Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
My belief is that thinnner spokes have value for balancing tensile stress, but not thicker spokes. Here is the simplified answer: If you start with heavy gauge spokes for some reason, you will get better wheel durability by going thinner on the NDS. But if you are already using light gauge spokes all around, there is no advantage except a little stiffness gain to using thicker spokes on the DS. ....
This is a case of raising the bridge or lowering the water. It's simply a question of outlook. Since the wheel has no way of knowing where you started, either action is functionally identical.
I agree with the res (unquoted) of the post. Using lighter spokes increases the elongation at the same tension, increasing the working distance in the spokes elastic range as the rim flexes inward.