Why larger wheels

Another wheel caveat involves offset—the distance between the wheel's hub-mounting surface and centerline, as shown in the image above.

Have the retailer confirm that plus-size wheels have the correct offset for your vehicle. And be wary of spacers, which retailers often sell as a way to make wheels fit by moving them out from the hub.

Try to buy tires and wheels as a set. Local tire stores and mail-order retailers often sell wheel-and-tire packages with the tires mounted and wheels balanced.

Packages are an easy way to choose wheels and tires that fit your vehicle. Inexperienced shops could damage both during installation. Follow the torque specs in your car owner's manual or from the wheel maker; recheck torque after the first miles.

Original-equipment tires typically emphasize ride comfort and all-weather grip; plus-sizing reduced both in our tests using a Honda Accord and BMW 5-Series, each with common-model tires. Use the data below and our test results in the color-keyed graphs in What you gain and lose to decide whether the pros outweigh the costs. Plus-size with caution, especially if you drive under varied conditions.

Best for those who want well-rounded performance under a variety of driving conditions. But factory tires typically compromise optimal cornering grip for all-around versatility. Best for those who want better handling and cornering without losing much foul-weather grip. But ride still suffers, and costs for wheels and tires are significant even at this level. But ride and all-weather grip decline; the risk of damage from potholes and curbs increases.

Best for warm-weather drivers who want even more style and are willing to pay for it. Large sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks allow extra-large plus-size options up to 28 inches in diameter. We tested a late-model Chevrolet Tahoe SUV with plus-four and plus-eight wheels and tires in line with the extreme sizes typical for trucks. As with our cars, the Tahoe sacrificed ride comfort and snow traction at the large end of the spectrum.

Those are some of the reasons we do not recommend plus-size tires for these mostly all-weather vehicles. Larger, grippier tires could also make some of these trucks tippier by sticking rather than sliding under hard cornering forces and also during emergency road maneuvers--a major reason some auto manufacturers advise owners to stay with the tire size and type the vehicle came with.

Extreme plus-size truck tires put an even greater strain on brakes, wheel bearings, and suspension parts. And if you just get larger sized touring tyres or green tyres, the chance to improve handling performance is lost.

Water spots: How to prevent them from occurring. Windows fogging up: How to prevent this from happening. Push-starting your car: How and when you can do it. These labels can be confusing if you're not sure how to read them, but once you learn the language of tires , they become more clear. On the left side of the slash symbol, you'll find three numbers and sometimes letters. The numbers represent how wide the tires are, in millimeters, from sidewall to sidewall.

The bigger this number is, the more road the tire touches. If you see a letter on the left side, it refers to the tire type. Letters you might see are:. On the right side of the slash symbol, you'll find two numbers, a letter, and two more numbers. The first set of numbers represents the aspect ratio of the tire's height to its width. The middle letter on the right side of the slash tells you about the tire's construction method and will most commonly be "R," or radial.

This means the layers of the tire run radially across it. The last number is important, as it tells you what size wheel the tire fits. In our example, this number is 15, which means the tire fits a wheel with a inch diameter. Wheels and tires are important components of your vehicle. Though that may seem a little obvious, many drivers don't give a second thought to the tires they choose for the cars, which can lead to many unwanted problems.

Know your car and avoid making dire tire mistakes to ensure your wheels are safe and are giving your vehicle the best levels of traction possible. New Cars. As a result, the fuel consumption also increases. On the contrary, the engine producing more horsepower will not be affected. In simple words, a powerful engine will have a negligible impact on the fuel efficiency.

However, the use of such a powerful engine is not economical. Here, the cars on big rim cause a negative effect on the steering performance due to the large contact patch. As the large size tires, simply mean more weight, resulting in hard turning steering , slow acceleration, and poor car handling. Due to the heavy steering, wheel scraping, and lower sidewalls, the large size tires wear out faster than the expected.

However, during the enhancement of car components, this embedded technology may not respond accurately. For instance, the car wheels upgrading from 16 inches to inches will give an error in speedometer reading.

Likewise, the electronic safety aids in the car, such as EBD, ABS, and traction control, may also not respond accurately and timely. To sum up, the bigger wheels in the car offer both pros and cons.