Att. Petrolheads (Car enthusiasts) - Advice on Wheel sizes

[timmylish]

I,ve never had the choice of vehicles which have different wheel sizes and would ask those who know to explain to me the advantages or disadvantages of having wheels of 16", 17" or 18" on Crossover type of cars. When I had RR,s you were not offered a choice (so it shows how long ago that was!) and all other cars never used different ones.:confused:
Look forward to hearing opinions. Thanks.

[warbey]

If You use the Highway only, stick to the suppl
ied Wheels.
If going to larger diameter You are making the Vehicle higher geared, not suitable for hills that are steep.

wider tread is another option to get more rubber in contact, or to go over damp soggy Ground.....
Not too much of that in Tenerife either I should think..

How about asking Ashro what He thinks..?

[timmylish]

Yes I shall, in due course. I had rather hoped people on here might have experience of using the larger ones because they are already fixed to the car I,m looking at.

[Ecky Thump]

Most car manufactures today offer a range of wheels sizes on new cars, it can make a big difference to the ride quality of the car and in some cases the road holding capabilities and fuel consumption can improve, the appearance is often enhanced by larger wheels and of course the cost is also higher and more profitable for the retailer.
Depending on which car the larger wheels are fitted to can also make them a lot easier to sell when you are ready to sell your car, for example a VW Golf fitted with 18" alloy wheel rather than a bog standard 16" steel wheel will draw in a host of buyers.

Timmy, Rolls Royce and most other top end manufacturers now offer a huge range of wheels....at a price!

[atlantico]

its all about style and choice. They do NOT effect gearing, speed etc as the bigger the wheel the smaller/thinner the tyre. For fast racing, big wheels and low-profile tyres are best, BUT on everyday roads they make the ride very bumpy - so not for Tenerife ! But, depends on size of car. 18" on a standard car will make the ride very hard, but will corner great at speed, and look good, but on my Range Rover I have 20" and thats about 'normal', they can go up to 22", the more rubber the smoother the ride, but not so good handling. However, whatever the manufacturer puts on the car when sold new is adequate for all driving conditions. And to answer the Q, cross-overs are a bit in between cars and 4x4's, so whatever comes with the car is best, but 1 size up won't hurt performance, but will look better ! 2 sizes up and you'll suffer with ride quality

Ps. To increase the wheel size in Tenerife/Spain requires an engineers report that they are suitable and for the cars log book to be amended, so they'll pass ITV

[timmylish]

The vehicle in question is a "cross-over" with factory fitted 18 inchers and I just have never driven a vehicle which has different factory fitted tyres. When I had RR,s they came with bog standard fitted wheels with no options (shows again how long ago it was!).
Anyway, its now becoming a take it or leave it situation. Have to admit the car does look better on the big wheels!
Anyway, thanks for the input. Appreciated.

[Ashro Autos]

Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested

Plus-Size Models: Testing the performance effects of upsizing wheels and tires.

The aesthetic appeal of larger wheels and tires is undeniable, but what about the alleged performance benefits? In general, larger wheels are heavier, and additional weight hinders performance. To examine the effects of installing larger wheels and tires, also known as “plus-sizing,” we tested five wheel-and-tire combinations—ranging from 15 to 19 inches—on a 2010 Volkswagen Golf and got a good sense of what is gained and lost in the process.

The plus-size concept basically works like this: As the wheel gets larger in diameter, the size of the tire’s sidewall must shrink to maintain the tire’s overall diameter. Keeping the overall tire diameter roughly the same is crucial to keeping the gearing the same and the speedometer accurate, as well as for making sure the wheels and tires fit within the fenders. But larger-diameter wheels and tires are often available only in enlarged widths as well. For more information on plus-sizing and details on what will and won't fit your car, call the folks at Tire Rack (800-981-3782) or visit tirerack.com.

Our test employed nearly identical Goodyear Eagle GT ultra-high-performance all-season tires in all five sizes, inflated to manufacturer-recommended pressures. We say that the tires were nearly the same because the 15-, 16-, and 17-inchers have a lower speed rating (V, or a top speed up to 149 mph) than the 18- and 19-inch tires’ W-rating (up to 168 mph). This, however, was as close as we could get to testing the same tire in every size. We used the stock steel wheels for the 15-inch test and went to the aftermarket for the larger wheels, as most owners would do. The aftermarket wheel we chose was a cast-aluminum ASA GT1, which is available in 16- to 19-inch sizes on the Golf. It’s obvious from the test that as wheels and tires grow in size, they also grow in weight. Here’s how the test shook out:




