Will a bigger wheel make a car go faster, should other variables not come into it.?

Question

Discussion in office that I wish to bring to a close as it is now broing me! Will a bigger wheel on a car make you go faster than a smaller wheel?

Answer 1

Yes, but your car will have a harder time accelerating or it'll take longer to get up to speed but it should be able to go faster. People that put bigger wheels on their car have to get there speedometer reset unless they like speeding tickets. It's not the best thing for a transmission either.

Answer 2

Yes, and maybe no. And it depends on what you mean by faster. Alot of variables will effect it. I'll try to give a quick explanation.

I'm not physics major, but I can try to explain this simply. a 34 inch tire vs. a 32 inch tire. the 34 inch a tire will have a longer distance if you were to measure the circumference, thus, in 1 revolution of the tire, you will have traveld a further distance. So, yes, if you are comparing the sheer distance you will travel per revolution of the tire.

However, realisticly, your vehicle will have to work harder to push a larger tire, thus, since it is working harder, it will turn the tire slower, which will mean that the revolution of the tire is not performed as quick as it would be with the smaller tire.

If you were to make comparisons on 2 wheels being turned at an identical and constant speed, one with a 32 inch tire, and the other with a 34 inch tire, the one with a 34 inch tire will be traveling faster. the only difference will be in aplication, I hope this explains it well enough, hope this Helps, Good Luck.

Answer 3

Actually, the answer is yes. Theoretically, if you have a hub spinning at 100rpm, a tire with a 20-inch outside diameter would propel the car twice as fast as a tire with a 10-inch diameter. In actual practice, installing larger tires on a car, will make it accelerate much slower, but increase your top speed, if your vehicle has the horsepower to push it. A new wheel that is 8% larger than the old wheel, will push you 4mph faster at the same wheel speed.

Answer 4

Wheel size doesn't make a damn bit of difference. The circumference of the tire does. A 16-inch wheel with a P205/55R16 tire has the same overall circumference as a 15-inch wheel with a P195/65R15 tire for example, while a tire size P205/65R15 will be larger than the 16-inch tire.

The greater circumference of the tire effectively changes the final drive gearing on the vehicle, making the gearing "taller". Yes, this can increase the top speed, assuming the vehicle has the horsepower to exploit that change in gearing. Many don't, so it is not automatic by any means.

Answer 5

Ok heres what i know about this,
. you put 2 balls or cyclinders which are different size but the similar weight on the table right behind a line u draw, then lift up the table corner that near those balls to see which one would roll down faster.
Its the same to the wheel.
And the result is - with the bigger wheels your car could run a longer distance compare to the smaller wheels

Answer 6

I bet if you asked at the local PD, they could tell you of a drag strip near you that the police in some areas have opened on certain days or times just for this purpose. Racing down the street has never been a smart thing to do. You put the general public in great danger. Most of these kids have a lot of money to piss away, and no experience to go with it. By openong and operating these drag strips the police may stop an inexperienced idiot from killing himself or someone else. There is a lot more to consider than just your desire to go fast. Herein lies the #1 problem. You think of nothing else.

Answer 7

This will theoretically will enable your car to reach faster speeds however it mearly changes the final ratio of the rear/front wheels(depending on type of drive)other factors come into play such as engine power out put,engine condition(new/old worn)type of fuel etc. but generally yes it will go a little faster but take a little longer to get there(acheave max.speed.)

Answer 8

Ohhh I just cant help myself here, the answer is maybe both lol. maybe Yes and maybe no. As your vehicle increases in speed so does the drag factors, the output torque of the engine and thus the engine management system also could pose a problem here. Yes is the answer to having you tachometer calibrated as it give a slower reading than your actually going. Fact is, in reality, unless your an exceptional engineer and mathematician you wont really know until you try it. Still unfortunately the answer is a firm Yes and No as there are just so many variables to consider surrounding the physics. Edx

Answer 9

yup once the car gets moving,its almost like changing the final drive in your transmission.one rule of thumb i use is,if you what to accelerate quicker use a smaller tire,but if you want to go faster use a bigger wheel.

Answer 10

I believe it will...why else would you need to get your speedometer re-calibrated when changing rims (example 14"rims to 18") also why do dragsters run slicks that expand from the centrifugal force?