I watched video of FWD drag racing tips, and in it, they say the best wheel size for the application is a 13x10 inch. My problem is, I can't find any good looking wheels that size, that are a 5x114.3mm lug spacing.

 

I didn't watch the video, but I definitely wouldn't say the best wheel size is a 13" for every single FWD car. Actually, many W body cars couldn't even run a 13" due to the brakes.

A 15" wheel is as low as I'd go. That with some good slicks will be more than the trans can handle in the long term. There are plenty of good tire options for a 15".

 

Thanks, I hadn't considered the effect of a smaller sized tire on the transmission. Would it be a good idea to go for a wider 15" wheel?

 

I'd start with picking the tire you want to run (and can actually fit) first, then picking a wheel that's the correct width for that tire.

If you're looking for straight line traction (which I assume is your main concern if you're looking at tiny wheels), going wider helps to a point but it certainly isn't the most important aspect. The problem is that a wider tire won't necessarily have a bigger contact patch. When you go with a wider tire, the contact patch will widen, but also shrink front to back (as the tire deforms less).

That's the big benefit to going to a tiny wheel (like a 15"). Lowering air pressure will cause the contact patch to grow significantly more front/back than it would on a 18" or 20" wheel.

More important than width though are 2 other things - tire compound (especially going to a drag radial or slick) and suspension. Even with the best tire setup in the world, FWD naturally works against you by transferring weight off the drive wheels when you accelerate. Modifying the suspension (cable mod, spring rates, etc) can help keep the car from rocking back during acceleration which will allow for more traction.
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A couple other things I probably should mention:
-I'm not even entirely sure you could get a 15" on your car seeing as you've got a 6th gen. The 5th gen base wheel was a 15", but I'm thinking with those larger 6th gen front brakes, you may be forced into a 16" wheel.
-It's probably obvious but I wanted to state it anyways, hard launches on sticky drag tires is hard on the transmission. If you plan to do this regularly, especially at elevated power levels, you're going to need a built trans to handle it.

 

Yeah, I am a bit worried about the fitment with the calipers and brake lines. The wheel I've looked at the most is a 15x10 with a -39 offset.
Yes, I know I need to upgrade the transmission. A mod here told me from all his readings, triple edge performance was the best place to go to. I've also looked into the diff and axle upgrades from zzp.

 

If you're really serious about this drag car thing, you can certainly make a 15" fit. You can make smaller brakes fit up front. It'll stop worse, but it won't really matter for 1/4 mile anyways.


I honestly don't get the feeling that you truly understand the issue with the trans. Sure, triple edge builds a nice trans, but if you're pushing it into hardcore drag car territory (15" slicks, 2 step launches, turbo kit power, etc), it's not going to last.

The big components that you need for hardcore racing are the GMR chain and input shaft, both of which are discontinued and go for thousands EACH (not including the build for the rest of the trans).

The other problem is if you make all this power and race it as hard as you're claiming you're going to be pulling it to 'refresh' it fairly frequently and that's going to require very deep pockets. There's a reason most of the 'big dog' 3800 setups have long since demodded and moved on - it's mostly the awful trans.

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I'm not looking to break any records, or comepete in big competitions or anything. I like working on my car, and drag racing would be a really fun weekend thing, along with showing off the 'drag car setup' at some car meets.

 

My point is more that it doesn't matter how often you plan to use it. If you actually do all of these race car mods, you're going to need the best of the best fully built trans to hope to keep it alive at all. Doesn't matter if you do it once a day or once a year - launching at full boost off a 2 step on 15" slicks with turbo car power is extremely hard on parts.

If you're mostly just planning on having some non competitive weekend fun with it mostly being just for show at parking lot meets, then I'd ditch most of the hardcore stuff. It'll be a lot more fun and a lot cheaper.

 

I'm the second owner, 350,4bbl, 350 transmission, power windows, door locks, tilt, ac, cruise, swivel buckets, floor shift, no leaks, no smoke when running, selling due to health problems, had to resign from work.