What’s immediately apparent from the results is that as the wheel-and-tire packages get larger and heavier, acceleration and fuel economy suffer. Neither is a huge surprise, but we measured a 10-percent drop in fuel economy and a four-percent degradation in 0-to-60-mph acceleration from the 15s to the 19s, which is worth considering should you be thinking about “going big.” Increasing wheel diameter and width, in turn, requires wider tires with shorter and stiffer sidewalls, which we found will increase skidpad grip, but as our test shows, there is a limit to this assertion. The 19-inch package came with the widest tires (235/35R-19) mounted to the widest wheels (8.5 inches), but this setup had less grip around the skidpad than the narrower 225/40R-18s on 8.0-inch-wide wheels. We asked the folks at Goodyear why that might be, and they postulated that the added width may have given the outside tire more grip, which would increase body roll and could therefore decrease the load on the inside tire enough to lose 0.01 g on the skidpad.

Surprisingly, the 225/40R-18s showed a big skidpad advantage compared with the 225/45R-17s (0.89 g versus 0.85 g). We *suspect the difference is due to the grippier compound (lower wear rating) of the W-rated 18s. Goodyear does offer a W-rated GT in the 225/45R-17 size, which is what we intended to use, but Goodyear sent us the V-rated version for our test.




Subjectively, both the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels and tires were in the sweet spot of grip, braking performance, ride comfort, and steering feel. Moving from 17-inchers to 18s barely degrades ride quality, and the additional grip is welcome. We’d guess that a W-rated Eagle GT in the 17-inch size would come close to matching the grip of the W-rated 18, but we can’t say for certain without testing. Even with V-rated rubber, the per-form*ance of the 17s felt *similar to that of the 18s. But since the 18-inch setup costs only $112 more than the 17-inch package, we’d probably opt for the 18s if we lived in a region with smooth roads and looks were a priority.

We do know that the heavy, 19-inch setup suffered from the most impact harshness and seemed to tax the suspension the most. In contrast, the two smallest wheel-and-tire combos showed a propensity for more understeer on the skidpad but provided a more controlled and supple ride. And although it didn’t register on the dBA-meter, the 15- and 16-inch arrangements had a more pleasant sound quality than the larger tires.

The 19-inch wheels definitely look the coolest. But the 17- and 18-inch setups offer a better compromise of grip, acceleration, price, and ride harshness, so we’re not surprised VW uses 17- and 18-inch sizes on its hot Golf, the GTI. If it’s acceleration you’re after, stick with the smaller, lighter wheels and tires. And remember, unless you believe it is better to look good than to feel good, take our advice and stay away from extremely low-profile sidewalls and massively heavy wheels. View Photo Gallery


You did ask :wow::wow::wow:

From Here (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested)

[Ecky Thump]

Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested

Plus-Size Models: Testing the performance effects of upsizing wheels and tires.

The aesthetic appeal of larger wheels and tires is undeniable, but what about the alleged performance benefits? In general, larger wheels are heavier, and additional weight hinders performance. To examine the effects of installing larger wheels and tires, also known as “plus-sizing,” we tested five wheel-and-tire combinations—ranging from 15 to 19 inches—on a 2010 Volkswagen Golf and got a good sense of what is gained and lost in the process.

The plus-size concept basically works like this: As the wheel gets larger in diameter, the size of the tire’s sidewall must shrink to maintain the tire’s overall diameter. Keeping the overall tire diameter roughly the same is crucial to keeping the gearing the same and the speedometer accurate, as well as for making sure the wheels and tires fit within the fenders. But larger-diameter wheels and tires are often available only in enlarged widths as well. For more information on plus-sizing and details on what will and won't fit your car, call the folks at Tire Rack (800-981-3782) or visit tirerack.com.

Our test employed nearly identical Goodyear Eagle GT ultra-high-performance all-season tires in all five sizes, inflated to manufacturer-recommended pressures. We say that the tires were nearly the same because the 15-, 16-, and 17-inchers have a lower speed rating (V, or a top speed up to 149 mph) than the 18- and 19-inch tires’ W-rating (up to 168 mph). This, however, was as close as we could get to testing the same tire in every size. We used the stock steel wheels for the 15-inch test and went to the aftermarket for the larger wheels, as most owners would do. The aftermarket wheel we chose was a cast-aluminum ASA GT1, which is available in 16- to 19-inch sizes on the Golf. It’s obvious from the test that as wheels and tires grow in size, they also grow in weight. Here’s how the test shook out:




