5 ms·

So much wrong in this article, but some things are correct. First a smaller rim and higher profile tire wouldn't have prevented the problem. Whatever was hit

So much wrong in this article, but some things are correct. First a smaller rim and higher profile tire wouldn't have prevented the problem. Whatever was hit was hard enough to knock a dime-sized hole in his tire. That's almost three quarters of an inch or 18 mm for the rest of the world. This isn't some light scrubbing on the sidewall or damaging your rim from a curb scrape. This is full on you blasted into something and poked a god-awful-sized hole into the side of your tire. No profile is going to save you from that. Second the trend of using these wheels and tire combinations is partially because consumers want that look but primarily for stability of these obnoxiously sized chassis to body ratio that people want in vehicles. Partially due to emissions standards and partially due to ride comfort manufacturers are using car chassis and bolting on effectively high profile truck bodies to them (that's your typical crossover). You put on a 14-in rim with a 75% sidewall tire you have a handling nightmare that will result in rollovers. Sticking a large rim with a small profile tire greatly reduces that. Lastly, yes larger rims are heavier and result in more unsprung weight but the trade-off is (for a factory setup) always worth it for increased handling and stability. This can reduce ride comfort but since you're on a car chassis anyway the suspension is making up the difference for what the tires used to do back in the '80s and '70s and '60s. This author seriously needs to go find a bone stock car from the mid-70s or even the late 60s and compare it to what he has today. I give this your range because bias tires are just garbage and by the late 60s most manufacturers had started installing radials at that point. Still cars were given high profile tires. A sports car would not be uncommon to have a 225 65 R15 tire. Total mush with atrocious handling. Still if you're going to smack curbs enough to put dime-size holes in it the only thing it might save is scratching up your steel rim which was also god awful heavy compared to modern alloy rims that are bigger. If you want smaller wheels and tires you need to go with smaller overall vehicles. Manufacturers don't do this for looks as their primary reason. They do it because it's what's required to keep the car safe and stable and meet the safety standards that are mandated. Nobody wants smaller cars because the safety rating goes through the floor because smaller cars you can only make them so safe due to the weight constraints of having a smaller car.

twoWhlsGud 3y ago
Consumer Reports, which presumably has test driven a wider array of cars than you or me, is pretty much constantly complaining about how the trend toward larger wheels is compromising ride quality. (In particular, when discussing trim levels they often count the larger rims you get with higher trim levels as a negative.) Given that the weight and size of vehicles has constantly been increasing (largely due to the auto co's "nice family you got, pity if something ... happened to it" marketing campaigns) some increase in size would make sense from a perf standpoint. I think the author's argument is that it's gone far beyond that. And CU, at least, seems to agree.
- elmerfud 3y ago
  Agreed, if you're picking the ultra sport option tires for your grocery getter then your ride will suffer, but that's not what I'm referring too. If a customer chooses that, they get what they asked for and shouldn't complain. Stock tires now days a have a lower profile from the past, and when choosing the normal wheel and tire option the ride quality will be better than the cars from days gone by. Tires for cars used to have very large sidewall ratios, 15 inch rim and 75% was common for a passenger sedan. That was a marshmallow with bad road feel and coupled with the soggy suspension setups the cars would be considered dangerous by modern standards. The 17" 50% tires that are common today provide much better handling and the unsprung weight is likely less than the past. All of this makes a better and safer car. One thing people always forget when talking tire sidewalls is that larger side wall generates more heat in a tire and can promote failure. All that sidewall flex makes heat every time it rolls around. Small rims and big sidewalls, shorten tire life and not in the way of a curb hit like the author had. It shortens it in a way of highway speed delamination which is never fun. (From personal experience). The Ford bronco rollovers had this catastrophic blowout issue as the trigger that exposed poor suspension.
  - theluketaylor 3y ago
    50R17 wheels would be fine if that was what cars actually had. Instead the fitments are like 40R19 and 45R20. The trend of bigger wheels and smaller sidewalls is not going away either. 19s and 20s are giving way to 21s and 22s. Around 5-6 years ago we passed better grip and handling and moved well into harsh ride, bent wheels, and higher unsprung mass territory. I’m convinced one the the major factors driving the SUV revolution along with high driving position and CAFE light truck regs is higher aspect ratio tires compared with the equivalent sedan or wagon. The SUV has huge wheels but also has higher aspect tires, so you still get some sidewall flex and acceptable ride. The sedan equivalent has rubber band tires that crash on even reasonably maintained pavement (a bar many cities cannot reach), so of course the better ride wins even if the vehicle is far heavier and more expensive.

twoWhlsGud 3y ago

Consumer Reports, which presumably has test driven a wider array of cars than you or me, is pretty much constantly complaining about how the trend toward larger wheels is compromising ride quality. (In particular, when discussing trim levels they often count the larger rims you get with higher trim levels as a negative.) Given that the weight and size of vehicles has constantly been increasing (largely due to the auto co's "nice family you got, pity if something ... happened to it" marketing campaigns) some increase in size would make sense from a perf standpoint. I think the author's argument is that it's gone far beyond that. And CU, at least, seems to agree.

elmerfud 3y ago
Agreed, if you're picking the ultra sport option tires for your grocery getter then your ride will suffer, but that's not what I'm referring too. If a customer chooses that, they get what they asked for and shouldn't complain. Stock tires now days a have a lower profile from the past, and when choosing the normal wheel and tire option the ride quality will be better than the cars from days gone by. Tires for cars used to have very large sidewall ratios, 15 inch rim and 75% was common for a passenger sedan. That was a marshmallow with bad road feel and coupled with the soggy suspension setups the cars would be considered dangerous by modern standards. The 17" 50% tires that are common today provide much better handling and the unsprung weight is likely less than the past. All of this makes a better and safer car. One thing people always forget when talking tire sidewalls is that larger side wall generates more heat in a tire and can promote failure. All that sidewall flex makes heat every time it rolls around. Small rims and big sidewalls, shorten tire life and not in the way of a curb hit like the author had. It shortens it in a way of highway speed delamination which is never fun. (From personal experience). The Ford bronco rollovers had this catastrophic blowout issue as the trigger that exposed poor suspension.
- theluketaylor 3y ago
  50R17 wheels would be fine if that was what cars actually had. Instead the fitments are like 40R19 and 45R20. The trend of bigger wheels and smaller sidewalls is not going away either. 19s and 20s are giving way to 21s and 22s. Around 5-6 years ago we passed better grip and handling and moved well into harsh ride, bent wheels, and higher unsprung mass territory. I’m convinced one the the major factors driving the SUV revolution along with high driving position and CAFE light truck regs is higher aspect ratio tires compared with the equivalent sedan or wagon. The SUV has huge wheels but also has higher aspect tires, so you still get some sidewall flex and acceptable ride. The sedan equivalent has rubber band tires that crash on even reasonably maintained pavement (a bar many cities cannot reach), so of course the better ride wins even if the vehicle is far heavier and more expensive.