For example, if you install snow tires over the winter, you may be better off with smaller tires. There are also times when you might opt for a smaller tire. Depending on the make and model, you might find that a larger tire fills up the area between the axle and the wheel wells more, which looks sleeker and more stylish.įor whatever reason, a narrow tire often looks cheap and unattractive. With larger contact patches, your car will be able to maintain a firmer grip on the road when you accelerate, brake, or make tight turns. The second, and usually the better way, is to find a bit wider tires, making the contact patches wider too.The first is to increase the outer diameter of your tires to make the patches longer, which will increase the aspect ratio.There are two ways to expand those contact patches: The larger those contact patches are, the more your tires will grip the surface when you accelerate, brake, and turn. This is literally “where the rubber meets the road.” Your tires create four contact patches with the ground. There are a couple of good reasons why you might want to change the size of your tires, but often it’s a matter of wanting higher performance. Why You Might Want to Change Your Tire Size If the change is significant, you can get your speedometer adjusted for your new tires. Use a tire size calculator to see just how your new tires will affect your speed. The difference may be just an inch or two, but adding five percent to your aspect ratio at highway speeds can add a couple of miles an hour. If you change the diameter of your tires, you change how far your car travels every time your wheels turn. That’s because these were all set for a given tire diameter. That means more road noise and lowered gas mileage.Ĭhanging the outside diameter of your tires will affect how your transmission works, and you can also throw off your speedometer and odometer. You don’t want your tires to rub against the metal in the wheel well or against the brakes or shock absorbers. As a general rule, there is more room for wider tires than expanding the outside diameter. Tires need room to spin, jostle around as they roll over uneven terrain, and turn. The Size of Wheel Wellīe mindful of how much room your tires will have in the wheel well. If you go for something too large, you run the risk of damaging your car. While wider tires might make for more contact with the road and offer better handling, you don’t want to go overboard. What to Consider Before Changing Tire Size The aspect ratio doesn’t affect how tires fit on a rim, and the sidewalls can flex in or out a bit when you mount the tires, allowing you to experiment with tire width a little bit. When looking for new tires, the last number will need to be the same, but you have some flexibility when it comes to the first two numbers, the width and the aspect ratio. This tire’s inside diameter is 17 inches (43.1 cm.). Nearly all passenger car tires are radials, which is what the “R” stands for. The following letter will almost always be an “R.” This refers to how the tire is constructed. ![]() On this tire, the sidewalls will be 55 percent of 250 mm (9.8 in.), which works out to 137.5 mm (5.4 in.). This part is a little tricky: the ratio is a percentage of the width. ![]() This refers to how high the sidewalls are-that’s the rubber between the tread and the inside edge of the tire. Next will come the width of the tire, measured in millimeters.The initial “P” means this is a tire designed for passenger automobiles. ![]() To further complicate things, tire width is measured in millimeters, but rim width is measured in inches. You’ll find the size information on the side of the tire, and it will look something like this: But once you have them worked out, you should have a good idea of what you are looking for. The first is in millimeters, the second is a percentage, and the last is inches. It can be a bit confusing, but there are three measurements you need to consider when reading the size of your tires. That means the inside edge of your tires has to match the diameter of your rims.īut the width of your tires does not have to match the width of your rims, at least not precisely.Įither way, the first step to determining whether you can use the same rim will be to get the size of the tires. If you want to change your tire size but use the same rims, the internal diameter of your tires is pretty much set in stone. Conclusion The Tire’s Internal Diameter Must Match the Rim
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