How big wheels can i put on my car

With these three numbers, you should be able to choose rims that will be appropriate for your vehicle. Your email address will not be published. Home :. Gallery :. Policies :. Contact Us :. About Us :. View Cart. So, let's get some basics down before you upgrade to new rolling stock.

The first known wheels were made of wood, despite what Fred Flintstone's granite-shod convertible would have you believe. Automobiles even used wooden carriage wheels for quite a while. Increased power and weight soon outstripped wood's capabilities, and wheels were upgraded to steel, either in a stamped, welded dish or a lighter hub, spoke and rim design.

Lightweight steel-spoked wheels lingered until the s, especially on nimble foreign sports cars, but larger American cars needed the stronger stamped and welded wheels. Steel's weight penalty led racers and enthusiasts to explore magnesium—a metal as strong as aluminum, but even lighter. Unfortunately, pure magnesium corrodes very easily unless it's properly sealed and can even catch fire in an accident.

Magnesium wheel fires are still singled out in firefighting courses today, as taking a water hose to a burning magnesium wheel only makes it burn more intensely. Beyond these alloys, there are now ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber wheels, but those are still far more expensive than an alloy set.

For now, most wheel upgrades involve aluminum alloys. One of the reasons why people opt for larger wheels and tires revolves around the contact patch—specifically, how much tire touches the ground at any given time.

There are two ways to increase the size of the tire's contact patch: make it longer or wider. A longer patch of tire tread means that the tire's overall diameter increases. The tire can rub other parts of the car, like the wheel well. Problem is, it takes longer for a larger diameter tire to complete one rotation. Your 4. You may not notice this until you hammer the brakes going into a slippery corner and slide off into a hedge.

So, on street cars, we customarily go wider with wheels and tires to increase the size of that contact patch. This will increase handling performance for spirited driving and cornering. This means that you will most likely experience a bumpier ride. If your wheel and tire package ends up being heavier, this will affect acceleration and fuel economy. Acceleration will be less and so will fuel economy. Steering may also become heavier. Wider wheels mean wider tires which mean extra grip.

However, again this could be a case of extra weight unless you get lightweight rims and extra strain on your vehicle. Bigger tires — usually accompanied by bigger rims and higher suspension — are a popular trend among truck drivers. While some people want the off-roading advantages that come with bigger tires, sometimes the big wheels are all about style points.

Upgrading your tire size is one way to customize the look and feel of your driving machine. Naturally, increased height from larger tires means you have a higher center of gravity. This changes the handling of your vehicle by increasing body roll and load transfer. In some cases, you may experience less stability when braking and cornering — especially if traveling at high speeds. Additionally, any changes in ride height and in some alignment angles may result in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems needing recalibration.

Putting bigger tires on your car will affect your vehicle's average miles per gallon MPG. There are several reasons larger tires lower fuel economy. First, bigger tires are usually much heavier. Adding a set of four big and heavy tires to your vehicle will add a lot of new weight.

It can also put more strain on your brakes to slow down the vehicle. Second, wider tires may stick out from the wheel well instead of staying in line with your truck or SUV. This can make your car less aerodynamic and increase fuel usage.