performance. I'm wanting some summer tires, since I have my current tires I can use for the winter time. So pretty much looking for tires that will help me get good straight line take offs from a stop...cornering is definitely a plus too, but the straightline takeoffs are the biggest factor in my decision. Any ideas of some good lightweight tires to do the trick?