Bigger rims equals better handling?

[Felipe]

maybe an old topic here but i cant quite find it. anyway, although bigger wheels have more rubber contact, but then the weight also increases and we all know extra weight hurts handling too. apart from the getting lighter rims alternative, do bigger wheels really improve handling? from my own experience, bigger wheels def improves road feel...but turn in is slower and i really cant feel the car handling is better, may be due to the add on weight. any opinions?

[Guyver]

Yes... because usually... bigger rims can take wider tyres.... which mean more contact to the road....

[Cklasse]

I certainly feel that bigger rim handles better round a bend. I am riding on 225R45 17 tyres.

To a certain extend, I think it does help a little with bigger rims.

[Alfpoon]

which also means more friction, heavier rims, higher fuel consumption, slower pick up...afer all the pro and cons, is it worth it?

[Thwe]

friction is more but also depends on the type of tyre you choose. the pattern.

heavier? very subjective. got money can buy lighter rims!

FC.. slightly affects the FC, again depends on the above and driving habits.

slower pick up. yes if same amount of petrol in introduced. but if you willing to step on, actually it is faster!!

 

since contact to road is more. safety is improved. braking, cornering. If same model of tyre is used.

Edited April 23, 2006 by Thwe

[Jchuacl]

Does lower profile tyres mean more contact patch area or

 

Does it mean that we have more lateral contact patch area.

 

For eg, is it more difficult to pull a log of wood across or along its sides, or does it make a difference?

[Kelpie]

maybe an old topic here but i cant quite find it. anyway, although bigger wheels have more rubber contact, but then the weight also increases and we all know extra weight hurts handling too. apart from the getting lighter rims alternative, do bigger wheels really improve handling? from my own experience, bigger wheels def improves road feel...but turn in is slower and i really cant feel the car handling is better, may be due to the add on weight. any opinions?

 

1. I was on 17" for quite a while before switching back to 15". IMHO, it is the tyres that count more than the rim size. Ok, the one driving also plays an important part.

 

2. With strut bars and anti-roll bars, the 15" are also suitable for steep and fast concerning for a typical 1.6L sedan.

 

3. One thing that 15" can't match is the look. 17" looks alot nicer than 15".

 

Regards,

[oomph]

FWIW, generally when going from smaller to larger rims and retaining total diameter:

 

- contact point changes shape from longitudinal to lateral

- lateral shape = more grip when turning

- lateral shape = higher chance of losing grip when wet - hydroplaning !

- total contact area may change, depends, but not by much

- tyre wall flex is reduced (more metal vertically than rubber) so harsher ride

- tyre wall flex is reduced so smoother high speed ride (shocks work harder)

[Felipe]

hmm...more weight so brakes have to work harder? so is it really safer? i assume a lighter wheel gives better pickup and less resistance. anyway, the opinions suggest bigger wheels essentially looks good and not much else.

[Thwe]

in norm case. car maker gives an under size tyre.

eg vios. 175 65 R14. 175 cant even be found in local market! Even if you go borneos they will change to 185 55 R14. and normally, they will recommend up one size to R15.

 

left and right pocket. in norm driving condition, you already compromised with your own saftey already. so it is striking that balance.

[Thwe]

as wat oomph has indicated. strut bars help. but you tyres will flex as the rubber is thick. dont believe, check your side wall. I would recommend that you dont turn so fast at corners.

 

If everything is the same and so simple, I would recommend you put on 13" tyres, Aspec DB, you can put your struct and cub corner on wet ground.

Edited April 24, 2006 by Thwe

[Kelpie]

1. What is fast? 80km/h?

 

2. 13"? you must be kidding, I assumed. Aspec DB, no way. Only Hankook or Michelin for me.

 

Regards,

[Kelpie]

hmm...more weight so brakes have to work harder? so is it really safer? i assume a lighter wheel gives better pickup and less resistance. anyway, the opinions suggest bigger wheels essentially looks good and not much else.

 

1. Low profile often has hardened side-wall to resist flex better. On normal city roads, you hardly speed like race cars so the advantage mostly centered at cornering and handling. There are corners that I'm confident to tackle without braking on 17" but this is when I would hesitate or slow down with a 15".

 

2. Having said that there are performance based 15" tyres too. I like to run on NSH so I prefer 15" for the comfort. Anyway, NSH is mostly straight, hardly any devilish curves.

 

Regards,

[Jazzer]

Bigger rims with tyres does improve handling. But do not over do it as your car will get heavier. At the same time bigger rims means lower profile tyres which in turns leads to discomfort during driving. It also leads to having change tyres every 9-12mths if you are running profiles of 35.

[Thwe]

prob the minimum one should go is 40-45. comfort n safe enough 50-55. super comfort >60.

[Jazzer]

yea. But with bigger rims means u need lower profile to keep close to the manufacturers specs. Big rims with hier profile tyres will result in wrong display of speed on speedo..

[Freestylers09]

ya my friend one when 2 lamp pole up 0.1km..really change wrong size liao...wonder how come dun noe such thing when change..also look big for tire althoug upsize one..think tire size wrong liao

[Jazzer]

I personally felt that its is always a good thing to keep our rims size as close to the manufacturer's spec as possible. On the other hand, running will bigger rims = lower profiles tyres. That also means that we lose ride comfort.

 

So some people actually go for big rims with thicker tyres. Speedo accurate or not..is another problem. There is this saying... ai swee..mai mia..