What are the impacts of upgrading to larger car wheels?
1 Answers
The impacts of upgrading to larger car wheels include increased fuel consumption, heavier steering, improved tire grip, clearer road feedback and better stability at high speeds, as well as potential issues during annual inspections. More details are as follows: 1. Tire width also affects resistance; wider tires create more resistance, leading to higher fuel consumption and slower acceleration. Therefore, blindly widening tires is not advisable—vehicle power and economic performance must be balanced. 2. Tire sidewall height, commonly referred to as "thick tires" or "thin tires," mainly affects shock absorption and handling. Thicker tires provide better shock absorption, filtering out minor vibrations more effectively, while thinner tires offer less vibration damping, resulting in more direct feedback. However, thick tires can make handling feel sluggish and reduce steering precision, which is why high-performance cars and sports cars tend to use thin tires. 3. For better handling, larger wheels must be made lighter using advanced manufacturing techniques and materials, inevitably driving up costs. Moreover, when wheel sizes reach levels like 19 or 20 inches, not only do tire prices surge, but the available brands and styles also become increasingly limited.
