Changing to higher profile/narrow tyres -> good or bad idea?

[KkMICHELIN]

My experience w downsizing is that lower profile tyres provide more comfort (less bumpy and road noise) but less cornering grip... but if u don't speed often, downsizing makes sense and will save u $$.

 

How u drive and what u expect will determine above

[Felipe]

My experience w downsizing is that lower profile tyres provide more comfort (less bumpy and road noise) but less cornering grip... but if u don't speed often, downsizing makes sense and will save u $$.

 

How u drive and what u expect will determine above

 

i think u meant higher profile? lower profile has less rubber surrounding rims, giving bumpier rides but better cornering.

[Blue850r]

My stock tyre size is 205/45/16. I am thinking of changing to smaller rims with 195/55/15 tyres to improve comfort & increase $$$ in my wallet as 15" tyres are cheaper and lighter. Never before in my life I changed rims to the smaller size ones. In all my previous rides, I only increase the size and width of the tyres.

 

Any bros here change tyres to narrower ones before? will it have much ill-effect on the car's handling??

 

Thanks.

You can buy Michelin Pilot Sport 3 in Malaysia M$250 (S$115) for 195/55r15. Super grippy Wet and dry. Super long life.

[C-K]

i think u meant higher profile? lower profile has less rubber surrounding rims, giving bumpier rides but better cornering.

yeah. that's what i am worried about. I always max out my speedo on NSH on straight road (180km/h). However, I seldom do high-speed cornering and as I grow older I no longer visit Sepang & PG racing circuits.

 

You can buy Michelin Pilot Sport 3 in Malaysia M$250 (S$115) for 195/55r15. Super grippy Wet and dry. Super long life.

Can recommend shop I can get PS3 at this price? preferably in JB.

[Furrynadz]

narrow provide better acceleration/braking and in a wayhandling for noobs

wider provide better handling and cornering force but "butt feel " less acceleration due to less longitudinal force

 

AAS is right just they put it in a very very layman picture for the noobies

 

 

 

[Bighappyjer]

version r on 205/40r16. don't save money on tyres...

[Blue850r]

There are few tyre shops in JB with Big Orange Continental Tyre word. They all have PS3. I change from the shop opposite Sentosa complex/ The store where 2 tyre shops face each other. This 195/55r15 PS3 is selling about S$140 to S$150 locally but JB is M$250 to M$260 each. Superb value.

Edited August 23, 2010 by Blue850r

[Liang]

If you drive safely, without testing the limits esp of cornering, should be OK. Most tires have a large margin of error, anyway.

The other thing to note is of load capacity/index. Usually people think only of size and width. The 4 tyres must be able to support the full weight of your car plus max load, with some spare. And this load is only correct with the correct tire pressure! Usually narrower tires also mean lower load index. I toyed with the same idea before, but the weight that the narrower tires could support was just enough for the car and full load. With not much margin, I decided to stick to stock.

In the end, it's your life on the line. Do some research and be safe!

[Elfenstar]

My stock tyre size is 205/45/16. I am thinking of changing to smaller rims with 195/55/15 tyres to improve comfort & increase $$$ in my wallet as 15" tyres are cheaper and lighter. Never before in my life I changed rims to the smaller size ones. In all my previous rides, I only increase the size and width of the tyres.

 

Any bros here change tyres to narrower ones before? will it have much ill-effect on the car's handling??

 

Thanks.

 

Have you thought of something simpler by changing the tyre type? e.g. instead of using yoko s drives, use c drives which have a softer sidewall?

 

[Furrynadz]

actually each diff car has diff "suitable" tyre for each driver/road

must test to find fav tyre to suit driving style and conditions

[Roberttan]

There are few tyre shops in JB with Big Orange Continental Tyre word. They all have PS3. I change from the shop opposite Sentosa complex/ The store where 2 tyre shops face each other. This 195/55r15 PS3 is selling about S$140 to S$150 locally but JB is M$250 to M$260 each. Superb value.

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Malaysia sure cheaper

that is why many Singapore Company Hire Malaysian working here.

[Felipe]

narrow provide better acceleration/braking and in a wayhandling for noobs

wider provide better handling and cornering force but "butt feel " less acceleration due to less longitudinal force

 

AAS is right just they put it in a very very layman picture for the noobies

 

i thought you said there is no difference? so it does prove the point i was trying to make that wider tyres does affect FC and that there is a difference, contrary to what you said earlier. I'm not sure why there's this contradiction but i'll go with your latest post.

 

you sum it up well above. For the sake of TS, downsizing certainly eases the wallet a little and he has to read his manual and see what's the base tyre size for his model. If there's something narrower and higher profile, he can go for that. As highlighted, there are pros and cons to wheel sizes. It's just down to one's priorities and preferences. But of course if TS wants to learn more, he can always read up on Newton's law as you've mentioned.

 

And lastly, go read up more too.

[Kangadrool]

Contact patch area of a tyre with 1 size difference is minimal. But, the size/pattern differs (e.g. square vs rectangular).

 

However, wider width = greater resistance when rolling forward (=> lateral), but greater stability when cornering (=> lateral).

 

Rough rule of thumb, up sizing by 1 or 2 from stock size is OK, but not greater than this. Greater than this = very high forward rolling resistance and possibly less grip (when contact patch reduced due to too "rectangular" in shape the contact patch). High rolling forward resistance does not always mean better grip.

 

FC is more affected by the total rim + tyre weight. That explains why sometimes people get better FC when upsizing (they probably used much lighter rims vs heavy stock rims).

 

Nevertheless, sticking to stock is still the best unless no choice given.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Kangadrool

[Felipe]

Contact patch area of a tyre with 1 size difference is minimal. But, the size/pattern differs (e.g. square vs rectangular).

 

However, wider width = greater resistance when rolling forward (=> lateral), but greater stability when cornering (=> lateral).

 

Rough rule of thumb, up sizing by 1 or 2 from stock size is OK, but not greater than this. Greater than this = very high forward rolling resistance and possibly less grip (when contact patch reduced due to too "rectangular" in shape the contact patch). High rolling forward resistance does not always mean better grip.

 

FC is more affected by the total rim + tyre weight. That explains why sometimes people get better FC when upsizing (they probably used much lighter rims vs heavy stock rims).

 

Nevertheless, sticking to stock is still the best unless no choice given.

 

yes, that's another way of getting around the bigger wheels issue. however in the context of TS, it's about saving money. u can be sure the lighter rims would require more money than less. In terms of FC, changes are def there, though minimal.

 

anyway, the point is not all tyres fitted by the agent to a car are stock sizes. some give bigger wheels as an added bonus. the car manual would give info on what's stock and bigger sizes to go for. For the TS, if what's on his car is already the stock size, then it's better to stick with that.

[Blue850r]

Err...I think the Malaysian worker example not applicable here for tyres. Only 195/55r15 PS3 is cheap in Malaysia. Other sizes almost same as our local prices. If 17 or 18 inch up, Malaysia price become more expensive. So just check around and know where to get a value deal.

[Tigershark1976]

a) "185 vs 195 will have the same contact patch on the road, its just the shape is different"

b) "tyregrip is not abt contact patch but pressure it applies to the ground"

 

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bro, was quite suprise with your theories above.... its totally diff what I know all along...

[Good-Carbuyer]

so you're saying wider tyres do not affect fuel consumption? That's good news for folks who want to have bigger wheels. The only thing is i wonder why AA provides this info on negative effects of wider tyres-

 

When you fit wider tyres, you may also need to replace your car

[KkMICHELIN]

Yeah, should be higher profile --- I am using Goodyear F1 -- value for money, good wet grip but noisy