How Can Bigger Wheel Sizes Benefit Your Vehicle’s
Performance?
As well as looking better, there are actually other
positives to having bigger wheels. These include but are not limited to:
- Improved
grip and traction
Probably one of the most obvious benefits of bigger wheels
is the improved grip and traction. Because there is more rubber on the track of
the tyre, it has better road contact and therefore leads to better handling
overall.
- Improved
braking
Along with higher traction and grip, a larger wheel will
also provide better braking. Because the rim is bigger, the car has a greater
contact surface and helps to reduce braking distances.
- Better
cornering
This is due to the car now having more road contact, a wider tread and stiffer walls. Thanks to this, the driver will experience better cornering and handling in all weather conditions.
- Better
stability
A larger wheel size also contributes to better stability for
your car. This is due to the wider surface area that is covered by the larger
wheels, allowing for a more stable drive.
- Loading
capacity
As established above, larger wheels have a better grip on
the ground, which also improves the load-bearing capacity. This means the
vehicle can withstand heavier loads.
What are the negatives of increasing your wheel size?
Whilst there are many benefits to increasing your vehicle’s
wheel size, there are still some slight downsides that can affect performance.
These include the following:
- Higher
fuel consumption
Especially in recent years, many motorists’ priorities have
been focused on fuel consumption. With bigger wheels comes more weight, which
will then enhance how much work the car’s engine has to do, increasing fuel
consumption.
- Faster
tyre wear
Because the wheels are heavier and put more pressure onto
the road’s surface, this can lead to heavier steering and therefore more wheel
scraping and lower sidewalls. This could make your tyres wear out much quicker
than smaller ones, meaning more tyre maintenance checks may need to be carried out.
- Safety
system issues
When elements in a car are changed such as wheel sizes,
certain safety systems can have trouble working accurately and may not respond
properly when needed. This can include the EBD, ABS and traction control.
- Impact
on comfort
Larger wheels often lead to less smooth rides, impacting
driving comfort. Due to the larger wheel size, the drive is likely to feel a
little more rough and hard, as you’ll feel every bump in the road. This can
also contribute to more vibration whilst driving.
- Rolling
resistance
Larger wheels can significantly reduce rolling resistance.
Although reduced rolling resistance leads to less fuel consumption, it also
affects the car’s grip and stopping distance.
What to know before changing wheel size
Now we have outlined the pros and cons, there are still some
other aspects you need to think about and know before changing your vehicle’s
wheel size. To do this, you need to know what you are looking for.
- The
letters and numbers on the side of your tyre
This will tell you the tyre’s ratio, radial construction,
and diameter of your current wheels, allowing you to calculate your tyre
size. This can help avoid fitting the wrong size wheels to your car.
- The
distance between the centre of the wheel and the mounting surface
This distance is also another important thing to consider
when choosing a size.
- The
cost of fitting larger tyres
Fitting larger tyres to your vehicle will also be more
expensive than your smaller ones.
- Cheaper
is not always better
If you find a larger tyre for a lower price and a better
size priced slightly higher, it could be the case that the cheaper tyre has
a lesser construction and will not last as long. This will only increase the
costs of your wheels over the long run, so splashing out a bit more to start
with is much more cost-effective.
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