What Bigger Tires Will Do to Your Vehicle
If you choose to put bigger wheels or tires on your vehicle, you should be aware of all of the potential effects of doing so before you actually make the move. Tires can truly make or break your vehicle, both in terms of performance and style. But keep in mind that, in many cases, if you’re going to put bigger tires on your vehicle, you’ll also need to upgrade the size of your rims.
Here’s some information from a tire shop in Riverside, CA about what you can expect bigger tires to do to your vehicle.
Space
Again, because you’re likely going to have to upgrade your rims to put bigger tires on your vehicle, it’s important to know what your options are. For the most part, manufacturers won’t want you to go any more than an inch or two up from the original wheel size, so check your vehicle owner’s manual to be certain. This is because there’s only so much space available under the arches for you to use without getting a lift kit. Bigger rims might fill the arches more attractively, but you still need to have enough space for the suspension to do its job as well—up and down space gives the suspension a greater ability to absorb impact.
Weight
Larger rims and tires are going to be heavier, which means there will be more strain put on other components of your vehicle. The exception is if you go from a steel wheel to an alloy wheel—this will actually decrease the amount of weight, even if you’re increasing the size of the rim.
Lift kits
If you’re driving a pickup truck, a lift kit should be a real consideration for you. This will give you some room to add on some particularly massive wheels and tires, depending on how big of a lift you’re able to get. If you do a lot of off-roading, this is something you will want to look into. A lift kit raises the clearance between the vehicle and the ground, which gives you more space to handle rough terrain. However, this can also be expensive, as you’d be paying for the lift kit as well as all new wheels and tires, so you’d need to be absolutely certain you’d make use of this upgrade. Plus, your driving behavior will be somewhat altered—lift kits affect the center of gravity in your vehicle, so you’ll need to be much more careful about not taking turns at too fast of a speed.
Mileage
While it might not be the single most important factor in your decision making process, you should still know that larger wheels and tires will result in decreased gas mileage, simply because there’s more weight for your vehicle to haul. Keep this in mind—it’s another way this upgrade will cost you money.
For more information about how larger wheels and tires could affect your vehicle, contact Reliable Tire Center or visit our tire shop in Riverside, CA today.
Categorised in: Tire Replacement