On Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:17:36 -0400,
Frank wrote:

I found it interesting and first sentence says it, "They look cool."

I agree that people do things for looks alone, but what is strange is that
there doesn't seem to be a single beneficial performance impact of an
overall larger diameter "tire-and-wheel assembly".

I wasn't expecting huge performance gains, but I would have expected at
least one or two benefits - and not all negatives based on the two articles
noted.

If the diameter of the wheel and tire assembly increases by one inch
overall due to the one-inch increase in rim size - and assuming everything
else is kept equal in materials and aspect ratio and tread width - then the
two articles stated...
+ The engine delivers ~25% less driving force to the wheel contact patch
+ Which results in a decrease in acceleration
+ And which decrease in fuel economy (presumably at all times)
+ And unsprung weight goes up by a few pounds

The main astounding number is the fact the torque felt at the wheels is
astoundingly less for a single inch in overall diameter change.

Presumably that torque loss happens at all speeds (why would it not?) so
that denies us the one intuitive performance advantage of highway MPG.