What’s immediately apparent from the results is that as the wheel-and-tire packages get larger and heavier, acceleration and fuel economy suffer. Neither is a huge surprise, but we measured a 10-percent drop in fuel economy and a four-percent degradation in 0-to-60-mph acceleration from the 15s to the 19s, which is worth considering should you be thinking about “going big.” Increasing wheel diameter and width, in turn, requires wider tires with shorter and stiffer sidewalls, which we found will increase skidpad grip, but as our test shows, there is a limit to this assertion. The 19-inch package came with the widest tires (235/35R-19) mounted to the widest wheels (8.5 inches), but this setup had less grip around the skidpad than the narrower 225/40R-18s on 8.0-inch-wide wheels. We asked the folks at Goodyear why that might be, and they postulated that the added width may have given the outside tire more grip, which would increase body roll and could therefore decrease the load on the inside tire enough to lose 0.01 g on the skidpad.

Surprisingly, the 225/40R-18s showed a big skidpad advantage compared with the 225/45R-17s (0.89 g versus 0.85 g). We *suspect the difference is due to the grippier compound (lower wear rating) of the W-rated 18s. Goodyear does offer a W-rated GT in the 225/45R-17 size, which is what we intended to use, but Goodyear sent us the V-rated version for our test.




Subjectively, both the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels and tires were in the sweet spot of grip, braking performance, ride comfort, and steering feel. Moving from 17-inchers to 18s barely degrades ride quality, and the additional grip is welcome. We’d guess that a W-rated Eagle GT in the 17-inch size would come close to matching the grip of the W-rated 18, but we can’t say for certain without testing. Even with V-rated rubber, the per-form*ance of the 17s felt *similar to that of the 18s. But since the 18-inch setup costs only $112 more than the 17-inch package, we’d probably opt for the 18s if we lived in a region with smooth roads and looks were a priority.

We do know that the heavy, 19-inch setup suffered from the most impact harshness and seemed to tax the suspension the most. In contrast, the two smallest wheel-and-tire combos showed a propensity for more understeer on the skidpad but provided a more controlled and supple ride. And although it didn’t register on the dBA-meter, the 15- and 16-inch arrangements had a more pleasant sound quality than the larger tires.

The 19-inch wheels definitely look the coolest. But the 17- and 18-inch setups offer a better compromise of grip, acceleration, price, and ride harshness, so we’re not surprised VW uses 17- and 18-inch sizes on its hot Golf, the GTI. If it’s acceleration you’re after, stick with the smaller, lighter wheels and tires. And remember, unless you believe it is better to look good than to feel good, take our advice and stay away from extremely low-profile sidewalls and massively heavy wheels. View Photo Gallery


You did ask :wow::wow::wow:

From Here (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/effects-of-upsized-wheels-and-tires-tested)



Now that's what you call a comprehensive reply, its almost word for word what I said, but with more embellishments.;)



And just for Timmy and any one that missed the fact that Timmy used to drive them, that's what "Rolls Royce" used to call hubcaps....."Wheel embellishing features", but that was in the days when the AA man used to salute you.:D

[timmylish]

Thanks Mark. Most informative I have to say!
Knackered just reading it.

[atlantico]

you're all getting the abbreviations wrong, RR could be Range Rover . . . . . or possibly a Robin Reliant .

[s1monsg]

Or Robin Reliant...lol...with 18 or 19 inch wheels.

[warbey]

Thanks Mark. Most informative I have to say!
Knackered just reading it.

Does thaT CONVINCE yOU TO BUY IT THOUGH????

[atlantico]

Or Robin Reliant...lol...with 18 or 19 inch wheels.

at least it'd be cheaper . . . . . only three wheels to buy !

[timmylish]

Range Rover and Rollers!
On a serious note however. It looks like we,ll be getting a machine with 18',s. Be interesting to see how it drives in comparison to much smaller wheels.

[pjelec]

Just to let you know that if you have standard 15" whells on your car and you change them to 17" then there is no difference in diameter. The profile on 15" are a lot more than a profile with 17". They do this so it does not change your gearing and speedo. With low profile tyres although look nice make the car uncomfortable and with some pot holes here can pop easily. For a cruise round then nice big wheels. For everyday driving stick to normal size.

I,ve never had the choice of vehicles which have different wheel sizes and would ask those who know to explain to me the advantages or disadvantages of having wheels of 16", 17" or 18" on Crossover type of cars. When I had RR,s you were not offered a choice (so it shows how long ago that was!) and all other cars never used different ones.:confused:
Look forward to hearing opinions. Thanks.

[nook]

If you put larger wheels on with same profile tyres you will higher the gear ratio,therefor raising top end speed.putting lower profile tyres on so diameter overall remains same will result in better road handling as there is less roll on tyre wall. Gets uncomfortable though.