What rim/tire/wheel dimensions are helpful to your car?

Question

Does having smaller rims help the car to run easier?
What does a wide tire do for the car; and what does a narrow tire do?
How thin of a tire is too thin?

Just wondering...

Answer 1

The designers of your car probably chose the size based on a combination of handling, weight, comfort, gas mileage, and style. Especially the last one - a Chrysler 300C does not really need 20" wheels to perform well, but a lot of people feel it needs 20" wheels to look right, for example.

Here are the basic rules of thumb:

If you are changing wheel and tire size, keep the overall tire diameter the same. At the very least, you'll need to do that to make sure your speedometer reads correctly... unless you wish to recalibrate it.

Larger diameters rims and low profile tires typically weigh more than smaller diameter rims and taller tires of the same width and diameter. So you can save weight - and possibly gas mileage - by going to smaller rims while holding the tire's outer diameter constant. And your car will also have a smoother ride.

Make the rims too small, though, and they won't fit over the brakes.

Shorter sidewalls allow for more precise handling. Unless by making the sidewall short you also make your wheels and tires too heavy. And in any case they will transmit more bumps from the road to you.

Wider tires give more traction on dry pavement.

Narrower tires give less friction (more gas mileage) and are less likely to hydroplane in wet weather. They often work better in snow, too, as they often dig down to the pavement where a wider tire would float on the snow.

A tire that's too thin will wear out rapidly and not have enough traction to allow you to safely control the car in an emergency. Exactly how thin too thin is depends on the car's weight.

You will want to match the width of the rim to the width of the tire. It should be just a little less wide than the tire itself.

As you can see, there are a lot of trade-offs in picking the right sized tire. Even for the same car, there is no right answer for all uses. The best tire for gas mileage and driving in bad weather will not be the best tire for maximum performance. And the tires they chose for your car at the factory may not be the best size for the way you want to use your car. If you want to change your car's tire size, decide what you want to be better and what you are willing to give up, and plan accordingly.

Answer 2

I don't think you'll get a ton of responses to this but I could be wrong. I'll assume for the time being that you know how to read tires, but if not here's a short legend.

215/75/R14

215 = Width in Millimeters of the tire
75 = Aspect Ratio, the tires height is 75% of it's width
R = Radial, can also be Bias-play but very rarely
14 = The Wheel Size for that particular tire, in this case 14 inches.

Most passenger cars call for between 175 and 225 ml wide tires, with an aspect ratio of 55 to 80. The important thing to remember with any tire is that the tire is the only part of the car that is actually touching the ground, thus changing sizes can make a big difference for good or worse.

A larger (wider) tire will give your car a wider footprint, for example a 225 is almost two inches wider then a 175.

A lower profile tire can aid in handling but also be more prone to blowouts. Many race cars and enthusiasts cars use low-profile (under 50% aspect ratio) to enhance the cars handling, however it will have a very adverse effect on your cars comfortable ride.

My suggestion is to go with your manufactorers (sp?) suggestion, but if you are going for a set of aftermarket wheels and tires I wouldn't go larger then a 17" on a car or a 20" on a truck, just my 2 cents.

Answer 3

go to www.discounttire.com and use their tire size calculator. having smaller rims but higher profile tires will keep the over all diameter of the turning assembly the same. Wide tires increase rolling resistence thus lower MPG also could rub inner fenderwell when turning.Thin(as in profile) tires have better handling due to a stiffer sidewall. Also larger than or smaller than rim/tire combos other than manufacture specs change speedometer readings and cause engine to run at higher or lower RPM's at any given speed but more noticable at higher speeds.

Answer 4

If you have a reasonably thin tire that isn't too wide. For example if you are putting tires on your car you don't want cheater slicks. Something about 10" wide is really nice.

Answer 5

Car manufacturers have some of the best engineers in the world. So generally,. you will get the best all around performance with the tires size that comes stock on the car.

Answer 6

look in the door it tells you whaT IS BEST